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1982 (the beginning)
1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 1982 The story begins in 1982, in Baie-Saint-Paul , Quebec . In this haven of creativity whose rural charm attracts artists, art collectors and tourists alike, a group of young street performers mix with the crowd, walking on stilts, juggling and eating fire. They are the Club des Talons Hauts (the High Heels Club). Inspired by the spectators' obvious delight, the performers hatch the idea of organizing an entertainers' festival, the Fête Foraine de Baie-Saint-Paul—the precursor of what is to become Cirque du Soleil. 1984 Cirque du Soleil is born with the assistance of the Quebec government, as part of the celebrations surrounding the 450th anniversary of Jacques Cartier's arrival in Canada . Cirque is based on a totally new concept: a striking, dramatic mix of the circus arts and street entertainment, featuring wild, outrageous costumes, staged under magical lighting and set to original music. With not a single animal in the ring, Cirque's difference is clear from the very start. The show debuts in the small Quebec town of Gaspé , and is then performed in ten other cities throughout the province. The first blue-and-yellow big top seats 800. 1985 After performing in Montreal , Sherbrooke and Quebec City , Cirque du Soleil leaves its home province for the first time to take its show to neighbouring Ontario . It performs in Ottawa , Toronto and Niagara Falls . 1986 Cirque du Soleil takesLa Magie Continueto eightother cities across Canada , including Vancouver , where it puts on several performances at the Children's Festival and Expo 86. Cirque makes its name on the international stage too, as acts are awarded top honours at competitions and festivals around the world. As interest in Cirque grows, so does the big top, which now has room for 1,500 spectators. 1987 Cirque du Soleil visits its American neighbours for the first time. Having triumphed in five cities in Quebec , We Reinvent the Circus is performed at the Los Angeles Festival, and then moves on to San Diego and Santa Monica . Exhilarated by the Californian public's response, Cirque du Soleil is an overnight success. 1988 We Reinvent the Circus continues its North American tour, after a brief appearance at the Calgary Winter Olympics. It stops in San Francisco , New York and Washington , and spends several weeks dazzling Toronto . Wherever it goes, the result is the same: the performances sell out and the critics rave. 1989 Miami , Chicago and Phoenix are added to the We Reinvent the Circus tour. 1990 Montreal is the setting for the world premiere of a brand-new production, Nouvelle Expérience, in a new, 2,500-seat big top. The show then hits the road for an extensive run in California . With this new production, Cirque du Soleil shatters all previous records for ticket sales, and it decides to make its first foray into Europe , staging We Reinvent the Circus in London and Paris . The overseas excursions have just begun. 1991 Nouvelle Expérience continues on its travels across North America , visiting Atlanta for the first time. By the end of an extensive 19-month tour of Canada and the United States , 1.3 million spectators have cheered the show. 1992 Cirque du Soleil crosses the Pacific and makes a name for itself in the Land of the Rising Sun with Fascination, a collage of the best acts from past shows. The show opens in Tokyo and then moves on to seven other cities, for a total of 118 performances in four months. Meanwhile, in Europe , Cirque du Soleil joins forces with Switzerland 's Circus Knie and stages a show in over 60 towns throughout the country. In North America , 1992 sees Cirque du Soleil make its Las Vegas debut when Nouvelle Expérience kicks off a year-long engagement under a big top at the Mirage Hotel. Already juggling several productions, Cirque du Soleil adds a monument to its repertoire of shows:Saltimbanco. Premiering in Montreal , this latest production begins a lengthy tour of North America . 1993 Following Nouvelle Expérience's successful run in Las Vegas , Cirque du Soleil moves into a theatre built to its specifications at the new Treasure Island Hotel. A 10-year contract is signed with Mirage Resorts to stage Mystère, a gigantic production befitting this show business capital. Saltimbancocompletes its 19-month North American tour of a dozen cities, receiving resounding ovations from 1.4 million spectators. 