Press Kit

DIRECTED BY DIANE PAULUS

Show OverviewWritten and Directed by Diane Paulus

ShowAmaluna invites the audience to a mysterious island governed by Goddesses and guided by the cycles of the moon. Their queen, Prospera, directs her daughter’s coming-of-age ceremony in a rite that honours femininity, renewal, rebirth and balance which marks the passing of these insights and values from one generation to the next.

In the wake of a storm caused by Prospera, a group of young men lands on the island, triggering an epic, emotional story of love between Prospera’s daughter and a brave young suitor. But theirs is a love that will be put to the test. The couple must face numerous demanding trials and overcome daunting setbacks before they can achieve mutual trust, faith and harmony.

The nameAmaluna is a fusion of the words ama, which refers to “mother” in many languages, and luna, which means “moon,” a symbol of femininity that evokes both the mother-daughter relationship and the idea of goddess and protector of the planet. Amaluna is also the name of the mysterious island where the story unfolds.

Amaluna’s Tony Award-winning Show Director, Diane Paulus, drew from a series of classical influences when creating the concept of the show; including tales from Greek and Norse mythology, Mozart’s The Magic Flute, and Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

The cast of Amaluna comprise a majority of female, including a 100% female band.“Amaluna is a tribute to the work and voice of women,” explains Director of Creation Fernand Rainville. “The show is a reflection on balance from a woman’s perspective,“ he adds. Show Director Diane Paulus says: “I didn’t want to build a ‘women’s agenda’ show. I wanted to create a show with women at the center of it, something that had a hidden story that featured women as the heroines.”

1

The Acts

Aerial strapsThe artists fly out over the audience on straps, suspended from the Carousel, a rotating set element high above them. This spectacular demonstration of flight in four dimensions is calling for precision timing, in addition to the skills and physical strength it takes to move at high velocity through 360 degrees.

Cerceau and WaterbowlThe Moon Goddess appears to Miranda riding a Cerceau, bestowing her blessing with a haunting song. Romeo watches as Miranda plays in the waterbowl, discovering her own physicality and expressing her sinuous sexuality as she performs a challenging hand-balancing routine before diving and snaking through the water. He joins her in the water, where they innocently play and tentatively kiss for the first time.

Uneven BarsThe captured young men help the Amazons – the fierce feminine force of the island – to present a fast-paced theatrical version of the classic gymnastic routine.

UnicycleTwo artists enter on unicycles wearing hoop skirts of gold, weaving in and out of each other’s paths like the wind as they joyfully pirouette, dance and thrill the pageant participants.

Clown actRomeo’s manservant Papulya arrives with the young men and promptly falls headover-heels in love with Maïnha, Miranda’s childhood nurse. The feeling is mutual, and pretty soon they are starting a family.

Peacock DanceRomeo wanders into the Enchanted Forest where he witnesses the bewitching dance of the Peacock Goddess in her dazzling white dress – a performance that represents the purity of love.

2

JugglingCali captures Romeo and imprisons him in the waterbowl. To celebrate his victory over his rival, he performs a juggling act with balls that drop in ever greater numbers from the sky above.

Chinese PoleRomeo tries to reunite with Miranda by climbing up a pole in an exhibition of sheer muscular strength and inventive, supple routine.

Balance GoddessProspera brings Romeo and Miranda to witness the Balance Goddess creating a world in equilibrium with a mobile made of thirteen palm leaf ribs. An ode to balance, her movements are slow, deliberate and almost meditative as she concentrates all her attention on this literally breathtaking structure. And then she removes the smallest piece, everything disintegrates and the young couple’s trials begin.

TeeterboardFenced in, the young men launch themselves high into the air, twisting and turning in a playful high-speed attempt to escape – at first from gravity then from their prison. They pull off several seemingly impossible feats, like landing in a handstand on another performer’s upturned palms or running across a mini-stage inclined at a steep angle.

1000 arms and sticksInspired by an Indonesian ritual dance, an ominous company of dancers dressed in black and silver performs a choreography that creates an indelible image of one woman with a thousand arms. The Peacock Goddess reappears in an ominous guise and steals Miranda away while a forest of sticks inspired by Vietnamese circus tradition springs up to create a portal to the Underworld through which Romeo must pass.

BanquineThe island is liberated from Cali’s influence. Miranda’s friends and the sailors perform an acrobatic celebration where the porters interlock their arms and hands to create platforms, from which the flyers take-off and perform aerial tricks.

3

The Main Characters

ProsperaProspera is a shaman with magical powers, but she is very much driven by human emotions. The welfare of her daughter is her most important concern. She knows she must let Miranda find love and make her own way in the world, but she can use her powers to influence the way this comes about, and she will always be a protective force in her daughter’s life.

MirandaMiranda is a girl on the brink of womanhood. She’s a romantic, full of fun, enthusiasms, dreams and mischief, who revels in the stimulating world of Amaluna with all of its rich traditions, culture and splendid flora and fauna.

