Cirque du Soleil performers. Deadly number
Almost a quarter of a century ago, in the distant province of Quebec, a circus was born, as a poet would say: “stars called the Sun,” which was destined to become a factory of new circus dreams. The Canadian Cirque du Soleil (translated as Circus of the Sun) is called “the tomorrow of the global entertainment industry”, “the maternity hospital of ideas”, “ brilliant invention Guy Laliberte."
In the guest book, viewers leave the following notes in different languages: “What I saw blew my mind like a fan.” "Visual orgasm" "I laughed so hard I almost peed myself." "I beat my hands and lost my voice. Today is the happiest day of my life." “Give your girls my phone number, let them all call whenever they want, I love you forever.” "You helped me understand who I really am. I want to thank you for the deep shock I experienced - for drawing me into delight, love, laughter, freedom and dreams."
The brainchild of Guy Laliberte is today a colossal enterprise in the world of show business, attracting more than ten million viewers a year. It can perhaps be compared to the Chelsea football club, but in the circus area, that is, the richest place where all the talents gather.
An interesting paradox: he brought fame to the Canadian circus through an international creative team that includes representatives from more than forty different countries.
At the moment, almost 4,000 people work there, among whom are over a thousand artists, the rest are the directors and administration, creative workshops (directors, choreographers, artists, musicians), trainers, technical staff, personnel department, teachers, cooks, security and etc.
At its main headquarters, which is located in Montreal, it operates most of of the listed non-acting staff - 1800 employees. This huge laboratory with the most modern equipment brings together the best creative forces planet, to create new circus projects. The result of this work: today there are seventeen operating different shows under the Cirque du Soleil brand: ten permanent halls (in Las Vegas, New York, Orlando, Tokyo and Macau), the rest have been touring all over the world for years. The average capacity of the tent is two and a half thousand people. Tickets for any Cirque du Soleil performance range from 50 to 180 US dollars.
Almost without exception, all the shows of this circus employ Russian-speaking artists. In some productions, for example, in “Alegria”, among the fifty artists performing on stage, almost thirty are from the countries of the former Soviet Union. In others, the percentage is smaller, but still impressive.
To answer the question - why are there so many Russians there and in what ways do they get there, we need to turn to the history of our country: over a hundred and fifty years we have developed an excellent circus school based on ancient circus traditions, then the freedom to work under contracts opened up where you are in demand and most appreciated. Plus, globalization has begun. Well, each artist of Cirque du Soleil has his own separate case, a specific fate.
Very “typical,” so to speak, in its non-standard nature, is the story of the Ivanov family from the city of Yaroslavl. Since 1995, Evgeny and Natalya Ivanov have been touring with the Alegria tour. Now they are both in their early forties, they got married in their youth, as soon as Zhenya returned from service in Soviet army. Natasha and Zhenya are themselves graduates of the Soviet sports system. Their youthful romance was associated with trips to sports camps and performances. After Zhenya performed extensively and successfully at international competitions, friends invited him to join a circus troupe touring Mexico. He signed a contract with a Mexican impresario, and the whole family began a nomadic life. Daughter Christina is now 23 years old, she - circus acrobat, is already working in another Cirque du Soleil show, La Nouba, in Orlando. Their eight-year-old son Timofey, who was born during a tour of America, travels with his parents and has been traveling all his life.
The head of the family, Evgeny Ivanov, the current performer of the role of the Red Hunchback in “Alegria”, an acrobat in the “Fast Truck” act, recalls:
“I got into Cirque du Soleil quite by accident thirteen years ago, when this circus was not yet so big and rich, and there were so many artists, and so few programs that it was easier to fly into space as a tourist than to get into its troupe. It was 1995, and Alegria's show was still in its early days. The first time I saw Cirque du Soleil was on videotape, the production of "Nouvelle experience". I liked it so much that I said to myself: this is the circus where I want to work.”
By that time, Zhenya was twice world champion in individual disciplines in acrobatics, won European championships five times, nine in Russia. He worked for several years in a professional circus in Mexico. He came to the Montreal studio, but at first he was turned down, saying that they didn’t need acrobats with such qualifications there. Apparently, his track record seemed too impressive. He was given a ticket home, but Zhenya stayed behind just to stay in Montreal and watch the training. Somehow, by chance, he was asked to meet at the airport some Gilles Saint-Croix, a gray-haired man with whom Zhenya had a good conversation in Spanish. And he told him to come to the studio and show him what he could do. It turned out that Gilles was the Vice President for Creative Affairs at the circus. Zhenya jumped on the trampoline for him, but did not hear any comments.
And now, with a flight ticket, he was sitting, waiting for a taxi, suddenly a girl comes up and says: “Please hand over your ticket. Here are the keys to the hotel, check in.” Zhenya was so happy that at first he didn’t even ask what the room number was. Those apartments seemed simply luxurious to him, because for the last two weeks he had been living with a friend almost on a rug.
The working and living conditions there are really very good. On tour - accommodation in four to five star hotels or condo apartments with kitchens, full health insurance, and partial insurance for the family. The contract provides a guaranteed capital annual income (what exactly is strictly prohibited from being disclosed by the contract itself, but it is clear that in a provincial circus they would not have earned that kind of money even in ten years). Cirque Du Soleil helps artists change careers when they can no longer perform.
Each tour has its own schools with teachers for the children of artists so that they can receive a full school education. In the main Montreal studio there are huge training rooms, equipped with new equipment, and the assistance of highly qualified trainers. All those invited to perform at Cirque du Soleil must undergo special training courses, stage movement, singing, and dancing. Sometimes these are individual rehearsals, as was the case with Kristina Ivanova, and sometimes they are collective trainings, the so-called “formation”, which usually last 4 months. Directors work to ensure that each newcomer achieves full efficiency, reveals the maximum of their capabilities, and becomes an actor and circus performer at the same time. At the end of the training, the best ones receive work contracts.
