Cirque du Soleil: How much do artists earn? Cirque du Soleil's secret life revealed.

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”, “the brilliant invention of 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.

The main headquarters, which is located in Montreal, is where most of the listed non-cast members work - 1,800 employees. In this huge laboratory with the most modern equipment, the best creative forces on the planet are gathered to create new circus projects. The result of this work: today there are seventeen different shows operating under the Cirque du Soleil brand: ten stationary 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 the 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, his 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 is a circus acrobat, 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 the 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, communicated with masters of the most famous circuses and circus schools, outstanding artists and directors, 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.

It takes from a year to 3 years to create each circus program, but they operate it for 12-15, or even more, years. Moreover, in recent 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 assembles a creative team that develops this idea from all sides: the main theme, 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. Each of the characters is a 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, including 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 the 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 Cirque du Soleil, where he led the work on two shows, “Mystere” and “O”, simultaneously. 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 the acrobats 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:

At the end of the 19th 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 military music choirs - a total of 400 people. In those days, the Ciniselli circus demonstrated a wide range of genre acts at the highest 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 were created by Mayakovsky and Meyerhold, among others. 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 of 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 performed his act “Snow Storm” there, four more ex-Litsedeya signed contracts with this circus at different times: Sergei 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 on the “Alegria” tour, and since 2000 in the show “O”, 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 exactly how to apply for a job, there is also a complete list of vacancies open at the 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 an English teacher. 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 and should not be nearby, and the father is the same artist who has his own rehearsal and working hours. 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 are even more students there 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 begins. 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 to the best museums and attractions in the cities where the show comes. 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 they speak their native language without an accent, they know how to give lively interviews to the next reporters who come to school, as well as maintain 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 made more than one tour around the globe: through Japan and New Zealand with Australia, many European countries, the length and breadth of the USA and Canada, right up 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, what is your show like? 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 birth to completely new ideas and feed a huge number of 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.

TALENT IN A SUN FRAME

Cirque du Soleil and its Russian artists

"It's better than the thrill of the wheels." "Visual orgasm" "I laughed so hard I almost peed myself." "I will never be able to go to other circuses again." Spectators leave such entries in the Cirque du Soleil guest book.

Seven of his different shows are running simultaneously in different parts of the world. It is curious that in one of the performances, "Alegria", among the 50 artists performing on stage, 30 are from the countries of the former Union. In other troupes the percentage is smaller, but still impressive. I wonder why there are so many Russians there and how our fellow countrymen influence the development of modern circus?

Circus organism

The culmination of the multi-step clownery is the number “Storm” he invented (copyright reserved), in which the main character (Spanish Yuri Medvedev), getting ready for the road, with one hand climbs into a raincoat hanging on a hanger under his hat, and cleans his floors with a brush. Suddenly, like in a thriller, the cloak comes to life, alienating the clown's hand, and does not let go, taking away the brush. The poor clown dies in quiet horror, and the coat suddenly strokes him, removes specks of dust from his shoulder, kisses him like a woman and quietly slips a note into his jacket. But the departure whistle sounds, the clown breaks free, runs to the suitcase, puts on a black hat that smokes like a chimney, and circles the stage like a train. Out of breath, he sits down on the suitcase, takes out a handkerchief, sees a note that has fallen out, reads it eagerly... Then he slowly tears it up and sadly throws the pieces up. They swirl like snowflakes, and after them light paper snow falls from above, turning into a thick continuous shaft. After a minute of increasing howling wind, an apocalyptic storm begins. A dazzling spotlight and a wind turbine shine into the eyes of the audience, blowing paper snowdrifts all the way to the top tier of the tent. Thunderous music cuts to the bone. Complete spectator catharsis. Hysterical ovation. Intermission.

After the end of the show, people need at least 15 minutes to yell and whistle enough. In the finale there is a special number when the artists run out to bow and tear off their masks.

I'm sorry that I was carried away into tearful delight, but I can't do anything about it. Tears flowed without asking. From happiness.