RomeoProspera has a hand in conjuring up the storm that leads to the arrival of a group of young men, and she influences the events that bring their leader, the dashing Prince Romeo, and Miranda together. He is as hungry for true love as she is, but he doesn’t yet know how difficult the path ahead will be.

CaliHalf-lizard, half-human, all jealous, Cali has known Miranda all her life and although she thinks of him only as a pet, he is in love with her. And he’s determined to prevent Romeo from winning her.

Moon GoddessThe Moon Goddess has a strong female presence in Amaluna. She uses her powers sometimes to help and sometimes to hinder the young lovers in their challenge-filled quest for happiness.

4

CostumesAmaluna costume designer Mérédith Caron has brought a company of fabulous and eclectic characters to life through the magic of her creations. She imagined the world of the show – the mysterious island of Amaluna – as existing somewhere in the Mediterranean as a true meeting place between East and West, a distant land where ancient and modern times overlap and blend harmoniously, and several different eras and cultures have seemingly melded into the same location.

Her complex multidimensional costumes evoke a world of day and night that is unquestionably contemporary, yet overlaid with the spirit of the Elizabethan period and containing subtle references to the Orient and Scandinavia. “It’s the encounter of humanity, the glorification of the beauty of the human being,” she explains.

The Amaluna costumes are a symbiosis between theatre and acrobatics. For Mérédith, the character and the costume are inseparable. “One calls out to the other. It is a communion, a symbiotic relationship,” she says. “But above all, it is the artist that I dress.”

To dress the artists, Mérédith has created “progressive” costumes with multiple configurations. Some of them put on a parade uniform for the more theatrical moments in the show, and performance costumes when they perform their act. Many of the garments are equipped with pads and other removable parts – the wearers might, for example, remove the sleeves and keep their doublets on, or remove the doublets altogether and perform in their shirts.

Women with the right stuffAmaluna recreates a fabulous female mythology on stage. Inspired by Asia Minor, the corseted costumes of the Amazon warriors are augmented with ponytails and high-heeled black and red leather boots in a look that is more fantasy than historical reality.

The world of Amaluna is also populated by a layer of unruly half-human, half-animal characters, freely inspired by the world of Shakespeare’s Tempest. Lizards, peacocks and fairies rub shoulders with each other.

Denim – A contemporary material and emblem of adolescenceThe choice of materials is as important to Mérédith Caron as the lines of the garments. She has given denim doublets worn by the Boys who land on the island of Amaluna a distinctly Renaissance look: The sleeves are slashed to reveal the lining, and the garments are embellished with an 18th century velvet flocking to create the impression of a contemporary jean jacket.Queen Prospera’s daughter Miranda, who is about to move into adulthood in this remote environment, wears linen, cambric and distressed velvet – a selection that is highly reminiscent of the Italian Renaissance. Her costume expresses her enthusiasm and thirst for discovery.

5

Raw talent and musicianship

The musicians in Queen Prospera’s entourage are creatures of the night who wear costumes that underline their strong personalities and their rock star aura with a really current look. Mérédith was inspired by the clothing styles of major figures in the worlds of music, fashion and film such as k.d. lang , Roy Orbison, John Galliano, Tim Burton and even a rock version of the Village People. “You might well see girls in these kinds of clothes among the heterogeneous fauna of a bar in avant-garde Berlin, for example,” says Mérédith, “hence the link between the costumes, the music and the decidedly rock sensibility of a show that celebrates beauty in all its guises.”

Close-ups on the costumes

• Queen Prospera wears a large golden mantle composed of four rectangles on which are printed in sublimation the cover image of GAIA, the book of photographs taken in space by Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté. It shows a majestic cloud system captured at a distance of 350 km above the earth’s surface.

• The peacock costumes are made up of 14 layers of heat-pleated materials trimmed in leather and stretch metallic fabric. The tails open out to a “fan” of eight feet with hydraulic pistons that compensate for their weight. Made in the same proportion to the performers’ bodies as the bird’s fans have to theirs, the tails are attached to the artists with belts that hide the mechanisms under embroidered feathers. The skeleton and leaves of the fans are made of the same Fiberglass material used in the manufacture of fishing rods, and screen-printed metallic paper is glued to the leaves to recreate the iridescent look of peacock plumage.

• For the Valkyries’ costumes in the Aerial Straps act, Mérédith Caron was inspired by the oceans, above and below the surface. Shades of blue and green evoking Scandinavia mix with shades of sky and sea to compose a soothing palette of sophistication.

• The white dress worn by the artist performing the Peacock Dance comprises a bustier and a skirt. The bustier is made of stretch nylon tulle covered with white beaded lace and Swarovski crystals. The skirt is made of 65 yards of white non-stretch nylon tulle covered with silver lace and Swarovski crystals. The dress has a total of 6,500 Swarovski crystals and 325 silver lace additions. The tail features 12 two-meter pleated polyester voile panels with sunray pleats (bias-cut knife pleats, narrower at the top than at the bottom, producing a flared effect), printed with white peacock feather designs.