1994 Saltimbanco embarks on a six-month run in Tokyo in 1994 that attracts a great deal of attention. The same year, Cirque du Soleil celebrates its tenth anniversary with another production, Alegría. True to tradition, the two-year North American tour is launched in Montreal . Meanwhile, Mystère continues to create a sensation in Las Vegas , and Saltimbanco returns to Montreal for a brief run. 1995 While Alegría pursues its triumphant North American tour, Cirque du Soleil responds to a request from the Canadian government and creates a show for the heads of state gathered at the G7 Summit in Halifax , Nova Scotia . Also in 1995, Saltimbanco sets out to conquer Europe . Cirque's spectacular white big top with seating for 2,500 spectators makes its first stop in Amsterdam , followed by Munich , Berlin , Düsseldorf, and Vienna . Amsterdam becomes the site of Cirque du Soleil's European Headquarters. 1996 In April, Cirque launches Quidam in Montreal . After finishing its hometown run, Quidam heads off on a three-year North American tour. Meanwhile, Saltimbanco continues its European tour, with stops in London , Hamburg , Stuttgart , Antwerp , Zurich and Frankfurt , while Alegría sets out to tour Japan for a few months. 1997 Quidam continues to capture the hearts of North American spectators, adding two new cities, Denver and Houston , to the tour. On the other side of the Atlantic , the curtain falls on Saltimbanco at London 's Royal Albert Hall, marking the end of a two-year European tour. Alegría kicks off its own tour of Europe a few weeks later. But Cirque du Soleil's adventures do not end there. The year 1997 begins with the inauguration of the brand new International Headquarters in Montreal , the Studio, where all of Cirque's shows will be created and produced. 1998 While Alegría pursues its journey across Europe , Quidam finishes up its North American tour, which includes a stopover in Dallas , a first for Cirque du Soleil. During its three-year tour, almost 1,000 performances have been held under the blue-and-yellow big top. All in all, over 2.5 million North American spectators have applauded Quidam. Furthermore, in October 1998, Cirque du Soleil's second resident show, "O", takes to the stage of a new theatre at the Bellagio in Las Vegas . This production is Cirque's first aquatic show. In December of the same year, Cirque inaugurates yet another permanent show, La Nouba, at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando , Florida . Cirque du Soleil also restages Saltimbanco in Ottawa for a few weeks before sending it off on an Asia-Pacific tour scheduled to last three years. 1999 Saltimbanco sets up shop in Asia and the Pacific and begins a three-year tour of the region in Sydney . In March, Quidam embarks on a three-year European tour in Amsterdam . In addition, Cirque du Soleil's brand-new production, Dralion, launches its North American tour in Montreal . To top it all off, the Multimedia Division, Cirque du Soleil Images, releases its first feature film, " Alegria", inspired by the show of the same name. Its dynamic team also produces Cirque du Soleil PresentsQuidam, a spectacular television version of the show to be aired around the globe. 2000 Movie fans come out in droves to see Cirque du Soleil on the IMAX screen for the first time ever as its large-format film production Journey of Man (Passages in French), distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, premieres worldwide. 2001 In Auckland , New Zealand , Alegría kicks off a tour through the immense Asia-Pacific region. In addition, Cirque du Soleil keeps on growing with the inauguration of a 15,000-square-metre addition to its International Headquarters in Montreal . Audiences on four continents continue to marvel at Cirque du Soleil's three resident shows (La Nouba, Mystère, and "O") and four touring productions (Quidam, Saltimbanco, Alegría and Dralion). Cirque du Soleil Images films the Alegría show for television and the special Cirque du Soleil Presents Alegría is broadcast in the fall. 2002 In April, a fifth touring show is added to the seven Cirque du Soleil shows already performing simultaneously in 2002. Varekai premieres in Montreal , and from there begins a tour of North America . Quidam and Alegría (Cirque du Soleil made its first stop in Mexico this year with this show) come to North America as well, and Dralion continues its tour of the United States . Cirque du Soleil's website is entirely redone, giving Internet surfers an extension of the show experience. The new site wins several awards. Cirque's Multimedia Division, Cirque du Soleil Images, produces its first television series, "Cirque du Soleil Fire Within," for the Canadian and American television market. Cirque du Soleil Images also produced Cirque du Soleil Presents Alegría, a high-quality production for small-screen broadcasting across the world. 