wordplay: Cantaloupe Claus (Orangepeelmoses.com)
images: Olivier Sampson Arcand
costumes: Dominique Lemieux 
 
America could stand to learn a few things from Canada.  The birth of Cirque du Soleil simply might not have been possible without initial startup funding from the Canadian government.  George Orwell’s fictionally nightmarish year had finally arrived--1984.  While a Star Wars missile defense system (that’s still far from perfect) was dominating our country’s political discussion, Quebec City was searching for the perfect show to help celebrate the 450th anniversary of their country’s discovery all across the province.  Guy Laliberté, a stilt walker and fire breather in Le Club des talons hauts (the High Heels Club), pitched his infant vision to those in the decision chairs.  The bureaucrats were convinced and Cirque went on the road for the first time.
 
“When Guy Laliberte had the idea of Cirque, it’s because he went to Europe and came back and said, ‘Hey, there’s this great thing happening with circus in Europe.  We don’t have a circus tradition in Canada, we should try!’  In ’84, it was a big year for the discovery of Canada.  It started with a summer project.  We didn’t know.  It was clear in his mind, though.  And that is true that Guy is really a visionary.  It was clear in his head that a mix of circus and theater, no animals, original music played, original costume, everything original, new, our style.  Quebec style.  No one had a clue.  We didn’t have a story.  The influence that we had was Fellini movies, European circus and street performing.  Some of our friends, they went to clown schools in Hungary or in Europe countries, and they were coming back and telling us what’s happening.  It was mostly influenced by clowning from Europe and circus from Europe.”

Carmen Reust was there in the beginning.  Before the most mind-boggling circus in human history existed, there was a stilt troupe in Baie-Saint-Paul (a small town near Quebec City) called Le Club des talons hauts.  Reust was one of its original members, along with Laliberté and Gilles Ste-Croix, among others.

“We had one show on stage and different special little show for the streets.  We had a dragon, with eleven stilters under big dragon.  I sewed the dragon with my sewing machine.  We were doing everything.  Laliberté, the Founder/President of Cirque, was spitting fire.  He was really, really good.  It was one of the biggest flame I’ve ever seen.  And the actual Creative Content Vice President/Principal at Cirque, Gille Ste-Croix, he was the guy who put together the hottest team and he was the best stilter of the group.  He showed everybody else.  I was former dancer.  We were doing everything.  We were making costume, loading the truck, loading out, put the makeup, put the costume…reverse the whole thing.  In ’92, when we came to LA for the first time, they put everything they had, they went to all the bank they could, they borrowed money to the maximum to come to LA.  If it wouldn’t have worked, they would have to busker to pay the gas to come back.  It works or it breaks.”

The Canadian circus built on a wing and a prayer is finally graduating to arena rock status.  Over two decades of pitching tents has earned them the prestige and acclaim to dominate larger venues.  Last August, Delirium descended on the Pepsi Center.  It was the first show designed for such a massive audience.  Saltimbanco, originally a collapsible tent show like many of its brothers and sisters, is the second (although The Broomfield Event Center is obviously nowhere near as large as The Pepsi Center).  Reust, its Director of Creation, was the one responsible for reconfiguring it.  Before slipping into her current arena rock shoes, she served as a talent scout in the casting department for nearly a decade.  

“Zumanity was interesting, our adult show in Vegas.  It was really interesting to do the casting with a stripper. The creators, they come at Cirque and they have a blank page in front of them.  They have some guidelines, of course.  We do an adult show or we do a show that will be presented in Vegas.  A resident show in Vegas is not the same thinking as a family touring show.  Once the guidelines are agreed with Guy, Gille and the new director of the show, now the director works with a Director of Creation like me.  I help him to find new conceptors, if he needs to find other creators to complete the team and I support the director all through the premiere of the show.  They come from outside Cirque du Soleil.  I love it, because the creators, they can go wherever they want.  There’s nothing impossible.  Impossible is not a word.  Let’s just fly.  Who do you want to work with?  Who do you want to work with…on the planet?  That makes a difference.  There’s no limit.  Why having limits when you work with expanding, pushing limits of imagination?”  

December 3rd-6th & 10th-13th @ Broomfield Event Center

CirqueDuSoleil.com