• There are over 130 costumes in Amaluna, made up of nearly 1000 different items.

6

MusicComposers Bob & Bill’s mission was to create a unique, raw sound for Amaluna, and to surprise by means of the unexpected.

Guitars are very present and the overall sound is resolutely contemporary. Bass, drums, cello, vocals, keyboards, percussion support the guitars in delivering a direct music without embellishment. “We wanted to unleash the power in the raw state that artists and musicians bring to the stage,” explain Bob & Bill. The musicians share the stage with acrobats at times, which combines perfectly with the energy of the score. Amaluna is the first Cirque du Soleil show with an all-female group of musicians. “We wanted to reflect the guts and intense attitude of these musicians through the music itself,” they add.

Bob & Bill are known for their ability to blur the lines between genres and styles to create an intricately woven visual style. “We created a sound for the show that would follow the emotional line of the acrobatic numbers,” they say. “Each act has its own respiration and rhythm, its own arc – and the music should reflect this. The music is an extension of the soul of a character and an expression in sound of the show’s narrative.”

7

Set DesignAmaluna director Diane Paulus is known for productions that go beyond the boundaries of a conventional theatrical setting to involve the audience in immersive environments.

Scott Pask’s set creates a mysterious, verdant, enchanted island whose most important feature is a carefully crafted forest of bamboo-like branches that both frame and surround the action.

Taking his cues from the natural world, especially from forests and plant life, Scott has created an environment that is both immersive and open, with plenty of space for dramatic rituals and ceremonies as well as acrobatic performances.

An Island ForestThe trees thrust upward from the circumference of the Amaluna stage and the Big Top’s tent poles to form an airy canopy. Upstage, the vegetation grows closer to the ground, forming a tunnel-like grotto.

The branches and limbs of the canopy are unmistakably engineered constructions, and the visual references to bamboo are quite evident. It was important to Scott that the forest should be seen to be hand-crafted, however there was no attempt to disguise its components as anything actually found in nature – nothing has been given a patina to look like wood, for example. Yet the feeling of being in a real forest is palpable.

The peacock feather decoration that occupies much of the middle of the Amaluna stage is a significant emblematic motif that is echoed in some of Mérédith Caron’s iridescent costumes. The peacock images in the show are inspired by the magnificent bird that accompanies Hera, the Greek goddess of women, marriage and fertility. Legend tells us that the protective “eyes” in its tail watch over women in all the stages of their lives.

Light and ToneScott, who initially trained as an architect, regards the entire space as more of an art installation than a stage set, and he has used light to activate it and take the audience to other places and evoke different emotional responses. During the intense drama of the storm, for example, the lighting casts the shadows of the branchlike canopy onto the surface of the Big Top to create a momentary feeling of heightened danger.

The Water-bowl is a piece of acrobatic equipment that doubles as a dramatic set element. It resembles a giant, clear gemstone set in a ring of stylized organic shapes that resemble a vortex captured in time. As it interacts with the lighting, this “jewel” changes its appearance and aura, much like a real precious stone.

8

Wheels within WheelsThere are relatively few moving parts in the set design, and that was a deliberate choice intended to add a certain elegance to the performances by concentrating the audience’s attention on the human performance. There are no visual effects in the Amaluna set, and the automated mechanical elements are designed to be inconspicuous – almost invisible – even though they are in plain view.

Circular sections of the stage revolve to ensure that the entire audience can see each act from every angle, and that movement is matched by a circular scenic element above the stage: the Carousel – a custom-made ring that houses downward-facing lighting clusters as well as anchor points for flying acrobatic performers.

At times stationary, at times moving, the Carousel can revolve in sync with the stage, or counter-rotate in the opposite direction to give both the artists and the lighting maximum flexibility and range of vertical and horizontal motion. It also allows aerial performers to fly out over the heads of the audience, which emphasizes the immersive concept of the set.

Some Facts about Set ElementsThe Canopy: • There are 174 branches in 534 sections – 90 in the canopy

and 84 upstage – making a total of 1.7 km or 1.05 miles.

• There are three models of branches in the canopy and 35 in the upstage.

The Carousel and the Grid: • The 25-ft diameter Carousel weighs 6,000 lbs.

• The Grid weighs 8,600 lbs and includes three acrobatic winches, each able to lift loads up to 400 lbs at 10 feet per second.

• The acrobatic winch in the centre of the Carousel can lift up to 1,000 lbs at 10 feet per second.

The Water-bowl: • The Water-bowl is 5’5” tall, 7’3” in diameter, and weighs

5,500 lbs when filled with water.

