Cirque du Soleil - Definition and Overview

Cirque du Soleil (French for "Circus of the Sun") is an entertainment company founded by Guy Laliberté, a former fire-eater, in 1984 and based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It has several resident and touring troupes and draws heavily from the circus tradition. Emphasizing the use of humans as performers, Cirque du Soleil does not make use of animals. Its performances combine elements of street performances, circus, opera, and rock music. Acts include contortionists, jugglers, feats of strength, clowning, and trapeze artists. Their costumes are very colorful and creative, setting a festive atmosphere.

Celine Dion's A New Day..., a resident show in Las Vegas and produced by Franco Dragone (a director of Cirque du Soleil), was inspired by Cirque du Soleil.

Cirque du Soleil has produced a number of IMAX movies (the most well-known is perhaps The Journey of Man), performance DVDs, and soundtrack CDs.

The troupe was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.

Touring Troupes

• Saltimbanco
• Alegria
• Quidam
• Dralion
• Varekai
• Cirque 2005 (yet to be properly named)

Resident troupes

The resident troupes have established homes in the entertainment centers of the United States: Las Vegas, Nevada, and Orlando, Florida.

• O at Bellagio, Las Vegas
• Mystère at Treasure Island, Las Vegas
• La Nouba at Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando
• Zumanity at New York-New York Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas
• Ka at MGM Grand Casino, Las Vegas

External links

• Official site (http://www.cirquedusoleil.com)
• Cirque du Soleil Tickets (http://www.encoretickets.com/app/Cirque_du_Soleil_Tickets.asp)