The company's founder, Guy Laliberte, who was born in Quebec City, Canada 49 years ago, was a street performer, fire-eater, accordion player and stilt dancer. In the early eighties, he united two dozen artist friends around him. They took part in various street festivals, with a particularly successful performance in 1984 at a large celebration of the 450th anniversary of the discovery of Canada by Jacques Cartier. They turned to the Government of the Province of Quebec, which supported the initiative (which cannot be overestimated), and new company, having received its dose of success and failure in the first years of its existence, set a course to conquer unprecedented heights.
Canadians, having studied and mastered the methods of training circus performers in different countries, talking with the masters of the most famous circuses And circus schools, outstanding artists and directors, have created a structure with very strong management. In addition to circus performances, the company is actively realizing its potential in other genres - television projects, cinema, in the entertainment part of ceremonies and corporate events; it widely promotes its CDs, DVDs, souvenirs, as well as other designer products under the brand name.
To create each circus program takes from a year to 3 years, but it is used for 12-15, or even more, years. Moreover, in last years the scale of production has increased, for example, in 2008 three new shows were launched at once: in Tokyo, Macau and Las Vegas. The contract with each artist is concluded for at least a year. Some stay on the show for many years.
When Guy Laliberte comes up with an idea for a new program, he collects creative team, which develops this idea from all sides: main topic, script, music, lighting, characters, costumes. The trump card is the invitation to work of original and talented directors, the best artists, composers and directors, such as, for example, the Belgian Franco Dragone. At one time he was given unlimited creative freedom and as a result he created a number of masterpiece productions for Cirque du Soleil: Cirque du Soleil (1985), We Reinvent the Circus (1987), Nouvelle experience (1990), Saltimbanco (1992), Mystere ( 1993) Alegria (1994), Quidam (1996), La Nouba and "O" (1998).
Their scheme works on a completely different principle than all the world's circuses. Highlight -
in a special creative style: a fusion of theatrical aesthetics with the spectacular atmosphere of the circus plus a fundamental refusal to use trained animals. Also, a new musical score is specially written for each show, and there are always live singers on stage as characters. Any of the characters - unique image with its own history and purpose. The set design is multi-layered; at the same time, many characters in extraordinary costumes live in different layers of space. The action flows in a single stream, in which there are rapids and quiet backwaters. Light is a living, full-fledged participant in the action. Non-standard and very strong choreographic solutions, for example, when the jumps of several acrobats on a trampoline cross track to the music form amazingly beautiful patterned trajectories. The professionalism of the performers is of the highest class.
It turns out that this level was set from the very beginning by the participation of the Russians.
Pavel Brun, who collaborated with Cirque du Soleil for more than ten years, talks about the first “swallows” from Russia in this circus:
“It all started small and a long time ago, in 1990, when I integrated the very first Russian artists, Vladimir Kekhayal and Vasily Demenchukov, into the “Nouvelle Experience” show. It was an amazing performance that raised the bar of Cirque du Soleil very high for Cirque du Soleil itself, as well as for all fans of this company, which has now become a super-brand of show business on a global scale.”
In 1992, Pavel Brun was invited to stage the play "Saltimbanco", where he assisted choreographer Debbie Brown. Then, 1992-93, in collaboration with the Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard, he prepared a large aerial act for the first Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas, “Mystere”. This number was fully staffed by Russian artists, which was the first major “infusion” of ours into the Cirque du Soleil. In 1994, Pavel became the Artistic Director of the play "Alegria", where he invited Slava Polunin, which began the ongoing collaboration of Cirque du Soleil with the Litsedey. Also, for this show Pavel prepared an aerial performance under the direction of Andrei Lev. The presence of Russians in Alegria at that moment was already very significant and tangible.
At the beginning of 1995, Pavel Brun was “transferred” to Las Vegas, where he headed the work with the above-mentioned show “Mystere”. In 1996, when work had already begun on water show"O" for the new Bellagio casino in Las Vegas, he was invited to this project as Artistic Director, and a little later, in 1997, he was made Artistic Director and Artistic Director of the Las Vegas Division of Cirque du Soleil, where he led the work on two shows, "Mystere" and "O" at the same time. It was amazing and very difficult. He worked with these two shows until the fall of 2001, after which he decided to take a "break" and left Cirque du Soleil.
The infusion of our talents into this circus goes in several directions. Firstly, the infrastructure: the list of local Russian-speaking coaches, stage directors, artistic directors and recruiters includes: Pavel Bryun, whom we have already talked about, clown Slava Polunin, coaches and stage directors Boris Verkhovsky, Andrey Lev, Alexander Moiseev, recruitment specialist Pavel Kotov and many others. Secondly, there are many circus performers, among whom were acrobats the Arnautov brothers, Oleg Kantemirov, Alexey Tvelenev, juggler from Ukraine Victor Ki (Kiktev), and others. Thirdly, talented athletes, such as, for example, winners of the World and European Championships in sports acrobatics Alexey Lyubezny and Anatoly Borovikov from Belarus, or our hero from Yaroslavl, two-time world champion in acrobatics, Evgeniy Ivanov. I would especially like to mention Konstantin Beschetny, the director and creator of the “Voltige” act from the show “Quidam”. This act, by the way, received the Grand Prix in Monte Carlo, having been sent there on behalf of Cirque du Soleil.
Just as Russian ballet at one time demonstrated the level to which troupes in many countries aspired, so our circuses set a high standard for technique in the performance of numbers.
A little history:
IN late XIX century, the circus was popular in Moscow, where several seasonal circuses operated, and in St. Petersburg, where the local nobility helped the Italian Ciniselli obtain the right to build a stationary circus (now the St. Petersburg State Circus is located there), which was opened in 1877 and achieved incredible power and popularity . Its scale can be judged by one of the pantomime extravaganzas called “The French Army in Algeria” with the participation of foot and horse troops and two choirs military music- only 400 people. In those days, the Ciniselli circus demonstrated the widest range of genre acts at the very high level. To a certain extent, he was the standard by which other world circuses were guided.