The Chandeliers: • The six Chandeliers are made of aluminum tubes bent and

positioned to create the effect of a mobile with a span of 14.5 ft.

9

Creators’ BiographiesGuy Laliberté was born in Québec City in 1959. An accordionist, stilt-walker and fire-eater, he founded Quebec’s first internationally-renowned circus with the support of a small group of accomplices. A bold visionary, Guy Laliberté recognized and cultivated the talents of the street performers from the Fête foraine de Baie-Saint-Paul and created Cirque du Soleil in 1984.

Guy Laliberté was the first to orchestrate the marriage of cultures and artistic and acrobatic disciplines that is the hallmark of Cirque du Soleil. Since 1984, he has guided the creative team through the creation of every show and contributed to elevating the circus arts to the level of the great artistic disciplines.

Cirque du Soleil has become an international organization, as much in terms of its makeup as in the scope of its activities and influence. Guy Laliberté now heads an organization with activities on five continents.

In October 2007, Guy Laliberté entered into a second lifetime commitment by creating the ONE DROP Foundation to fight poverty around the world by providing sustainable access to safe water. This new dream stems from the knowledge that the right to water is key to the survival of individuals and communities all over the world and from the values which have been at the heart of Cirque du Soleil since its inception: the belief that life gives back what you have given and even the smallest gesture will make a difference.

In September 2009, Guy Laliberté became the first Canadian private space explorer. His mission was dedicated to raising awareness on water issues facing humankind on planet earth. Under the theme Moving Stars and Earth for Water, this first Poetic Social Mission in space aimed at touching people through an artistic approach: a special 120-minute webcast program featuring various artistic performances unfolding in 14 cities on five continents, including the International Space Station.

Main Awards and DistinctionsIn 2011, Guy Laliberté was inducted into the Order of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame. In 2010, Guy was awarded his very own star on the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame. In the same year, the Quebec government honoured Guy by promoting him from Chevalier (a distinction granted six years earlier) to Officier as a member of the Ordre de la Pléiade. Université Laval (Québec) awarded an honorary doctorate to Guy Laliberté in 2008. The year before, Guy Laliberté took the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for all three levels: Quebec, Canada and international. In 2004, he received the Order of Canada, the highest distinction in the country, from the Governor General of Canada. The same year, he was recognized by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2003, he was honoured by the Condé Nast group as part of the Never Follow Program, a tribute to creators and innovators. In 2001, he was named a Great Montrealer by the Académie des Grands Montréalais. In 1997, Guy Laliberté received the Ordre National du Québec, the highest distinction awarded by the Government of Quebec.

GUY LALIBERTÉGUIDE AND FOUNDER

10

A prolific actor and director, Fernand Rainville has been active on the Quebec cultural scene for over 25 years. He made his mark in the theatre world by directing over a hundred creative and repertory theatre plays, both contemporary and classical, as well as large-scale variety shows such as the bilingual production of Les Misérables (1990-1991), Légendes fantastiques (which ran from 1998 to 2007 and earned him the Quebec Tourism Prize) and Saka, an equestrian show performed under a big top between 2007 and 2009.

In television, Fernand has worked as Artistic Director for the show Le plaisir croît avec l’usage, which aired on Télé-Québec between 2001 and 2003.

He was also responsible for the artistic direction of the opening ceremonies of the Outgames at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium in 2006. Fernand has been working with Cirque du Soleil on a regular basis since 2005. He was co-director for the opening ceremony of the Montreal 2005 – XI FINA World Championships, Director of the Cirque du Soleil pre-game show at the 2007 Miami Superbowl, as well as Director of Creation and Director of Wintuk, a show that ran seasonally for four years at Madison Square Garden’s WaMu Theatre in New York. For ONE DROP, Fernand directed the multimedia experience AQUA and, during Guy Laliberté’s journey into space in 2009, he assumed the role of Content Producer and Artistic Director for the Poetic Social Mission event, a show on water-related issues that was broadcast on television and the Internet.

FERNAND RAINVILLE DIRECTOR OF CREATION

Diane Paulus serves as the Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University and is the 2013 recipient of the Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical. Diane’s recent accomplishments on Broadway includes A.R.T.’s 2013 Tony Award-winning revival of Pippin, A.R.T.’s 2012 Tony Award-winning revival of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess and The Public Theater’s 2009 Tony winning revival of HAIR. Her recent work with A.R.T. includes The Donkey Show, a disco adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Prometheus Bound, a new musical inspired by Aeschylus’s ancient Greek tragedy, written by Tony Award-winner Steven Sater (Spring Awakening) with music composed by Grammy Award-winner Serj Tankian; Tod Machover’s Death and the Powers: The Robots’ Opera, finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize in Music; Best of Both Worlds and Johnny Baseball. As an opera director, Diane’s credits include The Magic Flute, Il mondo della luna, Don Giovanni, Le nozze di Figaro, and the Monteverdi trilogy L’incoronazione di Poppea, Il ritorno d¹Ulisse in patria and Orfeo. Other work includes Kiss Me, Kate (Glimmerglass Opera) and Lost Highway (ENO co-production with the Young Vic). Diane is a Professor of the Practice in Theater in Harvard University’s English Department and was one of Boston Magazine’s 50 Most Powerful Bostonians in 2012. She was awarded the 2012 Founders Award for Excellence in Directing from the Drama League and is the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from Boston Conservatory. This is Diane Paulus’ first collaboration with Cirque du Soleil.