Epilogue to fanfare

It seems that such a global success of the circus, achieved in just 15 years, is due to excellent leadership, a powerful artistic concept and extraordinary aesthetics, the absolute skill of all show creators and artists, the latest technical equipment, and, as a consequence of all of the above, basic monetary wealth. The influence of this example on the rest of the circus world cannot be overestimated, and we have the right to be proud of our compatriots who, with their art, amaze so many spectators in all parts of the world.

Tours of the Solar Circus are always an event. The troupe includes artists and musicians from 19 countries, performing unique performances. It turned out that the personal lives of the performers are no less bizarre than what they do on stage.

How a dentist became a clown

Stephen Bishop (55 years old) is from Australia, a former dentist by profession, now a clown, as well as a ventriloquist, stilt walker, mime, and stuntman.

I spent a total of 19 years practicing dentistry. Taking into account the fact that 17 of them performed in parallel and for 11 years now he has been constantly with Cirque du Soleil. My father was an engineer and also a talented violinist. My mother is a physiotherapist by profession. They always encouraged a variety of hobbies in us children: pottery, macrame, judo, drawing, music. I've always loved making things with my hands; I knitted in high school. After school, on the one hand, I was inclined towards healing, on the other, I wanted the profession to leave time for hobbies. I decided that a dentist was what I needed. This is a well-paid job with a schedule. After five years of study, he was engaged in private practice for about two years, at the same time he managed to become interested in theater, pantomime and save enough money to go from Australia to study abroad. He graduated from the Jacques Lecoq School in Paris and toured France for two years as part of a theater company.

He returned to Australia with his wife. Katie and I bought an abandoned church, renovated it, and it became our home. During the day he worked as a dentist, and in his free time he performed with his wife; we did stilt shows, clowning, pantomime, and illusion. Once in the audience I saw a man whose teeth were treated a couple of hours before the performance...

Katie and I had four children. My wife always believed that the birth of a child was not a reason to rebuild her life around him. She breastfed without literally getting off her stilts.

Stephen with his wife and children

When my candidacy for Cirque du Soleil was approved, it was 11 years ago, my wife and I almost didn’t think twice about it. The option was ideal: good earnings, the opportunity to travel with the whole family, especially since there is a school at the circus. Now the children have grown up. Loic is 21, Jose is 19, Ines is 17 and Enzo is 13 years old.

Katie retired from her career, but thanks to her, our touring life was balanced, and I never tire of thanking her for that. I never heard any complaints from her or the children. Additionally, my wife and I have always recognized the importance of travel as an educational experience for children. They know many languages ​​and understand different cultures. Loic is an engineer. Jose is studying Management and Business and was recently hired as a travel consultant because he knows several languages, including perfect Russian because his best friend is Russian. With Sasha Rissuev, the son of one of our former tour colleagues, they studied at school together for 9 years. Inez graduated from school, travels, and may become an ambulance paramedic. The youngest, Enzo, is a born clown, studies capoeira, learns to jump on a trampoline.

But for me the main thing is that children are happy regardless of what they do. I always told them that education should be as broad as possible. Because, perhaps, the profession they will take up closer to retirement does not yet exist.

By the way, my suitcase with dental supplies is hidden in the physiotherapist’s office at Varekai. I can’t practice legally, but I’m always welcome to give free advice.

Three weddings of a Russian acrobat

Photo: @Cirque du Soleil/Perla Global Media

Alexey Maksimov (28 years old), participant and artistic coach of the “Russian Swing” performance:

I myself am from Yaroslavl, my father is a foreman in the electrical workshop at a factory, my mother worked at a distillery. I started with the sports acrobatics section in the first grade of school, performed in the group genre for about ten years, our four became prize-winners of the Russian championship and international cups. I was 16 years old when I was called to the Russian State Circus. He worked there for 4 years, went on tour in Russia and China. I've heard a lot about Cirque du Soleil, but for me it was the ultimate dream. I sent recordings of performances, and in 2007 there was a casting in Moscow. A year later they called me. I was 20, single, nothing kept me in Russia, and I didn’t encounter any particular difficulties. Yes, at first I knew a couple of words in English. But at that time, all the guys in “Russian Swings” were Russian-speaking, and the circus also offered foreign language courses, and now I speak and write fluently in English.

