PRESS KIT

OVERVIEWDralion™ is a signature Cirque du Soleil® production acclaimed by more than seven million people worldwide since it premiered in 1999 in Montreal, Canada. After many years performing under the big top, Dralion will now be presented in arenas throughout the United States and Canada, with the same quality performance.

Fusing the 3,000 year-old tradition of Chinese acrobatic arts with the multidisciplinary approach of Cirque du Soleil, Dralion draws its inspiration from Eastern philosophy and its never-ending quest for harmony between humans and nature. The show’s name is derived from its two emblematic creatures: the dragon, symbolizing the East, and the lion, symbolizing the West.

In Dralion, the four elements that govern the natural order take on a human form. Thus embodied, each element is represented by its own evocative colour: air is blue; water is green; fire is red; earth is ochre. In the world of Dralion, cultures blend, Man and Nature are one, and balance is achieved.

Bearing the unmistakable signature of Cirque du Soleil and featuring 50 international acrobats, gymnasts, musicians and singers, Dralion soars to new heights as it defies the laws of nature.

ACTS

An awe-inspiring creation of strength and agility, this exotic aerial ballet captures the passion and energy of its signature element, fire. Suspended from a hoop high above the stage, the artist presents an evocative choreography in which the hoop and body become one in a dance of acrobatic precision.

Pas de deux is a languorous aerial dance. An intertwined couple flies over the stage in a long band of blue cloth. Within the cloth, they perform various acrobatic figures that demand great feats of strength and flexibility.

Aerial Hoop

In Bamboo Poles, six men balance long decorative poles symbolizing fire. A traditional act of the Chinese acrobatic arts, the performers keep the poles ‘in flight’ overhead while performing acrobatic feats on the ground.

Bamboo Poles

A blend of the traditional Chinese dragon and lion dances takes on new scope when reimagined by Cirque du Soleil. In a dynamic and energetic tumbling sequence, the artists perform acrobatic moves while balancing on large wooden balls as the dralion characters surround them with a spirited dance.

Dralions

Aerial Pas de Deux

This act requires great strength and flexibility. Displaying impressive control, the artist balances on canes of various heights, slowly executing a series of astounding figures while maintaining a delicate equilibrium.

Handbalancing

Derived from Chinese acrobatic tradition, the Hoop Diving act takes on a tribal flavor from the African-influenced music to which it is performed. Ten male artists dive and throw themselves like arrows through small wooden hoops. The hoops are stacked on top of each other; some are stationary while others rotate.

Hoop Diving

A children’s game familiar to everyone, the skipping rope takes on a new dimension in Dralion with a heightened level of acrobatic prowess. As the artists keep time with the long skipping ropes, they perform flips, make pyramids and even form a human column.

Skipping Ropes

Defying the laws of gravity, fearless aerialists bounce off trampolines using the futuristic backdrop both as a diving board and landing pad. They cascade perilously through the air performing spectacular stunts at a dizzying pace.

Trampoline

In the Chairs act, the artist delicately stacks chairs to create a tower on which to perform a balancing act that displays the human body at the very peak of condition and muscular control.

Chairs (Act in rotation)

The diabolo, or Chinese yo-yo, is a children’s game which involves holding two sticks linked by a string while sliding, juggling and tossing a wooden spool. With increasingly difficult maneuvers, the artists attempt to outdo each other in dexterity and ingenuity.

Diabolo (Act in rotation)

With stylized choreography that makes the most of his incredible flexibility, the artist incorporates a fast-paced performance with hints of modern dance. His incredible precision and mastery of his art are evident as he juggles up to seven balls simultaneously.

Juggling

The artists execute graceful and lithe movements which emphasize their extreme flexibility and balance. Together, they create extraordinary and harmonious figures.

medusa

CHARACTERS

Azala is the goddess of Air. She is the guardian of the sun and immortality, floating above timeless space in hues of blue.

AZALA (AIR)

Gaya is the goddess of Earth. She possesses within her human warmth (fire) and the cool, fresh vitality of life (water). She adorns herself in ochre.

GAYA (EARTH)

Oceane is the goddess of Water. As queen of movement she controls, through the art of dance, the movement of the oceans. Her universe is green.

OCEANE (WATER)

KALA is the heart of the wheel that represents time and the infinite cycle.He is the internal propulsion of the wheel that makes time evolve. It is the ongoing circle of life.

KALA

The Little Buddha is the chosen child. Although it possesses special powers that will allow it to eventually become an Âme-Force, it dreams of being just a regular child.

LITTLE BUDDHA

The guide to the fiery demons; Yao commands the rhythm of the show. He symbolizes both good and evil. He sees life in vivid red.

YAO (FIRE)

COstUMESThe primary sources of inspiration for the costumes of Dralion come from China, India and Africa. The palette favors vibrant solid colors, while the shapes are guided by the artists’ movements and choreography.

Each of the four elements and its associated family are represented by their own unique color. Blue is identified with air, green symbolizes water, red is for fire, and ochre represents the earth.