DIANE PAULUS DIRECTOR

11

Award winning Scenic Designer, Scott Pask has designed a diverse range of productions, both on Broadway and in London. His works for theatre, opera and dance include The Pillowman, with Billy Crudup and Jeff Goldblum (Tony Award for Best Scenic Design); A Behanding in Spokane, starring Christopher Walken, and A Steady Rain, with Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman.

A long time collaborator of Diane Paulus, Scott has worked on many projects with her, most notably the award winning revival of HAIR on Broadway and in London, as well as The Donkey Show. His numerous Broadway Scenic design credits also include Promises Promises, Pal Joey, Speed The Plow, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, The Vertical Hour, Urinetown, Take Me Out, NINE with Antonio Banderas, La Cage Aux Folles, and The Coast of Utopia for which he won the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Hewes Awards for Best Scenic Design.

Most recently he designed the new hit musical The Book Of Mormon and won one of the production’s nine Tony awards for his design. He has also designed Peter Grimes at the Metropolitan Opera. His work has been exhibited at The Prague Quadrennial, The Bruce Museum of Science and Art, The Leslie Lohman Gallery, The Met Gallery, and is in the permanent collection of the McNay Art Museum.

Amaluna is Scott Pask’s first collaboration with Cirque du Soleil.

Mérédith Caron has made her mark in theatre, cinema, opera and circus, not just in Quebec but the world over. With more than 175 collaborations under her belt, Mérédith is one of Canada’s top costume designers. She has worked with some outstanding directors, including Pierre Bernard, Serge Denoncourt, Robert Lepage, Martine Beaulne, René Richard Cyr, André Brassard, Daniele Finzi Pasca and Richard Monette at the prestigious Stratford Festival in Ontario.

During her collaborations, Mérédith Caron has received many prestigious awards in Quebec, including a Gémeau, seven Gascon-Roux and two Masque awards. She has been teaching art history and costume design at the National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal for nearly 20 years. She worked with Cirque du Soleil for the first time in 1988, when she designed costumes for a project under development. Amaluna is now her third project with Cirque du Soleil after CRISS ANGEL and Believe.

SCOTT PASK SET AND PROPS DESIGNER

MÉRÉDITH CARON COSTUME DESIGNER

12

Composers and arrangers Guy Dubuc and Marc Lessard (aka Bob & Bill) are well known for their ability to blur the lines between genres and styles. In 2003, they composed the music for Splinter Cell (Pandora Tomorrow), a best-selling Ubisoft video game. They have also produced several albums, including Monica Freire’s Bahiatronica and Pink Floyd Redux, a collection of remixed songs from the British cult band, as well as the soundtrack album for the Cirque du Soleil show KOOZA.

In 2004, Bob & Bill supplied the musical direction and arrangements for the Cirque du Soleil show Midnight Sun, as part of the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Montreal International Jazz Festival and the 20th anniversary of Cirque du Soleil. Three-time nominees for a Quebec music industry ADISQ award, the two sidekicks also created the music for several films and television series, and composed the music for Director Robert Lepage’s production Pageant de Canotgraphie.

In 2008, the duo launched their first album, Crime Report, a work combining electronic and organic sounds. Bob & Bill worked many times with Cirque du Soleil to create the musical arrangements for several special events. In 2009, they composed the music for TOTEM, directed by Robert Lepage. Two years later, they composed the music for the third chapter of Les Chemins invisibles (Le Royaume de Tôle) an urban cabaret performed in Quebec City in the summer of 2011. Amaluna is therefore their third show as composers for Cirque du Soleil.

BOB ET BILL COMPOSERS

For over 25 years, Jacques Boucher has been creating sound environments for a number of productions from Quebec and beyond. Jacques also worked as a sound technician for various Quebec artists, including Richard Séguin, Laurence Jalbert, Diane Dufresne and Bruno Pelletier. He went on to develop an expertise in sound design for musicals such as Dracula (2006) and large-scale events, including the mega-show 2000 voix chantent le monde, presented in Quebec City in 2000, with over 2,300 singers on stage.

In 2008, Jacques was asked to handle the sound for almost every event presented as part of the celebrations for the 400th anniversary of Quebec City. As Sound Designer and Head of Sound, he designed sound for the Quebec Symphony Orchestra’s performance of the Symphonie des mille by Gustav Mahler, The Image Mill by Robert Lepage, for which he designed the impressive sound system spanning 1.2 km, and the special show presented by Cirque du Soleil. Jacques also works as Sound Designer and Head of Sound for some Cirque du Soleil special events. After TOTEM, this is the designer’s second Cirque du Soleil show.

JACQUES BOUCHER SOUND DESIGNER

13

Matthieu Larivée came up with the ingenious lighting designs for several shows and artistic events in Quebec and throughout Canada. His multidimensional approach and overall vision of the show has allowed him to participate in large-scale projects such as the show Le Petit Roy, directed by Serge Postigo, and Beladi - A night at the Pyramids, a unique show featuring singer Chantal Chamandy and the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, performed in front of the Egyptian pyramids, which allowed Matthieu to emphasize the beauty of such majestic monuments. This international project earned him the MELDA (Middle East Lighting Design Awards) Award in 2007 and recognition from his peers at the 2008 Parnelli Awards in Las Vegas.

At the 2010 Gala de l’ADISQ, Matthieu was nominated as “Lighting Designer of the Year” for MusicMan, starring Gregory Charles, and again in 2011 for Roch Voisine’s Americana. Matthieu never hesitates to push the boundaries of his art, incorporating video technology and scenic effects into his projects. For over ten years now, Matthieu Larivée and his Lüz Studio team have been responsible for the visual look of numerous concerts and events, including Canadian Music Week (2010 and 2011), Guy Laliberté’s Poetic Social Mission (an event that took place in 2009 during his eleven-day journey into space on board the International Space Station), the Concerts OSM éclatés, as well as the graphic design for the opening night of the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix in 2010. Matthieu has also worked with famous artists such as pianist Michel Legrand and singer Natasha St-Pier. Amaluna marks Matthieu’s second time taking part in a Cirque du Soleil show after Wintuk.

MATTHIEU LARRIVÉE LIGHTING DESIGNER

Karole Armitage, director of Armitage Gone! Dance Company based in New York, was rigorously trained in classical ballet. Through her unique and acute knowledge of the aesthetic values of Balanchine and Cunningham, she is seen by some critics as the true choreographic heir to the two masters of twentieth-century American dance. Known as the “Punk Ballerina,” Armitage is renowned for pushing the boundaries to create works that blend dance, music and art.

Following the premiere of the Watteau Duets, Mikhail Baryshnikov invited her to create a work for the American Ballet Theatre, and Rudolph Nureyev commissioned a work for the Paris Opera Ballet. She has collaborated with contemporary composers and worked with artists such as Jeff Koons, Brice Marden and David Salle. She choreographed two Broadway productions (Passing Strange and Hair, which awarded her a Tony nomination), videos for Madonna and Michael Jackson and several films.

She has set new works on companies that include the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow, Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, Ballet Naccional de Cuba and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. Her company tours an extensive repertoire and creates site-specific works for festivals and venues worldwide. She has directed operas from the baroque and contemporary repertoire for prestigious houses of Europe, including Teatro Di San Carlo in Naples, Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, the Lyric Opera in Athens and Het Muzik Theatre in Amsterdam. She also choreographed The Cunning Little Vixen for the New York Philharmonic. Armitage was awarded France’s most prestigious award in 2009, Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. This is her first collaboration with Cirque du Soleil.

KAROLE ARMITAGE CHOREOGRAPHER

14

Rob Bollinger was a competitive trampolinist at the age of 9 and partnered with his father on the invention of the double mini trampoline as his family owned a trampoline club in Illinois, where he grew up. He studied Business at Indiana University on a scholarship as a competitive springboard diver. He won two national diving championships and qualified for the 1980 and 1984 Olympics trials. He did not make the team on either occasion, and at first turned away from the world of competitive sports. Rob tried his hand at a variety of jobs in aeronautics and insurance, but always found the pull of acrobatics too strong to resist, so he went to work in diving shows in theme parks, which led him all over Europe.

On his return to the United States he put his talents as a diver and trampolinist to work in film and television as a professional stunt man, notably for Universal Studios. Rob joined Cirque du Soleil in 1993 during the creation of the first resident show Mystère as a coach and artist in the show’s original house troupe. In 1997 he joined “O”, first as a coach, then as artistic coordinator and eventually he was appointed the production’s artistic director. He also added the artistic direction of Mystère to his responsibilities. This is Rob’s second Cirque du Soleil production as Acrobatic Performance Designer after ZAIA.

ROB BOLLINGER ACROBATIC

PERFORMANCE DESIGNER

In 1984, after some eye-opening encounters at Zingaro Circus (France), Fred left a career drilling for oil to tap into circus arts. Among the first to graduate from the National Centre for Circus Arts in Châlons-sur-Marne (France) as a flying trapeze porter, Fred was approached to become a trapeze artist in the Cirque du Soleil show Nouvelle Expérience. Forced to leave the stage following an injury, he became assistant to the show’s director and artistic director. He went on to assume the role of Tour Artistic Coordinator. After a short stint in Europe, he returned to Cirque du Soleil, taking his first steps in acrobatic equipment design for the shows Alegría and Mystère.