Five years ago, I met my future wife while on Varekai’s tour in the Philippines. Olya from Krasnodar, previously worked in a bank, came to the islands on vacation with a friend. We met at breakfast, both were in white, everyone was laughing, like newlyweds, and I proposed to her. First as a joke, and then during the 9 days we spent together, I realized that everything was serious. A month and a half later I arrived in Krasnodar, three days later we got married.

The wedding took place three times: in my city, at my wife’s and in Brazil with the guys from the show. Our daughter Milana (she is now three years old) was born in Las Vegas. A week later she was already given an American passport, but with the Russian foreigner everything dragged on for several months, we received it already in Costa Rica at the embassy, ​​then we were touring there. My daughter now speaks poorly even in Russian, she loves to play with Maxim, the son of my friend Evgeniy Mitin, with whom we have been friends for 20 years since the time of our four, we were together in the Russian State Circus. He got to Cirque du Soleil before me, now we are in the same room.

Maxim with his wife and daughter

Photo: personal archive of Alexey Maksimov

There are 13 people in “Russian Swings”. As a rule, everyone is always on stage. It happens that a person is injured or sick. But there are several versions in case of force majeure. In the eight years that I have been at Varekai, I have had two serious injuries: I had surgery on my shoulder and ankle, but these are rather problems accumulated over the years.

One of the main conditions of working at Cirque du Soleil is to be on site an hour and a half before the performance. We have about 300 shows a year. 24 of them, which you miss due to illness, are paid. Four times a year, a two-week vacation. When we arrive in a new place, everyone is given a hotel room and an information sheet indicating which cinemas, shops, pharmacies, and entertainment are nearby. At Cirque du Soleil, I don’t have to think about anything except the number, I don’t have to worry about moving, insurance, food. My family and I are provided with health insurance. In Russia, I studied in absentia at the Faculty of Physical Education of the Yaroslavl State Pedagogical University, here at the expense of the company - to become a personal fitness trainer.

In Varekai, 24 out of 50 artists are Russian-speaking. We make sure to celebrate common holidays, birthdays, and invite foreign friends. For the New Year, the couple prepares Olivier, herring under a fur coat.

So far I have not set myself a bar, either age or any other, for how long I will work in the show. But I understand that the child is growing. Milana will soon turn 6 years old; according to the American system, it is time for her to go to school. I don’t want to tour without my family. We have apartments in Yaroslavl and Krasnodar, but we plan to live in America. I would like to continue working with Cirque du Soleil, but perhaps in some other capacity.

Girls with mascots

Photo: @Cirque du Soleil/Perla Global Media

Kerren McKeeman (31 years old), trapeze performer, USA:

My twin sister and I grew up as big restless people, so sending Kalin and me to gymnastics at the age of seven was a natural desire for our parents. Although they themselves have nothing to do with it. Dad is a programmer, once served in the navy, mother is a writer and editor. There was no circus in the tiny town of Hollis, New Hampshire, where I grew up. For my sister and me, it began unexpectedly when our physical education teacher, a professional mime, launched a circus program at school. My sister and I started studying there. And on the professional side, he opened up for me at the age of 14, when I auditioned for the Circus Smirkus youth circus.

I had the experience of participating in the filming of the film “Water for Elephants.” At first it was assumed that I would act as a stunt double for Reese Witherspoon, but I wasn’t the right height, and besides, I don’t know how to jump out of a train, which was required by the script. Then I was offered the role of a tightrope walker, although this is far from my main specialization. I rehearsed for a month, learned numbers, tricks, and in the end 3 seconds were included in the film! Still, it’s more interesting for me to speak in front of a real audience.

She began working for Cirque du Soleil in 2010. On an arena tour, like in Varekai (I’ve been in it for more than four years), we tour all the time, spend a lot of time together, we’re all like one big family. But we have a particularly trusting relationship with the singer Isabel, we even put on makeup at neighboring tables, talk about personal things, sometimes we dedicate a number to one of the team members if he needs special treatment that day.

