As part of the 2010 World Expo that will be held in Shanghai, China, from May 1 to October 31, 2010, Cirque du Soleil will design the creative concept for the Canada Pavilion, create the public presentation, produce the cultural program, and develop strategic corporate alliances, under the theme "The Living City: Inclusive, Sustainable, Creative,".

At the announcement of the collaborative arrangement in January, 2008, Daniel Lamarre, President and CEO of Cirque had this to say: "Cirque du Soleil has always been a proud ambassador of Quebec and Canada in each city and country we have visited. We are honoured that the Canadian Government has chosen us to imagine and design the Canada Pavilion for the 2010 International Expo in Shanghai. This trust humbles us and the creative challenge inspires us."

Shanghai World Expo 2010

As part of the 2010 World Expo that will be held in Shanghai, China, from May 1 to October 31, 2010, Cirque du Soleil is pleased to be the producer of the cultural program for the Canada Pavilion.

Under the theme "The Living City: Inclusive, Sustainable, Creative," the Cultural Program will include works and productions in fields as varied as dance, music, theatre, literature, visual arts and media arts.

To reflect the dynamic nature of Canadian culture, Cirque du Soleil invited emerging and renowned artists and creators from across the country to apply to take part in the Cultural Program. The application process was from October 27, 2008 to January 21, 2009.

The Canada Council for the Arts will join Cirque du Soleil in the evaluation and selection process currently in progress.

Please note that during the month of April 2009 all the selected artists had been contacted and that the selection and evaluation process is now completed*. We wish to thank all the artists who submitted an application for Canada's Cultural Program at Expo 2010 Shanghai.

Applications were evaluated in the context of an overall concept based on several objectives such as showcasing as many artistic disciplines as possible, reflecting quality, variety and creativity as well as ensuring linguistic equilibrium, cultural diversity, geographical representation and gender balance.

We also wish to thank the Canada Council of Arts for its assistance in the evaluation process.

* Notwithstanding the foregoing, Cirque du Soleil reserves the right to issue special invitations to Canadian artists (“Guests”) after the evaluation and selection process in order to meet the objectives of the Cultural Program.

Canada's Cultural Program Team

For more information on Canada's participation in Expo 2010 in Shanghai, go to the Government of Canada's official website.

October 27th 2008 Press Release (PDF)