Working as Head Rigger and training circus technicians at Cirque du Soleil International Headquarters in Montreal, he then took up these duties on several touring shows between 1997 and 2006. With the help of his circus friends, Fred co-founded the Nickel Chrome group in Martigues in the South of France. As a member of this organization, which supports circus projects, he acts as Tent Master/Head Rigger, Artistic Director, Designer or Trainer for circus projects and companies all over the world. Working with Nickel Chrome and Théâtre Europe, he was also involved in the creation and development of the Janvier dans les Étoiles festival in La Seyne-sur-Mer, France. This is Fred Gérard second collaboration with Cirque du Soleil show as Acrobatic Equipment and Rigging Designer, after OVO.

FRED GÉRARD ACROBATIC EQUIPMENT AND RIGGING DESIGNER

15

ELENI URANIS MAKE-UP DESIGNER

Eleni Uranis joined Cirque du Soleil in 1989 as Assistant to Costume Designer Dominique Lemieux. She then worked on various shows, where she was responsible for materials research, fittings and artistic quality control. She then designed costumes for the show Pomp Duck and Circumstance, performed in Hamburg (Germany) from 1997 to 1999. In 2002, she worked alongside world-renowned designer Thierry Mugler to design the costumes for Zumanity.

In 2004, Eleni Uranis’ career took a sharp turn when she joined the Cirque du Soleil make-up workshop, where she would see her ideas brought to life by the artists of Dralion. Between 2004 and 2006, Eleni Uranis assisted Make-up Designer Nathalie Gagné with several shows and, in 2005, she designed the make-up for Reflections in Blue, the show Cirque produced for the opening ceremonies of the XI FINA World Aquatic Championships. With Amaluna, Eleni is designing the make-up for her sixth Cirque du Soleil production after Dralion, Wintuk, ZED, Banana Shpeel and Zarkana.

Patricia Ruel has contributed to the success of a myriad of plays, television shows and special events, both in Quebec and abroad. Her track record includes over 50 productions as Props Designer and a dozen as Set Designer. Patricia has received two Théâtre Denise-Pelletier awards for her sets for Révizor, directed by Reynald Robinson, in 2003, and Edmond Dantès, directed by Robert Bellefeuille, in 2004.

In 2011, she received a Gémeau award in the “Best Set Design: all variety categories, magazines, public affairs, sports” category for the end-of-year special Bye Bye 2010, aired on SRC. She has worked with various theatre directors, including Robert Lepage, Dominic Champagne and Fernand Rainville. She has also worked on several projects for Cirque du Soleil, including KÀ, The Beatles LOVE and Viva ELVIS as Props Designer and Wintuk and Banana Shpeel as Set Designer.

PATRICIA RUEL PROPS DESIGNER

16

The Entrance Tent• A large entrance tent holds the box office, merchandise,

food and beverage counters.

The VIP Rouge Tent• The VIP Rouge section hosts up to 290 guests and is

available for private functions.

The Artistic Tent • The artistic tent includes a wardrobe area, dressing

rooms, a fully equipped training area and a physio-therapy room.

The Kitchen• The kitchen is the heart of the village – not only does it

serve between 200-250 meals per day, six days a week it is also the meeting place for cast and crew alike.

The Big Top• Conceived by a team of Canadian engineers, the canvas

was produced by a French company who specializes in sails and big tops: Les Voileries du Sud-Ouest.

• The canvas for the tent and its 11 tunnels weigh approximately 5227.3 kg.

• The Big Top stands 19 meters (62 feet) high, 51 meters (167 feet) in diameter and is supported by four masts, each 25 (82 feet) meters tall.

• The Big Top seats more than 2,600 people and requires a team of approximately 60 people to raise it.

The Site• The site takes 8 days to set up and 3 days to deconstruct

and includes the installation of the Big Top, the VIP Rouge tent, entrance and artistic tents, box office, administrative offices, and a kitchen and dining area for the cast and crew.

• A total of 85 trucks transport close to 2,000 tons of equipment that Amaluna carries around. A few of these trucks are used as storage spaces and workshops.

• 6 generators (480 kilowatts) provide electricity to the Big Top and the entire set-up.

• The Big Top, the artistic tent and the VIP Rouge tent are climate controlled.

Village on Wheels

Cirque du Soleil’s mobile village includes the Big Top, one large entrance tent, artistic tent, kitchen, offices, warehouses and more. Completely self-sufficient for electrical power, the site relies only on a local water supply and telecommunication facilities to support its infrastructure.