IN post-revolutionary Russia The circus began to be supported by the state, and the first productions for the Soviet circus, among others, were created by Mayakovsky and Meyerhold. In the 20th century, the Soviet circus received tremendous development and turned into a world flagship, the largest structure in its field, incorporating talented representatives of numerous nationalities from the USSR. Masterly performance of the most complex, amazing tricks was often combined with naive means artistic expression and propaganda pathos in the design, music, choreography and composition of many circus acts. But the aesthetics of the lines of flights and jumps, plasticity, special spirituality in execution - this cannot be taken away from ours. Russians are distinguished by their desire for creative invention, active invention for the sake of constant improvement of their numbers.
Vyacheslav Polunin was the first Russian clown invited to Cirque du Soleil for a long period. His special style of lyrical clowning arose from a fusion of different genres, and sources of inspiration include Russian buffoonery, commedia dell'arto, street theater, pantomime by Marcel Marceau, Chapliniana, the art of Buster Keaton, Leonid Engibarov, etc. The introduction of Polunin's metaphysical clowning had a very strong influence on the formation of further clown traditions at Cirque du Soleil. After Slava, who played his number “Snow Storm” there, with this circus in different time four more ex-Litsedeya signed contracts: Sergey Shashelev (since 1995 in the show La Nuba, Orlando), Nikolai Terentyev (2000-2003 in the show Alegria) and the duet Valery Keft, Leonid Leikin (since 1997 years on the “Alegria” tour, and since 2000 - in the “O” show, Las Vegas). Last year, Leonid was even invited to stage a clown show in the new Cirque du Soleil show “Zaia” in Macau, Leikin’s talent and authority in this matter were so highly appreciated.
One of the oldest artists in Cirque du Soleil in the show “Alegria”, Yuri Medvedev, was brought in as his replacement by Slava Polunin in 1995. He accidentally found Yuri in New York, where he worked as a taxi driver. The former mime and actor of the Taganka Theater for a long time could not believe his happiness that he was back on stage again, and even in a solo clown act of such a show...
While telling me about this during a break between performances, Yuri Medvedev sneezed loudly and his clown nose fell off.
“What is this,” he said, wiping his face. - During the premiere of the number with the storm, my jacket almost blew off and my glued hair came off. Then I barely found my wig under the rows of spectators.
To date, Cirque du Soleil has a huge casting department that searches and selects the most interesting acts, outstanding athletes and talented artists from all over the world. Russia and the former socialist republics are in the area of especially close attention. A small detail: on the official website of Cirque du Soleil (www.cirquedusoleil.com), the section dedicated to recruitment has a fully translated version into Russian. It describes in detail what requirements the applicant must meet and how exactly to apply for a job, there is also full list vacancies open at this moment, and this list always remains long...
Having toured in dozens of countries and cities under his belt, Evgeny Ivanov shares his experience:
“At first I worked in Alegria in the “Fast Track” number on the cross trampoline track. This is a large group number where you constantly work in a team. And the whole team works for you, for the very final trick, most often it was a triple somersault. Over the years, the technical level of the act has grown greatly, especially with the arrival of such masters as my fellow countryman from Yaroslavl, Misha Vorontsov. But for the last few years I've been playing a red character with a hump. This is also interesting because it is associated with all the numbers. At any moment I can go out, walk around, chat with the audience and other characters. When I worked at a fast truck, I read four or five books a week between jobs. Now there is no time. I barely finish reading one in a month.
Regarding the whole show, I can say that when we performed on our first tour in America, it seemed to me that this was such a cool show, just super. Then on the Japanese tour they worked really well. We watched the American tapes and were terribly amazed: was it really we who worked so clumsily? Then there was a tour in Europe, and now, when we watch those tapes, everything seems very slow and weak to us. Perhaps, when we look at the current recordings in a couple of years, we will also be ashamed. So there is constant growth.”
Evgeniy is silent about the fact that he is one of those thanks to whom the show goes on at such a level. This man, with outstanding talent, many years of experience and hardening, carried a huge burden of responsibility on his shoulders in a situation where his comrade Vorontsov tore his Achilles and was out of action for many months. Zhenya, already a 38-year-old man, jumped triple somersaults every day without replacement throughout the entire period. The calligraphic lines of his jumps remained flawless. This is true heroism, which inspires others to be honest and selfless.
A talented person is talented in everything (you don’t just become world champions). The transition from a collective act to the solo role of the Red Hunchback is only possible for a person with outstanding abilities. Eugene is completely unrecognizable when he transforms into a pot-bellied hunchback, dressed in a purple velvet tuxedo and a fabulously luxurious vest, studded with large diamonds. With his acting, he holds together the action of the entire performance...
For artists who have worked for a long time in one show, there is an opportunity to move to another, within Cirque du Soleil. In general, the relationships between artists of different shows are very close. For example, Evgeniy Ivanov’s daughter, Christina, who began performing as a child in “Alegria” with her dad, is now successfully working in the show “La Nouba” at the stationary theater of the Cirque du Soleil next to Disney Land in Orlando.
Christina, the owner of a charming smile and a stunning athletic figure, at 23 years old, has a lot of work experience. She started working at Cirque du Soleil when she was 11 years old. Before that, when her dad was already working in the show “Alegria,” she just went on tour with her parents for about a year and a half and dreamed of getting into the show too. It must be said that in Yaroslavl, where she was born, her mother and father took her to play sports from the age of five. They wanted Christina to master the same disciplines as them - acrobatics, jumping on the acrobatic track. And at some point - miraculously - a vacant place became available for her to play the character “Nymph”. This is a little bird that dances before every number.
“I really love performing,” says Christina. - To this day I enjoy every show, this is about 400-500 appearances a year. My character gave me the opportunity to see up close and act on stage with all the artists. Of course, I tried very hard to learn as much as possible from them in order to perform as well as possible. I always strive for complete dedication, because we really love what we do, and I hope that the public feels it. When people stand up during the ovation, it gives a great feeling of satisfaction - we see that people are happy. This is the goal we are striving for. Each performer tries to show the best they can, and that’s what I love most about working with Cirque du Soleil.”