The dancing trapeze that I perform on is a new discipline. This is a device with limitless possibilities: it is a triangle with a rigid crossbar at the base, and the ribs are connected at one point, it can change shape, allows you to fly around the entire stage space, rather than swaying in one plane. I do many things on it for the first time and always come up with something. I start my performance from a height of about 13 meters from the stage, and then go down to 9. I don’t use a safety harness; in the case of a dancing trapeze, it only gets in the way. Of course, I am scared, but I love what I do. And fear only spurs you on. But my colleagues know that when on the bridge there is a structure at the top, you can’t talk to me about something not related to the room.

The work never ends when the audience leaves. The body is my instrument and I need to keep it in good shape. I don’t follow a special diet, I really love chocolate, but to enjoy it, all you have to do is try a piece. I devote a lot of time to training. As a solo performer, I can regulate them myself. There is a mandatory part because you have to share space on stage with other artists. In addition to my work schedule, I devote 2-3 hours a day to my own training - Pilates, stretching, and stage classes.

I have a tradition of bringing a pebble from a special place for me or in memory of a good person. Luggage allows you to carry them with you, even if you have to give up a pair of shoes. I take one of these with me every day and it puts me in the right mood.

I don’t have a stone from Russia yet, but I hope it will appear. I also don’t have a book in Russian by Antoine de Saint-Exupery “The Little Prince”. Although many copies have already been collected in different languages. I started collecting them by accident. I first read this book in French when I was learning the language at school. Then, during a trip to China (I was mastering this language at the time), I decided that it would be interesting to purchase a familiar work in Chinese. Using the same principle, I bought a book in Brazil and Argentina, in Portuguese and Spanish, respectively. During Varekai's tour in Europe, in Berlin, where my sister lives, I purchased a book in German. Since then, everyone started giving me “The Little Prince.” But I haven’t met my prince yet.

23/06/2010

The famous Cirque du Soleil, whose tour is about to begin in St. Petersburg, can be compared with the Chelsea football club. The Canadian circus, as well as the brainchild of Roman Abramovich, is the very place where talents from all over the world dream of getting to. Russian speech has become increasingly common among circus performers lately. Former Russian athletes and circus performers are giving up everything to travel the world under the Canadian flag.

Circus is the surprised eyes of children and adults. However, the circus is not only happiness, not only joy, not only strength, dexterity and laughter. Circus is hard and persistent work. What can we say if this is the best circus in the world – Cirque du Soleil.

The company was founded in 1984 and is located in Canada. Circus of the Sun employs more than 4,000 people working in different groups, which allows the company to perform shows in several parts of the world at the same time. Performs spectacular performances. The circus's annual revenue exceeds $600 million.

They say about the "Circus of the Sun" that it breathed new life into circus art. Along with popular music superstars, he entertained audiences at the 74th Academy Awards and the 50th Grammy Awards. His achievements were awarded with the leading awards of the circus world, and the recording of one of their shows also received an Emmy television award.

Millions of young viewers dream of attending this legendary show. After all, the troupe included the most famous circus performers. There are former Olympians and the best actors here.

Circus artists Zbigniew Bachor, Katerina Kuzenkova and Evgeniy Kurkin shared how to become dexterous, strong and at the same time delight the audience.

1. How did you get involved with Cirque du Soleil?

2. What kind of routines do you perform in Cirque du Soleil and which one is the most difficult for you?

3. How many hours a day do you rehearse? How are rehearsals going?

4. What is your daily routine?

5. Do you follow any diets or special nutrition?

6. Have you been injured during rehearsals or performances?

7. It probably happens that you are overcome by fear of this or that trick. How do you fight fear?

8. Do you have families? Do they support your career choice?

9. How difficult was it to adapt to a foreign country?

10. What do you plan to do in the future, after CdS?

Zbigniew Bachor, Poland.