17

Fast Facts

AMALUNA • Amaluna had its World Premiere in Montréal on April 19, 2012

and since then has been performing in Canada, United States, Europe and South America.

• Amaluna marks Diane Paulus’ first collaboration with Cirque du Soleil, a renowned theatre director from New York.

• The cast of Amaluna comprise a majority of female, including a 100% female band.

Cast and Crew • The cast of Amaluna comprises 48 artists. An additional

67 employees travel with the show to serve the functions of artistic management, customer service, tour services and technicians for the show and the site setup.

• All 115 of the cast and crew represent total of 23 nationalities; Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Guam, Japan, Kazakhstan, Ireland, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Peru, Russia, Spain, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States.

• Although you will generally hear French and English spoken on-site, many other languages are spoken: Portuguese, Russian and more.

• The tour relies on local suppliers for many essentials such as food, bio-diesel fuel, dry ice, machinery, food & beverages for patrons, banks, delivery services, recycling, and waste management – thereby injecting significant money into the local economy.

• During an engagement in a city, over 150 people are hired locally for a variety of jobs including box office ticket sellers, corporate hospitality hosts, ushers, food and beverage attendants, merchandising sales staff, kitchen attendants and prep-cooks, janitors and a receptionist. We also employ over 100 local stagehands to assist with the site set-up and tear down.

• The kitchen employs one touring kitchen manager and 3 cooks.

• Two performance medicine people (one performance medicine supervisor and one therapist) travel with the tour.

18

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL AT A GLANCEFrom a group of 20 street performers at its beginnings in 1984, Cirque du Soleil is a major Québec-based organization providing high-quality artistic entertainment. The company has close to 4,000 employees, including 1,400 artists from more than 50 different countries.

Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to more than 180 million spectators in more than 450 cities in over sixty countries on six continents.

For more information about Cirque du Soleil, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com.

THE MISSIONThe mission of Cirque du Soleil is to invoke the imagination, provoke the senses and evoke the emotions of people around the world.

THE CREATION OF CIRQUE DU SOLEILIt all started in Baie-Saint-Paul, a small town near Québec City in Canada. There, in the early eighties, a band of colourful characters roamed the streets, striding on stilts, juggling, dancing, breathing fire, and playing music. They were Les Échassiers de Baie-Saint-Paul (the Baie-Saint-Paul Stiltwalkers), a street theatre group founded by Gilles Ste-Croix. Already, the townsfolk were impressed and intrigued by the young performers – including Guy Laliberté who founded Cirque du Soleil.

The troupe went on to found Le Club des talons hauts (the High Heels Club), and then, in 1982, organized La Fête foraine de Baie-Saint-Paul, a cultural event in which street performers from all over met to exchange ideas and enliven the streets of the town for a few days. La Fête foraine was repeated in 1983 and 1984. Le Club des talons hauts attracted notice, and Guy Laliberté, Gilles Ste-Croix and their cronies began to cherish a crazy dream: to create a Québec circus and take the troupe travelling around the world.

In 1984, Québec City was celebrating the 450th anniversary of Canada’s discovery by Jacques Cartier, and they needed a show that would carry the festivities out across the province. Guy Laliberté presented a proposal for a show called Cirque du Soleil (Circus of the Sun), and succeeded in convincing the organizers. And Cirque du Soleil hasn’t stopped since!

A Few statistics• In 1984, 73 people worked for Cirque du Soleil. Today, the company hires close to 4,000 employees worldwide, including 1,400 artists.• At the Montreal International Headquarters alone, there are close to 1,500 employees.• More than 100 types of occupations can be found at Cirque.• The company’s employees and artists represent more than 50 nationalities and speak 25 different languages.• More than 180 million spectators have seen a Cirque du Soleil show since 1984.• Close to 10 million have seen a Cirque du Soleil show in 2017.• Cirque du Soleil hasn’t received any grants from the public or private sectors since 1992.

ARENA SHOWS

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL IS NOW PRESENTING 19 DIFFERENT SHOWS AROUND THE WORLD.

TOURING SHOWS UNDER THE BIG TOP

RESIDENT SHOWS

Alegria, Amaluna, Cirque du Soleil BAZZAR, Corteo, Cirque du Soleil Crystal, JOYÀ, KÀ, KOOZA, KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities, LUZIA, Mystère, “O”, OVO, TORUK – The First Flight, TOTEM, Cirque du Soleil VOLTA, Zumanity and Cirque du Soleil are trademarks owned by Cirque du Soleil and used under license. The trademark LOVE is owned by The Cirque Apple Creation Partnership and used under license. The trademark The Beatles is owned by Apple Corps Ltd. and used under license. Michael Jackson ONE is a trademark owned by Cirque Jackson I.P., LLC. Trademarks used under license. The Michael Jackson name, image, likeness and associated trademarks and logos are owned by Triumph International, Inc. and used under license. © 2010 Cirque Jackson I.P., LLC.