Christina’s mother, Natasha Ivanova, knows very well what it cost her daughter to achieve her cherished dream. When it became known that Christina was given a contract, they arrived with her from Hong Kong, where the tour was going on, to the Montreal studio, the main center of Cirque du Soleil. This was in November 1996. Then there were 3 long months of preparation, during which five teachers worked with Christina: a trainer for specific trampoline jumps, choreographers, a mime, as well as costume designers and a teacher. in English. I had to get up at seven in the morning and return home around nine in the evening. Five full working days a week. Two days off. Fortunately, such qualities as hard work and diligence, instilled from early childhood, helped the girl cope with the stresses that were by no means childish. It also helped that she always grew up as a very cheerful and cheerful person. A little joke and a smile lit up her tired, concentrated face. The teachers loved Christina and enjoyed working with her. Returning to the tour after rehearsals in Europe, in Amsterdam in February 1997, Christina quickly became involved in working in the show, along with adult artists. It required full exertion of physical and moral strength. Communication was all in English. The circus school gave the right to study for child performers, but only in French. You can imagine an 11-year-old child going to school in the morning to study science in French, and in the afternoon going to a rehearsal, where all the teams are in English, and then in the evening work begins on a show where both languages, minus their native Russian. Moreover, it should be noted that the mother in the circus is a stranger who should not be nearby, and the father is the same artist who has his own rehearsal and work time. It happened that there was no time to say words to each other in Russian.
Natalya Ivanova says with a sigh:
“Yes, it was very difficult. But I saw it, mom. But Christina seemed to perceive everything as it should be. It’s difficult, yes, but it’s necessary. And there is no word “I don’t want.” This is how we raised her from childhood. The premiere was successful for her, without failures. Christina always liked performing on stage, from the very beginning. And her artistic skill grew gradually, she was not an artist, she learned this in the process of working on stage, in public. Our family in the past, initially, was a family of athletes, not artists. It's different..."
Christina herself recalls something else:
“Tour travel is one of the most wonderful periods in my life, because it gave me the opportunity to see many countries, meet different people, cultures, traditions, and ways of life. I traveled with Alegria for 7 years. Among other things, I graduated from a tour school, which is based on the Quebec school system, so I have a Canadian school diploma. I learned English and French there, which I now speak fluently. In my time, we had 4 teachers who constantly worked on the tour and taught 11 students. I know that now there is even more students than before, and my younger brother Timosha is also studying there now.”
Despite the fact that Christina constantly performs, on weekends - two in a show a day, she, while working at La Nube, in Orlando, managed to graduate from a local college without interruption in the correspondence department, receiving a diploma in interior design for a possible future careers. She earned the money for her education herself. Others would have fallen off their feet from such a load, but not Christina. She sees her parents several times a year, flies to them when she has a weekend or vacation starts. He tries to fly to Russia with them every year. Of course, Christina has injuries and moments of weakness, when everything seems like hellish work. This lifestyle is not for the weak. But doing what you love is the best motivation since childhood.
Touring troupes are a subject of special pride and concern for Cirque du Soleil. On average, a circus camp numbers up to two hundred people, including staff and household members. Usually it looks like this: around a snow-white (or striped blue-yellow) tent with two and a half thousand seats, with numerous spiers and flags of different heights, a vast foyer with shops and buffets, there is a circus town, which includes ticket offices, complexes of administrative trailers, a dining room for staff and artists, a techno-zone for installers, electrical installations, plumbing and toilet communications, a pen for fifty temporarily hired ticket takers and three school buildings on wheels. It should be noted that the Circus only needs water and telephone communications from the city, and everything else, including electricity generation, is autonomous. At the entrance to the circus town there is an impressive watchman's hut, the territory itself is surrounded by a delicate, but high and durable mesh.
This is a microcosm with its own rules, laws, and established traditions. For example, once every couple of years, so-called “Talent Shows” are traditionally held, when at a special concert everyone demonstrates their alternative talents to each other: singing, tap dancing, performing heavy metal music. Or there is the “Techno Show,” a kind of private show where the audience is the performers of the show, and the staff and family members make a parody of the show and the relationships on tour, sometimes in a very ironic way. The wives of artists are the most knowledgeable people, word of mouth works, and all kinds of help are common when it comes to, for example, child care. Young people enjoy going to nightclubs to dance. The circus community periodically en masse gets interested in chess, organizing informal tournaments, ping-pong, attending Mexican salsa courses, or going to an away paintball game.
Circus children have extensive experience in adapting to a variety of conditions in different countries. They have privileges that are not available to ordinary children, for example, attending high-society celebrations after each premiere in the company of high-ranking persons and artist parents. Or trips around the best museums and attractions in the cities where the show travels. Children are allowed to sit in the classroom at their desks in a cross split or with their knee behind their shoulder, because it is useless to prohibit this. All of them speak three or four languages fluently, although native language speak without an accent, are able to give lively interviews to the next reporters who come to school, and also support small talk at receptions.
They are aware that everyone is in the same boat, so they need to be more responsible and careful towards each other - their circle of close contacts is forcibly limited due to constant travel. Hence - tolerance when it comes to other people's national, cultural and other views. For younger students, high school students are almost like sisters and brothers; there is constant close communication with them.
Natasha Ivanova says:
“Family traditions on tour are a separate matter. For example, in our family it’s fun to celebrate your birthday, and not only feed the guests deliciously, but also make everyone laugh so that no one gets bored. Play, sing, dance. Unfortunately, it is difficult to maintain ordinary family traditions on tours. They are easy to maintain at home, when you are surrounded by your favorite objects, family and friends. But on tour this is not the case. You always have to adapt to new conditions.”
Of course, with endless travel, they miss communication with close friends in Russia, they miss their native Yaroslavl, and constantly call home, no matter how much money it costs. But they use every opportunity to invite their parents or friends to stay on tour, to see the world with them. And they really value the opportunity to visit beautiful places, museums, see diverse nature, and make friends with people of other nationalities.
During their work, the Ivanov family has made more than one revolution with the tour globe: through Japan and New Zealand with Australia, many countries in Europe, the length and breadth of the USA and Canada, all the way to Brazil, Argentina and Chile. Every year they fly home on vacation to Yaroslavl to see their loved ones, and their cozy apartment is gradually filled with exotic souvenirs.
Evgeniy adds:
“On tour, different things happen. One day we were flying from country to country on a plane and going through customs. The customs officer suspiciously asked me to go through the security gate, empty my pockets, raise my hands, in short, looked from all sides, and then nodded somewhere at my feet and asked: What do you have there? I say: Where? I turn around, I don’t understand anything. Legs, I say. He orders me: lift up your trousers. I lift up my trouser legs slightly and the customs officer begins to blush deeply, he felt so ashamed and embarrassed. He apparently couldn’t even imagine that human calves could actually have such muscles. He apologized later.”
Evgeniy really enjoyed touring Australia, Japan, and Europe. According to him, in Japan the audience reacted a little more restrainedly, in Europe, especially Spain, there was squealing, screaming, and wild applause. And when Zhenya began to play the role of the Red Hunchback, he began to notice more nuances in the audience’s reactions. In his opinion, the best crowd is on Friday night, regardless of the country. After the end of the week comes relaxation and other pleasures. The most lethargic crowd is on Sunday morning. Some were late, some didn't get enough sleep. There are a lot of kids who get distracted. Americans are like children, they need constant action, if there is a pause, then they immediately start eating popcorn and communicating. And the Japanese will watch with wide eyes and open mouths as long as they want, no matter how long you stand still.
There is something to look at with your mouth open.
Negotiations about coming to Russia are already underway, so soon the Cirque du Soleil tour will take place here too.
Stationary shows are another “story with a continuation.” Each project is designed for many years of operation. For example, the show “Mistere” has been on since 1993, and is very successful to this day. Circus workers rent or buy housing at their location and live an ordinary city life, but work under special conditions. The scale of the circus’ capabilities is evidenced by a small quote from an interview with Robert Lepage, who staged the show “Ka” for Cirque du Soleil, which has a permanent hall in the most rapidly developing city in Nevada:
“It’s a very strange situation in Las Vegas. There is a lot of money there, there are only multi-billionaires around, so there is no talk about money there at all. They say: “Our only desire is to work with you.” - "Okay. How can I help you?" - "Invent something that no one has seen before. Do what you want, experiment, try, come up with new technologies, do any research, testing that you need. You can work as long as you need until you you will feel that you have come to things that did not exist before you.” These are the conditions. We worked, carried out all kinds of experiments, invented, experimented... And the total budget for the show appeared only at the very end - 200 million dollars.”
As a result, for the invention of new technologies, the show “Ka” (an epic tale in the spirit of martial arts) received a special award in 2008 for outstanding achievements in technical equipment. The stage space uses seven independent platforms: the main platform can rear up and rotate in three dimensions on a huge lever, five pillars emerge from below and disappear again on which acrobats jump, and deep below, a safety net invisible to the public protects the performers diving from above. Even watching a video of this show on the circus website is breathtaking.
Future projects will include more innovations and fusions of genres, such as multimedia capabilities, dance, various types of martial arts, illusion tricks, such as for the new show “CRISS ANGEL® Believe™”. Criss Angel himself says this about the new performance:
“People come up to me and ask me what it’s like your show? And here's the truth: expect the unexpected, because this spectacle was beyond my wildest dreams. This is beyond comprehension. The show offers you a special experience that is different from anything the entertainment world has offered so far. Believe me."
A success story like Cirque du Soleil is unique. This is possible once per era. Cirque du Soleil is now developing a truly global commercial entertainment industry. Laliberte takes on the scope and established name of his circus. His projects give a start to life to completely new ideas and feed great amount people, the company participates in numerous charitable initiatives.
One of the best modern experts on the history of world circus, Pascal Jacob, believes that in the future Cirque du Soleil will become an absolute monopoly due to the processes of globalization in world business. In this area of the West, Cirque du Soleil will soon be as ubiquitous as Coca Cola. There is a gradual merging of the meaning of the word “Circus” and Cirque du Soleil, just as in the century before last the word “Circus” in America meant the spectacle “Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show On Earth”.
Pavel Brun, once the Artistic Director and Artistic Director of the Las Vegas Division of Cirque du Soleil, whom we already mentioned at the beginning, says:
“It is difficult to overestimate the importance of Russians in Cirque du Soleil. Why? Yes, because Russian traditions and technologies in the art of circus and theater and in sports are very high and deep. Cirque du Soleil began literally on the streets of Quebec, knowing nothing of the above, but, to their credit, fearing nothing. Step by step, bringing one Russian artist after another to Cirque du Soleil, creating act after act, attracting coach after coach, we introduced the Cirque to what we know and can do better than many (if not all) in the world.”
The impact of this example on the rest of the circus world cannot be overstated. Already, the number of spectators who have seen Cirque du Soleil productions approaches 80 million spectators on five continents.
After watching any Cirque du Soleil show, any of you can buy yourself a colorful program, open it on the last page, look at the composition of the troupe, with photographs, names and countries, who is from where, and find out how many of our people are there. And then, after the end of the performance, go to the service exit and tell them in Russian: “Hello, friends. Thank you for your art. How are the Ivanovs doing there these days?”
Irina TERENTYEVA.
There are so many legends about the successful circus world: it is almost impossible to get there, and those who succeed work around the clock and endure hellish torment. In fact, everything is not quite like that. Cirque du Soleil's troupe consists of performers from approximately 40 countries. To become part of a famous circus family, they had to spend a year or even two. First they left a request for
official website of the company and passed interviews (there are also those who were selected as scouts - they travel all over the world, watching the performances of talented artists), then completed an internship at the company's headquarters located in Montreal. They were taught there acting, the art of applying makeup, some had to take English language courses. The internship lasts from one to two years. And, it should be noted, at this time the artists live sweet life: do not move from place to place, do not train non-stop. As soon as they become part of the show, their lives change dramatically. Getting a job in a circus is easier than staying in it.
