A good many of Cirque du Soleil's creations bear the stamp of Franco Dragone's poetic and social vision. Between 1985 and 1998, Dragone directed no fewer than 10 productions: Cirque du Soleil (1985), La magie continue (1986), We Reinvent the Circus (1987), Nouvelle expérience (1990), Saltimbanco (1992), Mystère (1993) Alegría (1994), Quidam (1996), La Nouba and "O" (1998). He also directed the full-length feature Alegria, which came out in the spring of 1999.

Franco Dragone had a major hand in creating the amalgam of cultures and artistic disciplines that characterizes these productions. Before embarking on a lengthy partnership with Cirque du Soleil in 1985, he worked with a number of theatre companies in Europe.

A native of Italy, Dragone grew up in La Louvière, an industrial community in Belgium. In 2000, soon after moving back to his hometown, he founded Dragone, an artistic creation and production company.

In September 2002, the Quebec government made him a Knight of the Ordre national du Québec.