1. I started working for Cirque du Soleil in 1995. I sent my video to the casting department, and literally a couple of months later they called me and offered me to work in the show "Saltimbanco". I'm the main "old-timer" on the tour.

2. I work as part of group acts, the so-called “house troupe”. We make "Chinese poles" and "Russian swings". Previously, I also performed in the “Banshee” act. I have my own character - one of the rebels, this is a bird.

3. We rehearse for about two hours a day. I arrive at the venue, eat, put on makeup, warm up - the availability of training depends on the artistic schedule - and off I go to the stage. The head coach and the artistic director's group work with me and my colleagues from the "home troupe".

4. Sometimes, before work, I swim in the pool or go for a run around the city. I like to explore new cities, I enjoy going for walks, but after a performance I go straight to bed.

5. I really love seafood and sushi. I try to avoid sugar, I only use it as an exception. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink and I don’t party until night - I try to take care of my health and get proper rest.

6. Thank God, I have never had major injuries, only minor ones.

7. I don't feel fear. I've been doing this for so many years that all my fears are behind me.

8. Yes, there is. My family - my wife and two children - live in Poland, my homeland. I come to them during breaks between tours, but when the show performed under its own dome, they went with me.

9. This is not difficult for me - I am a flexible person. Moreover, I enjoy exploring new cities and countries, cultures, languages ​​and natural beauty around the world.

10. So far I have no such plans.

Evgeny Kurkin, Russia.

1. Cirque du Soleil found me on its own. At gymnastics competitions in Russia, where I competed, they offered me an audition. Then they called me back and asked me to come to the company headquarters in Montreal for general training. In 2010 I was offered to join the "house troupe" of Saltimbanco.

2. For me personally, the most difficult number was “Banshee” - before coming here I had never done anything like this. Now I really like it!

3. The presence or absence of training during the week is determined by our schedule. On the day when we have one performance, we, of course, rehearse more. I warm up for at least 30 minutes before going on stage.

4. Depending on your training schedule. First of all, I like to sleep. Then I try to walk around the city, and after that I go to work. I eat on the set, where we train, then I put on makeup, warm up and go on stage.

5. Sometimes you can afford to eat everything - I love desserts - but more often you have to pull yourself together and eat less.

6. Thank God I never had any injuries.

7. Anxiety is normal. New numbers and elements can, of course, instill fear, but the main thing is to concentrate and not let fear paralyze yourself.

8. My mother lives in Orel, Russia. She misses me, but she is very happy that I became part of Cirque du Soleil.

9. It’s hard for me to get used to it - everything is new every time: time, food, culture. Everything is different!

10. For now, I want to stay with Cirque du Soleil as long as possible and work in shows with this company.

Katerina Kuzenkova, Belarus.

1. I have been doing acrobatic jumps on the track for many years. I performed as part of the national team, and at some point I sent my DVD to Cirque du Soleil, and they invited me to be part of the show.

2. I perform as part of a “house troupe”, so I perform “Russian Swings” and “Chinese Poles”. The hardest thing for me was combining my acrobatic skills and artistry. It was especially difficult at the beginning, but that made it even more interesting.

3. Everyone's training schedule is different. Everyone deals with their own things on an individual level. For the numbers that we perform together on stage, certain training times are assigned during the week, and our task is to be there on time. We have coaches for every major acrobatic act, and of course we rehearse everything together as a troupe.

4. I try to get enough sleep. Although my schedule is somewhat different from other artists, as I also serve as a strength coach in addition to my duties as an artist.

5. No diets!

6. Risk is part of our profession. But it is very important that the tour has a physiotherapist who is responsible for our well-being and makes sure that we are in shape before each performance.

7. Honestly, no. I can sometimes worry and worry, but I try to pull myself together and give my 100th.

8. My family and friends are very supportive. I am terribly grateful to them! Mom loves Cirque du Soleil, and when she has time, she happily travels with me around the world.

9. I have my own rules and my own schedule, so it’s easy for me to adapt to the next country.

10. I will be a coach. I hope you are a good coach!