The newcomer ends up in an international team of about a hundred people. He will have to spend 24 hours a day with them: having breakfast, training, performing, traveling. In case of conflict situations, you can contact Artistic Director Michael Smith. He has been in the project for many years and can find an approach to every artist. Sometimes he himself finds out from the team where a scandal is brewing and manages to warn him.
Photo: Press service of Cirque du Soleil Rus
Artists must not be late for rehearsals. Violation of labor discipline may lead to dismissal. And no one wants this Cirque artist du Soleil. Even though they have to make serious sacrifices, life in circus family suits them.
Photo: Press service of Cirque du Soleil Rus
To all artists performing acrobatic stunts, you must maintain a certain weight - no more than 45 kg. To always be in shape, they have to avoid eating sweets, flour and fried foods and, of course, train a lot. We noticed that the artists, having performed their number, return backstage to the mats and begin training again: someone pedals a bicycle, someone stretches, etc.
Photo: Press service of Cirque du Soleil Rus
Watching your diet is the smallest sacrifice that artists have to make. What’s more difficult is not seeing your loved ones for months. For example, the performer of the role of Boom-Boom, Jean Philippe, said that over the past three weeks he managed to visit five countries, but never came to his home.
managed. It is not surprising that many artists choose a circus as their partner, with whom they travel around the world. For example, one of the most spectacular numbers “Sculpture” in the Quidam show is performed by the Russian couple Alexander and Natalya Pestov. They have been together for a little over 20 years, the couple have children - a 10-year-old daughter and a 21-year-old son, who also performs in the circus.
Photo: Press service of Cirque du Soleil Rus
All artists in the show perform without insurance. And although they note that Cirque Du Soleil pays a lot of attention to the technical equipment of the site, everyone understands that they work at their own peril and risk. Unfortunately, accidents do happen during exercises. Artists try not to think about them, but nevertheless, everyone has their own rituals before going on stage. For example, one of the acrobats said that she does not appear on the set without the pendant that her mother gave her, while another always applies makeup in a certain order. The show is, of course, a collection of polished elements. However, none of the artists can say in advance exactly how it will turn out. Every time you go on stage is like the first time.
On April 27, the legendary Canadian Circus of the Sun, also known as Cirque du Soleil, came to St. Petersburg with the “Varekai” program. Cirque du Soleil - artistic combination circus art and street performances, how they position themselves. It was founded in 1984 by Guy Laliberte and Gilles Sainte-Croix and is based in Montreal, Canada. The circus is known for its principled refusal to involve animals in performances and for its synthetic performances, in which circus skills connects with music, whimsical design and choreography
The new program, which has already been successful in Moscow, is called “Varekai”, which in the language eternal wanderers, gypsy, means "wherever". This show honors the nature of nomads, the nomadic soul, the spirit and tradition of circus art and those who passionately seek the enchanted land of Varekai.
And today I attended his rehearsal, saw the actors and their costumes getting ready in the costume room, and even looked into the dressing room. I suggest you go and see everything!
2. Ekaterina is the PR director of a circus in Russia. A professional in her field, she answered my letter late at night 5 minutes after I sent it. If all PR people worked like her, then the events would be sold out and popular, for example.
Today's show has existed since 2002, was first demonstrated in Montreal, over 14 years it was shown in 130 cities, 23 countries around the world, and was seen by about 10 million people.
Director Dominique Champagne assembled the Varekai troupe of 50 artists and musicians from 19 countries. According to legend, a lonely young man falls from heaven to earth, and the story of Varekai begins. Finding himself among the shadows of a mysterious forest, in a colorful world of fantastic creatures, he plunges into
a stormy stream of adventures, both impossible and incredible. On the edge of time, in a world where everything and even more is possible, an inspired hymn sounds to the rethinking of life and the newfound miracle hidden at the core of the universe and our soul.
Varekai is born from the fusion of dramatic and acrobatic arts. Talent and power, placed in a stunning stage space and framed by vibrant music, turn the impossible into the real, telling their story through the language of choreography - that universal language of the human body. The pendulum of time will swing back, and we will see ancient and rare
traditions Georgian dance. And then Varekai will take us into the future with its innovative disciplines, including the “Russian swing” and the number on a slippery surface.
5. Number called "Flight of Icarus". Caught in the net, without losing his flexibility, grace and emotionality, the young man performs dizzying stunts, trying to break free.
6. During a rehearsal, artists don’t even always need music to practice this or that trick. But from time to time compositions from the show were played.
7. No insurance or anchorages. I don’t know how it will be during the official show, but I think it will be possible without them there too.
8. Fernando is a flexible and dexterous artist, and he has already managed to walk around the city and appreciate Petrograd.
9. Number "Dancing trapeze". Poised high above the stage or flying above it, the young girl performs a series of movements that demonstrate her flexibility and strength.
In 1984, Cirque du Soleil employed 73 people. Today, the Cirque du Soleil team worldwide numbers almost 4,000 people, including 1,300 artists. Cirque du Soleil employs people from 100 professions.
10. Installation of the stage and decorations takes 12 hours. Dismantling takes 4 hours. Everything moves from city to city on their own trucks, of which there are 40 units. Artists travel by plane and spend the night in hotels.
11. Artists are hired from all over the world; first, those who want to be in the troupe send a video by email, and after that, if they are interested in the candidates, they are invited to the headquarters in Montreal.
12. When working on the music for Varekai, Violaine Corradi looked for inspiration in the bottomless heritage of ethnic music. Each piece of music is a mixture or interweaving of different cultures, which are often difficult to identify. To create the unique musical universe of Varekai, Violaine Corradi combined the sounds of Hawaiian ritual ceremonies, the songs of 11th century troubadours from the south of France, traditional Armenian melodies and gospel songs, combining
all this with modern arrangements.
