Saltimbanco

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
 This article is written like an advertisement. Please help rewrite this article from a neutral point of view. For blatant advertising that would require a fundamental rewrite to become encyclopedic, use {{db-spam}} to mark for speedy deletion. (December 2007)

Saltimbanco is the oldest major touring show of Cirque du Soleil at the time of its last performance, having run from 1992–2006. Saltimbanco's last performance in its original form (under the Grand Chapiteau, or Big Top) was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on December 10, 2006. An adaptation of Saltimbanco started touring North America on July 31, 2007, with its first stop in London, Ontario, Canada. Unlike the original show, this version will be staged in arenas, with shorter stops in each city it visits.

The show is described by Cirque du Soleil as a celebration of life. Its creators say they developed it to be an antidote to the violence and despair so prevalent in the 20th century. Saltimbanco offers its own vision of life, overflowing with optimism and joy. With its original score, Saltimbanco offers its own unique language conveyed through music, artistry, and singing.

According to the company's site, Saltimbanco comes from the Italian "saltare in banco", which literally means "to jump on a bench." However, the etymology of the word reflects its acrobatic associations. A 'salto' is a somersault in Italian; 'banco' in this connection is a trestle holding a board, set up as a temporary stage for open-air performers. 'Saltimbanchi' were thus those who performed somersaults on a temporary platform -- wandering acrobats, performing as buskers in the open air, the platform giving their audience a better view and encouraging them to stay longer and (hopefully!) put more money in the collecting-hat. The descendants and successors of these performers are familiar to us as circus artistes, in many cases following their family traditions by touring to perform as their ancestors did[1].

English has lost the word 'saltimbank' from current usage; but it is still very familiar in Italian and Spanish as 'saltimbanco', and in French as 'saltimbanque'.

Contents

[edit] Characters

  • Urban Worms
The faceless multitude, the masses, the bureaucrats. They are the status quo: they watch and follow, but never act.
  • Multicolored Worms
The Multicoloured Worms are the simplest of all beings, the origin of all life. Following their primal urges, they are concerned only with survival.
  • The Cavaliers
The Cavaliers are gentle protectors. They light our path through the world of Saltimbanco and point the way to the future.
  • The Baroques
The Baroques sleep under bridges and emerge to celebrate life. Defiant, rebellious, explosive, they are enlightened beings whose free spirits run wild.
  • Death
An ominous reminder of our own mortality, he challenges us to celebrate life, to experience the present as though we were taking our last breath.
  • The Ringmaster
The Ringmaster likes to be the center of attention, and often steals the show. With his winning smile and natural charm, he usually gets away with it.
  • The Baron
What secrets lie behind the Baron's sardonic grin? Before you can find out, he has you locked in his hypnotic gaze. He beckons you with his gravelly voice. He is your timeless, ageless guide into the world of Saltimbanco.
  • The Dreamer
The moment he appears, the Sleeper falls asleep. When he does, amazing tableaus take shape. Has he conjured Saltimbanco from the depths of his imagination, or is he dreaming within the show?
  • The Child
Within the embrace of his parents, the child is safe. But the child must discover his own identity, and explore the world beyond his parents' influence. He appears to be like Eddie, playful and innocent.
  • Eddie
Eddie is a jester, a clown. He is the child within us all, who finds adventure in his own imagination. Whatever he needs, he invents.
  • The Songbird
The Songbird reflects all human emotion, the soul of Saltimbanco. Her language is universal-serenity and excitement, hope and joy, disappointment and melancholy.

[edit] Acts

Permanent

ACT I

  • Opening (Performed to "Rideau" and "Kumbalawé" on the Soundtrack)
Two masked figures, a man in yellow, and a woman in blue, and one unmasked figure, a small boy in white, take to the stage, the Multicolored worms watching from the sides. They perform a beautiful ballet full of feats of balance, strength, and flexibility. (Performed to "Adagio" on the Soundtrack)
As the trio leaves, the worms approach four 25-foot tall poles in the middle of the stage. They climb up, drop down, jump between, hang from, and even spin on these poles before making their exit. (Performed to "Saltimbanco" on the Soundtrack)
A pink-clad woman approaches the stage. As she ascends the wire, two more tightropes, one three feet higher than the other, are revealed. She performs many tricks; flips, spins, splits. She even backflips from one rope to the other, and then jumps back! As she descends back to the stage, the wires are removed, and what appears to be a parade circles the stage, leaving a raised yellow platform behind. (Performed to a mix of "Kazé" and "Norweg" on the Soundtrack)
A woman takes to the stage, holding in her hands three white balls. She begins to juggle these balls, while the Urban worms look on. As the worms begin to throw her some balls, the number she juggles increases. 4...5...6...7...even 8! As she descends from the platform, she bounces the balls off the steps, walking down with them. As she takes her leave, the stage turns black, giving way to the next act. This act is used to demonstrate the many things we must juggle in our lives.(Performed to "Arlequin" on the Soundtrack)
  • Boleadoras
When the stage goes dark, two women approach the stage. They come to two wooden platforms set up the stage. When they come to the platforms, they reveal tap shoes. Also, they pull out metal weights attached to strings (otherwise known as bolas) wrapped around their hands. They twirl them precariously around their heads while tapping their feet, creating a beat which resounds throughout the tent. The bolas are a percussion instrument, which is hit against the ground to produce a loud popping sound. The beat from the Boleadoras speeds up and up until...the stage goes dark, ending the first act. (The track, "Malamba", is not featured on the soundtrack)

