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Alegría

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Alegría

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A REIMAGINED CLASSIC

Undeniably the most iconic Cirque du Soleil production, Alegría is an all-time classic reimagined for a new generation to fall in love with. An uplifting immersive experience, Alegría whisks audiences away to a mystical world sprinkled with visual poetry and acrobatic extravagance.

At the heart of a once-glorious kingdom that has lost its king, Alegría witnesses the power struggle at play between the old order and the youth in strive for hope and renewal. As the court jester clumsily tries to take the throne, a growing desire for change emerges from the street to defy the status-quo and bring joy to the world.

With its unforgettable soundtrack, exciting acrobatics, surreal costume designs, vibrant sets, and playful humor, Alegría touches the soul and lives up to its global reputation of quintessential Cirque du Soleil spectacle.

IN A NEW LIGHT

First premiered in 1994, Alegría (‘joy’ in Spanish) has become one of the most beloved Cirque du Soleil shows by mesmerizing over 14 million spectators in 255 cities across 40 countries in over 19 years of touring. Its Grammy-nominated soundtrack – featuring the iconic title track “Alegría” - is still the most purchased and streamed Cirque du Soleil album to date.

In 2019, in celebration of its 25th anniversary, Alegría was restaged under the Big Top in a whole new light, ensuring that all its components - stage direction, music, acrobatics, sets, costumes, lighting & make-up designs - would be as inspiring for today’s audiences as they were at the time of the original creation. Reenergized by a cast of 53 acrobats, clowns, musicians and singers, Alegría remains timeless and imbued with a joyous magical feeling.

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Characters

Mr. Fleur

In absence of a king, the court’s fool, Mr. Fleur, pictures himself as the legitimate heir to the throne and clumsily tries to impose his authority on the kingdom. Fanciful and unpredictable, Mr. Fleur is caught between his playful urge to charm and his desire to control. As his grip fades away, Mr. Fleur realizes that true power comes from within.

The Bronx

The Bronx spring forth from the street. Young and fiery, they try vigorously to defy the established order to trigger changes in the kingdom.

The Nymphs

The Nymphs personify the purity of youth. Graceful and delicate, they navigate the space between earth and sky; bringing light into the darkness.

The Angels

Being from the afterlife, the Angels are the guardians of the kingdom and its inhabitants. Imbued with humanity, they generate a celestial energy to inspire hope and living in harmony.

The Aristocrats

Strange heirs to power, the Aristocrats seek to retain their privileges and maintain the status quo at all costs by siding with Mr. Fleur. On their faces, strangely distorted by the passage of time, one can see the fear of progress and the selfish desire for power.

The Clowns

At first Mr. Fleur’s allies, the Clowns also have fun at his expense. Brothers in humor, this pair of zany Aristocrats is at ease in this crazy environment and make light of any situation through the power of friendship and imagination.

The Singers

Opposite yet complementary, the Singers in Black and in White evoke resilience. The Singer in Black embodies commitment, tenacity and the indomitable power of hope. The Singer in White is naïve, yet wise in the face of adversity. Together, they become an unstoppable, inspirational force.

Acts

Acro Poles

In this never-before-seen discipline combining the circus techniques of Russian Bars and Banquine, the Aristocrats balance and bounce on poles normally used for pole vaulting, which are held horizontally, enabling flyers to execute a stunning aerial ballet above the porters’ heads.

Cyr Wheel

Exhibiting both strength and acrobatic poetry, a Bronx uses his own impetus to make a large majestic hoop roll and spin across the stage while performing intricate feats of gymnastics inside its circular structure.

Synchronized Trapeze Duo

Perched on side-by-side swinging trapezes, two Angels execute intricate spins and breathtaking leaps in perfect sync. This act features innovative vertical acrobatic sequences as well as variations in height and swinging axis of the trapezes during the artists’ performance.

Fire Knife Dance

In symbiosis with a powerful drummer, a daredevil Bronx brings to life a thrilling, traditional Samoan dance. He doesn’t simply juggle with fire; he IS fire. He eats, breathes, and touches the flames, while his twirling knives become virtual extensions of his body.

Snowstorm

The Clowns tell their own story of loneliness, love-lost and despair through poetry and physical comedy. With a surprising windstorm of paper snowflakes, they shake the kingdom at its core to make space for renewal.

Aerial Straps

To the melody of the “Alegría” theme song, a dynamic couple soars through a delicate snowfall. The two aerialists, a Bronx and an Angel, separate and reunite in an embrace high above the stage, at times holding on solely to each other.

Hula Hoops

Using all her limbs, indeed her entire body, a Bronx dazzles mixing feats of contortion with her ability to spin and twirl a multitude of hoops.

Powertrack

A group of fourteen Bronx demonstrate their prowess as they soar into the air while executing dynamic gymnastic and tumbling displays in unison and in counterpoint, bouncing off two crisscrossing trampoline tracks embedded into the stage.

Hand to Hand

The Nymphs show complete mastery of the hand-to-hand discipline by displaying exceptional strength and control. The flyer balances on top of her partner’s hands, shoulders and even feet, before being flung into the air and caught with remarkable precision.

Flying Trapeze

Set 10 meters above the stage, four trapezes become the aerial playground of daring flyers who perform incredible leaps to reach for the arms of mighty catchers suspended by their knees. Requiring flawless coordination, skill and timing, this breathtaking act culminates with impressive jumps into the net.