14. The musical group of 7 people includes a group leader and a keyboard player, a second keyboard player, a drummer, a percussionist, a bassist, a violinist, a wind player, as well as two vocalists - a man (Patriarch) and a woman (Muse). Almost all Cirque du Soleil shows feature live music. Unlike musicals, where the performers must strictly follow the score, in a Cirque du Soleil show the musicians adapt to what is happening on stage. For this reason, the band director, musicians, vocalists and sound specialists are constantly in contact with each other during the show.
18. This man at the top controls the flying cables, it’s better not to quarrel with him)
19. Number "Air belts". The two performers glide smoothly through the air above the stage, demonstrating amazingly precise synchronization of acrobatic movements and strength. As a duet, their silhouettes merge high above the stage.
20. The guys are both Russian-speaking, originally from Transnistria. They have a lot of charm)
Cirque du Soleil's performers and staff represent nearly 50 countries and speak 25 languages. In 2015, nearly 15 million people saw Cirque du Soleil shows.
Stephane Roy set himself the task of setting up the scenography so that all elements were in harmony with poetic language staging: costumes, drama and music of the Varekai show
The Varekai universe consists of: a forest, a stage, a crossing bridge, an observation tower. We saw the forest and the stage, and the rest was already in the show.
24. The design of the Varekai suits required innovative technical solutions to ensure safety and comfort. Experienced craftsmen were engaged in the manufacture of original costumes, spending no less than 33,000 hours on this difficult work!
We move on to the backstage, where the artists prepare and rest before their performances.
25. The “heads” of the costumes are in special cabinets that are transported by truck.
26. To prevent long dresses from becoming wrinkled and disturbing anyone, they were hung at the very top.
27. Actor masks.
28. Don’t walk on the blue carpet)
29. The helium balloon will apparently take off.
30. Swing for the corresponding trick.
31. The table at which the artists apply their make-up. Average preparation time is about an hour.
32. The entire video performance is recorded on cameras, and then the details are reviewed by the artists themselves.
The main material for costumes is lycra. The shelf life of some costumes is 6 months. Others are replaced after a few patches.
34. The show's wardrobe includes 600 items of clothing, shoes, wigs, hats and accessories. Keeping costumes in perfect working order while on tour requires up to 250 hours of work per week.
35. Cleaning, repairing, ironing clothes, caring for shoes, hats and other accessories
is handled by a permanent team of 4 people who travel with the tour, and another 2 people who are hired locally in each tour city. Singer machine - fire)
All items fit into 58 boxes on wheels and are transported in two and a half trucks. 7 washing machines and 3 dryers travel with them.
36. Costumes are tailored for each actor. The abs that we see on this suit are the real ones of the actor who wears this outfit)
37. "Spare parts" of the main suits. If it cannot be repaired, it is re-embroidered in Montreal.
38. All costumes are made specifically for specific artists. Most of them are created at the company's international headquarters located in Montreal. In this unique North America The laboratories employ about 300 craftsmen of various profiles - shoemakers, textile designers, lacemakers, tailors, hatmakers and tailors.
39. Threads for every taste!
40. Michael Smith - art director of the circus. In addition to all the organizational work, he also sings well)
Cirque du Soleil's mission is to stimulate the imagination, awaken the senses and stir up the emotions of people around the world!
The circus tour will take place in St. Petersburg from April 27 to May 8, 2016 at the Ice Palace. Tickets for the Varekai show can be purchased on the website
Anniversary, tenth productionCirqueduSoleil in Russia – show Quidam set up its “tent camp” in the Ice Palace. Just a few hours before its premiere in St. Petersburg, we managed to get behind the scenes and find out how circus performers live before applying colorful makeup and putting on incredible costumes.
The show features 45 artists, 18 of whom speak Russian. When you get to the rehearsal of the final number and hear only Russian speech, you begin to doubt the internationality of the troupe. The show is staffed by the same number of people - 45 editors, costume designers, sound operators and other people who remain in the shadows.
Cirque du Soleil has one cast, so the same show cannot be performed in two cities at the same time. Therefore, during these spring days Only we can admire the beauty and technique of one of the most mysterious performances - Quidam. However, at the same time, 18 other circus performances are taking place around the world.
Having walked closer to the stage where the rehearsal of the “Equilibrium on Supports” number is taking place, the coach begins to give instructions to the artist named Baska, she smiles back, nods and does what was said. Looking back, you can see a huge amphitheater Ice Palace, which after a few hours will be filled with spectators and emotions. Seeing these artists up close, you can’t believe that they are part of this show; it’s difficult to recognize them: none of them perform with their heads uncovered - they all wear either wigs or hats. During the rehearsal, everyone is in elastic gymnastics or sports uniforms, and not in bright suits, because there is no point in wearing them out ahead of time.
During our time behind the scenes, we managed to see several spoilers, including the “Jump Rope” number. The performers jump over stretched cables, changing their position at lightning speed. Immediately after this rehearsal, two artists - Kata and Francois - were able to give us a few minutes to talk about their work in the show. As it turns out, you don’t have to be a third-generation circus performer to become part of this enchanting world. This is exactly what happened with Kata - before joining the show, she was a professional athlete. When you watch Cirque du Soleil, your heart skips a beat with excitement for the artists, and it’s no wonder that the question of the fears of the acrobats themselves also arose. But it turned out that fear hardly interferes with the work process. Kata is only afraid of mixing up the order of the actions performed, and Francois completely snapped: “There is no freedom of creativity in aerial performances, each participant clearly knows what he must do, so there is no room for fear”.
Undoubtedly, such a large multi-level show cannot rest on the artists alone. There are people like costume designers who remain in the shadows, although they perform many important and required work. It is worth noting that out of the 19 trucks that transport the show, 1 truck is completely occupied with costumes, shoes and everything necessary so that at any time something can be altered, repainted or even remade. Right before our eyes, the shoes of the main character were painted with a thin brush by one of the costume designers. By the way, every element of the outfit is created by hand, it’s not for nothing that the cost of all costumes reaches 2 million dollars.