Facts • Over 5,000 meters (16,000 feet) of fabric were

used in creating the costumes; • The fabrics come from regions around the globe,

including China, the United States, Italy, France, England and Quebec;

• Materials that might be considered unusual were used in creating costumes and accessories: horse hair, raffia, metal, window screen, emu feathers, crystals, styrofoam, plastic, bubble wrap, fun fur, springs and an array of hardware items;

• To create the texture on the chest plate of the singer’s costume, bugs were glued on and then molded into different shapes;

• The artisans at the Cirque du Soleil costume workshop in Montreal worked for over three months fabricating the original costumes, hats, wigs and footwear required for Dralion. New costumes are continuously made.

• The majority of the Dralion costumes are custom-made for each artist, including shoes and head pieces.

• Dralion has close to 1,500 costume pieces including shoes, hats and accessories.

• The Dralion wardrobe team includes 4 permanent touring staff and 3 local wardrobe employees in each city. The wardrobe team is responsible for maintaining and repairing all costumes.

• The Dralion tour travels with washers and dryers because most costume pieces are machine washable and then hung to dry.

• Over 300 pairs of shoes are cleaned and painted by hand every week.

MUSIC

SET DESIGN

Blending Eastern and Western sounds to create rhythmic and lyrical motifs, the electric and acoustic Dralion score draws its inspiration from classic Indian melodies, weaving in influences from Andalusia, Africa as well as Central and Western Europe.

The band is composed of six musicians and two singers who perform live for every performance.

A mammoth structure creates the huge backdrop that dominates the stage. This metallic set piece is 60 feet wide and 26 feet tall and is suggestive of a futuristic Chinese temple or a giant plate of medieval armor.

The most imposing feature is the wall which spans the full length of the stage. Covered with perforated aluminum tiles, the wall is strong and resilient while giving the impression of being light and flexible. The six giant claws attached to the structure allow artists to climb and suspend themselves from the wall.

Three concentric aluminum rings are suspended high above the stage. The first serves as a catwalk for performers and technicians. The second is used to support technical and acrobatic equipment, including the enormous lantern that descends at the end of the first half of the show. The third ring is used to move performers up, down and through the world of Dralion.

CREATORS original design

Guy LalibertéGuide and Founder

Guy Caron Director

Gilles Ste-Croix Director of Creation

Stéphane Roy Set Designer

François Barbeau Costume Designer

Violaine Corradi Composer and Musical Director

Julie Lachance Choreographer

Luc Lafortune Lighting Designer

Guy Desrochers Original sound designer

harvey robitaille Sound designer

Sylvie GalarneauGeneral Artistic Director

Lin yung biau Assistant Choreographer

Eleni uranis Make-up Designer

pierre guillotteProduction Manager / Arena Shows

2010 Restaging

From a group of 20 street performers at its beginnings in 1984, Cirque du Soleil is a major Quebec-based organization providing high-quality artistic entertainment. The company has 5,000 employees, including more than 1,300 artists from close to 50 different countries.

Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to more than 100 million spectators in more than 300 cities in over forty countries on six continents. Cirque du Soleil International Headquarters are in Montréal, Canada. The company has received such prestigious awards as the Emmy, Drama Desk, Bambi, ACE, Gémeaux, Félix, and Rose d’Or de Montreux.

For more information about Cirque du Soleil, visit 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 Quebec 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 business has 5,000 employees worldwide, including more than 1,300 artists.

• At the Montreal International Headquarters, there are close to 2,000 employees.

• More than 100 types of occupations can be found at Cirque du Soleil.

• The average age of employees is 37.

• The company’s employees and artists represent close to 50 nationalities and speak 25 different languages.

• More than 100 million spectators have seen a Cirque du Soleil show since 1984.

• Close to 15 million people will see a Cirque du Soleil show in 2012.

• Cirque du Soleil hasn’t received any grants from the public or private sectors since 1992.

AT A GLANCE

IN 2012, CIRQUE DU SOLEIL

WIll pRESENT TWENTy-TWO dIFFERENT SHOWS AROuNd

THE WORld:

North America

Europe Europe

North America

Europe North America/Mexico

TOURING SHOWS IN ARENAS

TOURING SHOWS UNDER THE BIG TOP

North America

North America South America

Japan

Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando, Florida

ARIA Resort & Casino at CityCenter, in Las Vegas

Los Angeles

TM Luxor in Las Vegas

Radio City Music Hall in New York City

MGM Grand in Las Vegas

The Mirage in Las Vegas

The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel in Macau SAR, China

Bellagio in Las Vegas

New York-New York Hotel & Casino

in Las Vegas

Treasure Island in Las Vegas

Cirque du Soleil, Sun Logo, Saltimbanco, Alegría, Dralion, Quidam, Varekai, Corteo, KOOZA, OVO, TOTEM, Amaluna, Mystère, “O”, Zumanity – the Sensual Side of Cirque du Soleil, La Nouba, KÀ, ZAIA, Zarkana, IRIS – A Journey Through the World of Cinema 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 Beatles is a trademark owned by Apple Corps Limited. The trademarks CRISS ANGEL and Believe are owned by Criss Angel and used under license. Viva ELVIS is a trademark owned by Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. and used under license. © The Cirque EPE Partnership. Elvis name and likeness used under license. Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour 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.

RESIDENT SHOWS

North America

ON STAGE OR BACKSTAGE

IT’S YOUR TURN TO BE PART OF THE SHOW

/JOBS