Cirque du Soleil’s Alegria
article by Chantal Outon
photos by Steve Dodds
THE EVENING IS CLEAR and warm with a hint of a breeze as you arrive at your destination. Before even entering the majestic Grand Chapiteau, you can feel the magic in the air, knowing that you are in store for an enchanted experience. As you enter the big-top tent, your senses are nearly overwhelmed with dazzling sights and sounds unlike any other.
You take your seat along with 2,500 other excited audience members, and notice that there is a buzz in the air, an electricity that can only be attributed to the fantastic journey on which you are all about to depart.
As tonight’s show starts, spectacular things begin to happen all around you. You are mesmerized by the extensive, glittering costumes adorning the angels, nymphs, and Baroque characters. The operatic music wafts through the giant room magically as it accompanies feats of astounding agility and ability. You sit back, trying to take it all in, not wanting to miss a single wink of a nymph’s eye. This is Alegria, a one-of-a-kind experience from Cirque du Soleil.
Though the word “circus” is part of this unique company’s name, don’t let that fool you. This theatrical showcase is so much more than any circus you have ever witnessed. Void of any animal performers whatsoever, Cirque du Soleil relies solely on the astounding talents and energy of its many cast members, as well as the amazing drive and skill of many musicians, creative teams, set crews, and behind-the-scenes workers to create a powerful, touching, and captivating performance.
Cirque du Soleil has been a traveling entity adored by young dreamers with fantastic desires in their hearts, and is a creation that developed from the vibrant imaginations of Club des Talons Hauts, or the High Heels Club, in 1982.
A group of street performers in Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec, Canada, found spectators were so mesmerized and delighted by their displays of stilt walking, fire-juggling and fire-eating, and their mingling with onlookers that they developed the idea for the Fete Foraine de Baie-Saint-Paul, an entertainers’ festival that would eventually become Cirque du Soleil.
In 1984, the Quebec government assisted in developing Cirque du Soleil as part of the celebrations for a Canadian holiday. This new circus concept was based on mixing dramatic circus art and street entertainment with flamboyant costumes while setting the performances to original music.
Though the first show debuted in a small Quebec town in a tent seating only 800 audience members, Cirque du Soleil was an immediate success, wowing crowds with its incredible acrobatics and distinctive displays. After touring Canada and the United States, Cirque’s success only continued to grow, and the tour added more cities to its schedule, and more shows to its credentials.
In 1990, Cirque du Soleil premiered Nouvelle Experience, a new production with a new 2,500seat big top, and a new group of audiences to amaze. Throughout the years, various Cirque shows continued to tour Canada, Europe, the United States, and even Japan.
Since its creation from a small street performance group in 1982, Cirque du Soleil has toured some 14 different productions in dozens of cities around the world, and currently has eight shows ongoing, including O — Cirque du Soleil’s first aquatic production which has become a resident show at the Bellagio in Las Vegas — and La Nouba — which has become a permanent show at Walt Disney World resort in Florida.
Alegria, a Spanish word appropriately meaning elation, joy, and jubilation, is one of the Cirque du Soleil shows currently touring North America, bringing magic and exhilarating spectacles to yet more excited viewers. Since its inception in 1994,
