Press Release

Cirque du Soleil is very happy to unveil the name of its next touring show inspired by James Cameron’s record-breaking movie AVATAR : TORUK – The First Flight. Presented by Visa Signature, this brand new creation will tour in arenas around the world starting November 2015. The show will premiere in Montreal on December 21.

The name

TORUK – The First Flight, inspired by James Cameron’s AVATAR, a live experience by Cirque du Soleil®, envisions a world beyond imagination set thousands of years before the events depicted in the film. The word Toruk, in the Na’vi language, refers to the great leonopteryx, the mighty red and orange predator that rules the Pandoran sky. Central in Na’vi lore and culture, this fascinating creature is crucial to the Na’vi clans’ sense of destiny and interconnectedness – and is about to be ridden for the very first time by a Na’vi.

Creative team

TORUK – The First Flight comprises 13 creators under the artistic guidance of Guy Laliberté (Guide) and Jean-François Bouchard (Creative Guide) for Cirque du Soleil, and James Cameron, Jon Landau, Kathy Franklin and Richie Baneham for Lightstorm Entertainment :

Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon
Show Writers and Directors, Multimedia Directors

Neilson Vignola
Director of Creation

Carl Fillion
Set and Props Designer

Kym Barrett
Costume and Makeup Designer

Tuan Le and Tan Loc
Choreographers

Bob & Bill
Composers and Musical Directors

Jacques Boucher
Sound Designer

Alain Lortie
Lighting Designer

Patrick Martel
Puppet Designer

Germain Guillemot
Acrobatic Performance Designer

Pierre Masse
Rigging and Acrobatic Equipment Designer

CREATORS’ BIOS AND STILL IMAGES: 
Creators biographies and still images are available online in our pressroom :
https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/press/kits/shows/toruk-the-first-flight/creators.aspx

Ticket information

TORUK – The First Flight will tour in arenas starting November 2015. Tickets for performances in cities listed below will be on exclusive pre-sale online for Cirque Club members as of April 30 at https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/toruk:

Lafayette, Louisiana
Montreal, Quebec
Auburn Hills, Michigan
North Little Rock, Arkansas
North Charleston, South Carolina
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Kansas City, Missouri 
Louisville, Kentucky
Cincinnati, Ohio 
Hamilton, Ontario 
London, Ontario
Providence, Rhode Island 
Raleigh, North Carolina

Sponsors and partners

TORUK – The First Flight is presented by Visa Signature, the sponsor of the 2015-2016 US tour of the show. Xerox and DHL are the official sponsors. The show is being created through a licensing arrangement with 20th Century Fox.

Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/torukthefirstflight.
Find us on Twitter with #TORUK. 

Cirque du Soleil

TORUK – The First Flight is Cirque du Soleil’s 37th production since 1984. The company has brought wonder and delight to more than 155 million spectators in more than 300 cities on six continents. Cirque du Soleil has close to 4,000 employees, including 1,300 performing artists from close to 50 different countries.

 
For more information about Cirque du Soleil, visit https://www.cirquedusoleil.com.
To find out more about the ONE DROP Foundation, visit http://www.onedrop.org.

Media contact:
Chantal Côté
Cirque du Soleil
chantal.cote@cirquedusoleil.com