The Dream Weavers - Costumes by Cirque du Soleil exhibition looks at how characters are created through costume. Visitors are invited to explore the arts of millinery, dyeing, costume-making, lace-making and shoe-making and learn about the roles and experiences of Cirque's craftspeople through words and images.

This story of costumes is a journey revolving around three major themes-passion, complicity and excellence-exploring the emotions underlying the essence of the artistic quest as well as the expertise behind the finished costume.

Costume items, photographs and audio-visual documents add to the intimacy of the experience and invite visitors to step into the artisans' creative space. For a brief moment, mannequins become acrobats, stilt-walkers, dancers and performers, slipping into the role of one of 25 characters chosen to represent each of the 25 Cirque du Soleil shows-and to salute 25 years of a love for materials, shapes and colours that has coaxed so many creatures out of dreams and into life.

This exhibition is above all a tribute to the men and women who have fed the creative flame with their inventiveness, their expertise and their passion for the art of costume-making since the very beginning of Cirque du Soleil.

The designer, the artisan and the artist all share a common dream: the show. As they work together, pooling their talents and expertise, the costume takes shape and the character emerges. Three key elements central to this process - passion, complicity and excellence - combine to make magic. Here the artisans share some of their experiences, their enthusiasm and their secrets, offering visitors confidences, anecdotes and memories, and guiding them as they explore how these "second skins" are fashioned to create a Cirque character.

These Dream Weavers have been at the heart of the Cirque du Soleil story right from the very beginning. Now you are invited to fashion your own stories as you admire the different costumes. Follow your instincts, your curiosity and your heart, as you listen to the tales these costumes have to tell and share in the memories of those who created and produced them.

Step into the artisans' creative space with audio-visual documents that are presented in the exhibition.

Here a glimpe:

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  Michael Curry, Puppet Designer of KÀ
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  Jack Ricks, Head of Wardrobe for Zumanity, talks about his first day at work at Cirque in Las Vegas

The work of Cirque du Soleil artisans ranges from one extreme to another, as they play with the staggeringly large and the incredibly small. It is both a physical and a mental challenge, similar in a way to the performances of the artists who risk their lives and bare their souls on stage, show after show.

Unlike the costumes worn in the theatre or opera, Cirque du Soleil costumes are about much more than looks. They have to meet strict technical requirements, for the artists' acrobatic numbers are extremely demanding. It is this desire to constantly push the boundaries that allows these artisans to continue innovating and exploring new artistic and technical horizons.

Here a glimpe at some of the costumes presented in the exhibition: