Cirque du Soleil at a glance

It all started in Baie-Saint-Paul, a small town near Quebec City , in Canada . There, in the early eighties, a band of colourful characters roamed the streets, striding on stilts, juggling, dancing, breathing fire, and playing music. They were Les Échassiers de Baie-Saint-Paul (the Baie-Saint-Paul Stiltwalkers), a street theatre group founded by Gilles Ste-Croix. Already, the townsfolk were impressed and intrigued by the young performers – who included one Guy Laliberté who became founder and CEO of Cirque du Soleil .

The troupe went on to found Le Club des talons hauts (the High Heels Club), and then, in 1982, organized La Fête foraine de Baie-Saint-Paul, a cultural event in which street performers from all over met to exchange ideas and enliven the streets of the town for a few days. La Fête foraine was repeated in 1983 and 1984. Le Club des talons hauts attracted notice, and Guy Laliberté, Gilles Ste-Croix and their cronies began to cherish a crazy dream: to create a Quebec circus and take the troupe travelling around the world.

In 1984, Quebec City was celebrating the 450th anniversary of Canada 's discovery by Jacques Cartier, and they needed a show that would carry the festivities out across the province. Guy Laliberté presented a proposal for a show called Cirque du Soleil (Circus of the Sun), and succeeded in convincing the organizers. And Cirque du Soleil hasn't stopped since!

A Few statistics

• In 1984, 73 people worked for Cirque du Soleil . Today, the business has over 3,800 employees worldwide, including close to 1,000 artists.

• At the Montreal International Headquarters alone, there are more than 1,700 employees.

• The average age of employees is 35.

• Cirque's employees and artists represent over 40 nationalities and speak 25 different languages.

• Since 1984, Cirque du Soleil 's touring shows have made nearly 250 stops in over 100 cities around the world.

• More than 70 million spectators have seen a Cirque du Soleil show since 1984.

• Close to 10 million people will see a Cirque du Soleil show in 2007.

• Cirque du Soleil hasn't received any grants from the public or private sectors since 1992.

Cirque du Soleil Shows

• In 2007, Cirque du Soleil will present fifteen different shows around the world:

Touring shows
Varekai (Asia-Pacific tour)
Dralion (European and Japanese tour)
Quidam (Asia-Pacific tour)
Alegría (European tour)
Corteo (North American tour)
KOOZA (North American tour 2007)

Resident shows
"O" ( Las Vegas , Nevada )
Mystère ( Las Vegas , Nevada )
ZUMANITY, Another Side of Cirque du Soleil ( Las Vegas , Nevada )
LaNouba ( Orlando , Florida )
KÀ ( Las Vegas , Nevada )
LOVE ( Las Vegas , Nevada )
Wintuk (Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York starting in November 2007)

Arena show
DELIRIUM (European tour starting in December 2007)

Saltimbanco (North American tour)

• Cirque du Soleil's other shows since 1984:

Cirque du Soleil
La Magie continue
We Reinvent the Circus
Nouvelle Expérience
Fascination
A joint project with Circus Knie

Resident Theatres
Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando , Florida (La Nouba)
Treasure Island in Las Vegas , Nevada (Mystère)
Bellagio in Las Vegas , Nevada ("O")
New York New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas , Nevada (ZUMANITY)
MGM Grand in Las Vegas , Nevada (KÀ)

The Mirage Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada (LOVE)

Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York (Wintuk in November 2007)

Major Awards
Emmy, Drama Desk, Bambi, Ace, Gémeaux, Gemini, Félix and a Rose d'Or de Montreux.

Areas of Activity
Cirque du Soleil 's challenge is to continue to grow at a sustainable pace while offering its creators the freedom to dream the wildest dreams and make them come true. Cirque du Soleil is primarily a creative content provider for a wide variety of unique projects. The heart of Cirque du Soleil 's activity remains creating live shows and presenting them under big tops or in theatres. Since 1984 close to 100 creators from the four corners of the globe have contributed their talents to this end.

In addition to creating shows, Cirque du Soleil has for many years created original and innovative content for television, DVD and film through its multimedia division called Cirque du Soleil Images. In every project, Cirque du Soleil Images aims to capture all the spirit of Cirque du Soleil shows. Its creations have been awarded numerous prizes and distinctions. Among them are Midnight Sun, which won a DVD Excellence Award (2006) and a Gemini Award in 2005; Cirque du Soleil Fire Within, which won a DVD Excellence Award in 2005 as well as a Primetime Emmy Award and two Gemini Awards in 2003; and Cirque du Soleil Presents Dralion, which took three Primetime Emmy Awards in 2001.

Cirque du Soleil is also diversifying its commercial activities by targeting another niche: merchandising and licensing. Just like its multimedia projects, all merchandising and licensing activities must meet the same stringent standards of quality and originality that apply to its shows.

The organization also wishes to extend its creative talent to other spheres of activity. With the collaboration of business partners, Cirque du Soleil is developing innovative projects, particularly in the field of hospitality (restaurants, bars, spas, etc.). Through on its own unique approach, Cirque du Soleil extends its creative energy to other types of initiatives in order to create a new form of entertainment.