When the next participant in the show came out to meet the press, everyone thought it was some kind of director or manager - he seemed too stern. But we were wrong. This is also a circus performer - Toto the clown. At his performances, he pulls people out of the audience and asks them to perform certain skits, according to him, and according to my own observations, at this time the audience reacts most vividly. To the words that he does not look like a clown, the answer followed: “If an acrobat, coming down from the stage and meeting his friends, stood on his hands, it would at least be strange, and also with clowns.”. Toto has been performing his act on the show for twelve years now, and his act has changed dramatically along with its author. One thing has remained unchanged - during the show, he still pulls stunned spectators out of the hall and asks them to take part in a reprise. Fortunately, every time he is lucky with the audience - he comes across such artistic people that they quickly understand everything, and sometimes even outdo it.
Traveling further through the backstage world, you discover the sacred place where the magic of the show is created: mats and rugs are laid out on the floor - this is where the artists train. Cables and safety nets are also suspended here, and aerial routines are also rehearsed above the mats before being run through on stage. Someone is lying on them, resting their head on their hand, and chatting about something, while someone else is training hard. Along the perimeter there are exercise equipment that you brought with you, changing rooms can be seen nearby, as well as mirrors, next to which the artists apply makeup. Near the dressing rooms there are dozens of hats and wigs - constant attributes of the Quidam show.
A few more minutes before the thunderous rehearsal of the "Aerial Rings" number with music, and we have the opportunity to chat with the director's "deputy" on the tour - artistic director Michael Smith. He talked about the idea of the show, its symbols, and also drew a parallel between the show “Quidam” (“someone” in Latin) and St. Petersburg: “Both in the show and in this city, despite the beauty, there is sadness and sadness that ultimately gives inspiration.” The main character Zoe (“life” in Latin) is a little girl who is bored without the attention of her parents. “Someone” comes to her without a head and gives her his bowler hat - so the audience, along with her, finds themselves in the world of Quidam, where people soar under the dome, acrobats perform incredible tricks, and tightrope walkers and gymnasts work wonders with balance and gravity. The main symbol of this show, Michael Smith clarified, is the color red, symbolizing the heart and soul. Zoe's mother is also dressed in this color, but she does not pay any attention to her daughter. Throughout the show, ribbons, balls, fabric and even gaping red holes appear on the performers' chests, as if “a heart torn out, or maybe a heart ready to receive”– explains Michael Smith. “We are someone for all people until we want to become someone” , - the director of the show Quidam sums up his words.
Traveling through the hidden behind-the-scenes world of Cirque du Soleil, we became convinced that the colorful show that flies before your eyes in an instant is created by the painstaking and labor-intensive work of dozens of people on tour and hundreds of people in general. Every person on the team Solar Circus valuable and unique, whether as an acrobat, seamstress or stage editor. Everyone is working to create an incredible show, and as we know, “the show must go on”, so we left the Ice Palace building and let the artists and workers prepare for the evening's performance.
Text: Ekaterina Priklonskaya
It’s indecent to ask such questions, but I want to know the answer! 8) In the show "O", which is on in Vegas, there is a number: a man sits in a chair on stage and reads a newspaper. Suddenly the newspaper catches fire, then his hat, coat, boots catch fire, and now he is completely engulfed in flames.
For five minutes, a burning man calmly reads a burning newspaper in a burning chair, while the performance continues on stage, with fish girls splashing in the pool. Then the man gets up and walks off into the distance, leaving burning footprints behind him. They say he gets $400 for this number. And since there are 2 performances per day, that’s $800 per day. And why do I still make money by programming and not by burning? 8)))
The starting rate for an artist is $100 per performance. Typically there are 8-10 performances per week. The longer an artist works at Cirque Du Soleil, the higher his fee. Newcomers earn $30,000 a year, veterans earn about $250,000.
When an artist stops performing, due to age or injury, he is retrained, and he continues to work in the circus: as a coach, consultant, manager, make-up artist, etc. This is the fundamental position of the CDS. It is believed that artists who have worked in a show for 5-10 years become best employees, because we experienced all the difficulties of this life and work first hand.
A contract is signed with artists, which specifies a fixed salary for a year and working conditions, which allows them to work calmly and engage only in creativity. Insurance is required. Doctors, massage therapists, cooks, teachers travel with the troupe (because the circus has a school for circus children, where training is conducted in English and French). The circus provides solutions to all everyday issues: accommodation in the best hotels in the city center with windows overlooking the courtyard, food, washed and ironed costume for the performance, The cultural program, medical services - all free. A typical working day is 8 hours.
The only thing an artist has to do is work. Everyone, regardless of genre, undergoes vocal and dance training because you have to perform not only circus tricks, but also sing, dance or play the musical instruments. All this is done live.
There are strict requirements for artists: for drinking, fighting, or getting caught by the police, they are immediately fired. And the completely unbearable first clause of the agreement: “The boss is always right.”
For Russian speaking creative soul- this is an impossible condition 8)!
What do we have?
Director of RosCirk Alexander Kalmykov says that RosCirk also strives for $100 per performance, that many earn much more, and that Russian circus acts are in great demand among foreign impresarios. And what, artists, having heard about a fee of 80-100 dollars for a performance, brush it off, for such pennies, they say, we won’t go anywhere from Russia...
True, on the circus website there are the following posts: “How to explain his salary to a new partner? Upon entering the job, he was promised 20 thousand rubles per month (less than $700). In the understanding of the average person, this is a salary on the 5th and 25th of EACH of 12 months. But in fact, this is not a monthly salary due to relocations and the salary being tied to the norm of 20 performances per month. So wouldn’t it be better to say that the salary you announced for the newly hired artist will be best case scenario in ONE AND A HALF months. The partner says: “In hometown, without moving, working as a GUARD, I received 18,000 rubles EVERY month.”
The wind of wanderings bursts into your room! Forward to new countries, to new meetings, to new projects!