2003 Quidam begins a one-year-plus tour in Japan , and two new resident shows are being created for the Las Vegas market. Zumanity is born in August; the newest addition to the Cirque family. It is an adults-only resident show at the New York-New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The filming of a new television series—the first to be produced entirely by Cirque du Soleil Images—is wrapped up in the late summer. This unique family TV series brings together acrobatic acts within a dramatic comedy framework. The series is aimed at international television markets, including Canada and the United States . 2004 Cirque du Soleil celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2004. A number of events mark the occasion: among other things, a book is launched, entitled 20 Years Under the Sun, which recounts Cirque du Soleil 's unusual history step by step, and Cirque sets the first Guinness World Record for the largest number of stiltwalkers (544) at the same time and place. Cirque du Soleil launches a new resident show, KÀ, in the fall at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas , and is preparing two additional productions: a new touring show for April 2005 and a resident show inspired by the music of the Beatles, slated to premiere in 2006 at the Mirage in Las Vegas . In September, Cirque du Soleil Musique is launched: it is a record company dedicated to the creation, production, and marketing of the music associated with current and future Cirque du Soleil shows, and to the career development of emerging artists from around the world. 2005 Celebrity Cruises unveils a unique concept of on-board entertainment developed by Cirque du Soleil on two of its cruise ships. As a creative content provider, Cirque du Soleil explores a new creative platform for the first time. The year 2005 is also marked by the Montreal launch and world premiere of Corteo, Cirque's latest touring show. In July, Montreal hosts the XI FINA World Aquatic Championships, for which Cirque du Soleil creates the opening ceremony show. Cirque also announces plans for a resident show at Disney Tokyo Resort in Japan , scheduled to open in 2008. In November, Cirque du Soleil announced its first-ever live arena event, DELIRIUM, which will kick off in Montreal on January 26, 2006, before setting off on a tour of the United States. 2006 In May, the company announced its intention to develop new markets in Asia, notably by creating a new permanent show in Macau in partnership with Las Vegas Sands. The new show is scheduled to debut in 2008. Cirque du Soleil has also entered into an exclusive agreement with CKX, Inc.—through its subsidiary Elvis Presley Enterprises—for the creation, development, production and promotion of Elvis Presley Projects, featuring touring and permanent shows, as well as multimedia interactive "Elvis Experiences," throughout the world. The first Elvis Presley Projects are expected to debut in 2008. In November, Cirque announced a new production specifically created for the Theater at Madison Square Garden and will run for ten weeks, each winter, beginning in 2007 for the next four years. After touring the world over for 14 years, Saltimbanco ends its life under the Grand Chapiteau. Cirque du Soleil is progressively increasing its licensing activities. Many partnerships have been created in this area, including with Itsus International (for the creation of a line of ladies' wear) and Manhattan Toys (for the creation of a series of toys for toddlers). Cirque du Soleil has also launched a fiction/non-fiction book entitled The Spark, which invites readers to discover the power of creativity and imagination and apply it in their own lives. Written by John Bacon and based on an original idea by Lyn Heward, the book is distributed in several countries. 2007 KOOZA, a new touring show, is launched in Montreal in April 2007. This show is Cirque’s 20th production since its inception in 1984. In July, after having toured for 14 years and being performed before more than 9.5 million spectators, Saltimbanco is reborn as it takes off on an arena tour of more than 40 cities in Canada and the U.S. Cirque du Soleil announces that it is partnering with Nakheel (the world’s top private property developer) with a view to creating a resident show on The Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. Starting in November, Wintuk will be performed for 10 weeks at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York; this seasonal show will run for at least four years. The international success story known as Cirque du Soleil is above all the story of a remarkable bond between performers and spectators the world over. For at the end of the day, it is the spectators who spark the creative passions of Cirque du Soleil. |