Hand Balancing & Contortion (act in rotation)

Grace, strength and flexibility are astonished as an Angel fluidly balances on a series of strategically placed canes. With an acrobatic technique rooted in the Mongolian art form of contortion, she skillfully bends her body into intricate shapes while maintaining a delicate equilibrium.on.

Juggling (act in rotation)

A charismatic Bronx exhibits dexterity and showmanship as he manipulates a multitude of clubs and bouncing balls at breakneck speed.

The Environment – Set Design, Props and Lighting

The set of Alegría is an evocation of the architecture of power, both past and present. It is inspired by handcrafted artistry and goldsmithing on a grand scale within a contemporary environment. It transforms the Big Top into the royal court of a timeless kingdom that has seen better days.

The hierarchy of power – The stage is spread out on two levels separated by three steps. The highest level symbolizes the monarchy overlooking the royal court, while the lower level represents the street. The old king’s throne, which has lost some parts and a lot of its polish, stands at the top of the steps.

The passage of time – The first thing one notices upon entering the Big Top is the majestic Crown at the back of the stage with its organic curves and lighted branches. Lush vines have invaded the structure, as if nature was reclaiming its rights on this tired kingdom.

From darkness to light – The lighting design of Alegría is based on the idea of duality between light and shadow. The lighting goes from more traditional to more contemporary, with the use of mobile mirrors in Act II. Suspended lamps above the stage serve both as chandeliers and acrobatic apparatuses. LED lights placed in several of the Crown’s 64 branches give the impression that light emanates from the Crown itself.

The Costumes

The Alegría costume designs evoke a dusty kingdom in need of renewal. Adding humanity to this imaginary universe, the costumes and the make-up highlight the artists’ natural shapes, facial features and hair.

All that glitters is not gold – The costumes of the Aristocrats have progressively become tattered, ragged and frayed. The colors and motifs have faded over time. The fabric of the artists’ clothes and their bodies have cuts and scratches that mark the passage of time. These marks and textures were digitally printed on the fabric, and these features also found their way into the make-up design. One Aristocrat wears monocles in the form of a silicone-based prosthesis, while others’ faces are ornamented with old jewels and crooked noses.

Overcoming the difficulties of life – The Bronx, dressed in in earth tones, symbolize the youth from the street, deprived of any aristocratic privilege. Their costumes embrace the muscular bodies of the performers to illustrate the power and energy of this revolutionary movement.

The scars of experience – With the golden star they wear on their solar plexus, the Angels are humans of the afterlife with a past and a lifetime worth of experience. The scars of their life on Earth, symbols of their humanity, are printed on their luminous white costumes. Golden hues and sparkling jewels add a celestial touch to their bright outfits.

The Music

Brought to life by five musicians and two singers, the musical score of Alegría enhances the emotional impact of the show’s acts and visuals. Its iconic songs have been passed through the prism of today’s aesthetic to feature new arrangements. The score mixes electronic and rock sounds with acoustic and orchestral elements, including brass, strings and accordion sounds, all in sync with the acrobatics of the show. The sounds associated with the Angels have more poetic undertones while the music connected to the Bronx has an underground feel. The powerful score is sung in English, French, Italian, Spanish and in the trademark Cirque du Soleil invented language.

Production Close-Ups

The Alegría set in numbers

  • The Crown located at the back of the stage has 120 spikes and 64 branches.
  • The vines on the Crown total 975 meters in length.
  • The Crown curtain, on which appears a salamander – symbol of the French Renaissance, was printed in Germany in a single pass on a giant, seamless piece of fabric that is 33.5 meters wide and 6 meters high.

A closer look at the costumes and make-up

  • It took more than 20,000 hours of work to put together the costumes of the show.
  • Artisans spent 300 hours making Mr. Fleur’s costume, which contains 5 meters of electrical wire.
  • More than 1,000 meters of fabric was printed using a technique called sublimation, which fixes the images in the fibers of the material.
  • The mesh used in the costumes of the Bronx is made of the same material used in making hockey nets.
  • There are 96 costumes and 533 different costume elements in the show.
  • There are close to 30 different make-up concepts in the show divided in three families of characters.
  • Each costume is custom-fitted to the artist’s body and handcrafted at the Cirque du Soleil Head Quarters in Montreal, Canada. The average lifespan of each costume piece is 6 months.

Creators

Artistic Guide
Director
Creation Director (2019)
Director (2019)
Costume Designer
Props Designer
Lighting Designer
Composer and Arranger
Musical Director and Arranger
Acrobatic Choreographer and Acrobatic Performance Designer
Senior Director - Human Performance Design and Management
Sound Designer KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities, TORUK - The First Flight, Luzia
Sound Designer KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities
Rigging and acrobatic equipment designer
Makeup Designer
Production Manager

Photos & Videos

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Fire Knife Dance act from Alegria by Cirque du Soleil

Fire Knife Dance

Hula Hoops act from Alegria by Cirque du Soleil

Hula Hoops

Hand Balancing act from Alegria by Cirque du Soleil

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Synchronized Trapeze Duo act from Alegria by Cirque du Soleil

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Nymph act from Alegria by Cirque du Soleil

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Aerial Straps act from Alegria by Cirque du Soleil

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