ACT II

In the beginning of Act II, the Baron returns, taking the stage and performing a tap dance with a "tribal beat". This short bit later segues into an upbeat highlight of the show.

As the stage lights up again, an odd contraption with a swinging platform suspended from a metal frame appears, with multiple artists upon it. They jump off the swing, performing twists, spins, and flips, before landing on the mat. (Performed to "Barock" on the Soundtrack)
As the stage goes dark yet again, a spotlight focuses on a pair of twins, huddled together. As they break their huddle, they appear to be mystified. As they stand, they approach two vertical ropes hung from the ceiling. They climb the ropes, and eventually moving onto a trapeze. As they perform both static and swinging portions in their routine, the Baroques watch from below. (Performed to "Amazonia" on the Soundtrack)
As the trapeze act ends, the stage gives way to two men standing on top of a table-like platform. One grabs the other by the hands, and the man he grabbed balances on his hands. Continuing with a routine of stunning balancing manoeuvres, these two truly make a great team! (Performed to "Urgence" on the original Soundtrack)
As the Hand to Hand Ends, the stage goes dark one last time. This time, giving way to four Cavaliers, accompanying four white clad figures to the stage. As they lie down on the stage, the Baroques attach bungee cords to their waists. Soon, they rise up to the top of the big top, and bounce through the air. The artists flip, sway, and bounce in time with each other in perfect synchronization. As the act ends, so does the show... (Performed to "Il Sogno di Volare" on the Soundtrack)
  • Closing
The Baroques return and fly through the air on bungee cords as the band plays out another joyful tune. As the Songbird sings out "Horéré Ukundé", the show comes to an end.

In Rotation

An unusual bike ride in the park at the heart of Saltimbanco's imaginary city. An artist wheels onto the stage, all the while playing the guitar, hand balancing, swinging and dancing on wheels. He suddenly pops onto one wheel and uses his bike in ways that boggle the imagination.

Past Acts

Three women take to the stage, dressed in primary colours. They begin an acrobatic dance using ribbons and balls that creates a beautiful feeling of peace throughout the big top.
One of the first Saltimbanco acts, an awe-inspiring one-man Spanish web act. (Performed to "Pokinoï" on the Soundtrack)
After the Lorador brothers (hand-to-hand act) left Saltimbanco, an empty slot was left in the show. This was filled by the four contortionists from Nouvelle Experience, with an act virtually the same as in Nouvelle, but with new music created especially for the act.

The current tour also includes a mime who performs his own sound effects in both Acts I and II. The act includes audience participation.

[edit] Touring

Saltimbanco has toured around the world several times during its original 14 year old tour under the Grand Chapiteau. The played it's final show in the Royal Albert Hall in London on the 1st of February, 1997. Saltimbanco was revived the following year on the 14th of October 1998, and went on to tour the Asia-Pacific region. The show played for another nine years, until staging its final performance in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 10 December, 2006.

Following it's closure in December 2006, Saltimbanco was configured into an arena show format, and re-launched in July 2007 to commenced on an extensive North American tour, visiting cities and areas that Cirque du Soelil was previously unable to visit. The tour started in London, Ontario, before touring around Canada and North America. Saltimbanco's three year tour ended in Columbus, Ohio. The show moved to Europe in 2009, and was the third time the production had visited Europe.[2]

[edit] Trivia

Saltimbanco was the first Cirque du Soleil show to tour South America, with visits to Santiago, Chile (March 2006); Buenos Aires, Argentina (May 2006); and São Paulo (August 2006) and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (October 2006).

[edit] Soundtrack

The Saltimbanco soundtrack was written and composed by René Dupéré, and was released on the 9 October 1992. The music ranged from classical influence to the modern, and has a range of musical influences to the tribal to cosmopolitan. Saltimbanco was the first time Cirque du Soleil created the use of it's invented language, often referred to as 'Cirquish' by fans.

The original soundtrack features the vocal work of Canadian vocalist, Francine Poitras. In 2005, Cirque du Soleil re-recorded and released the soundtrack to update its music. Some songs were completely re-recorded, while others had new instrumentation added and included Poitras's original vocal track. Additional and new vocals were provided by Laurence Janot, a French singer who was touring at the show at the time. Every track was slightly edited in some form from the original CD.

The original album artwork of Saltimbanco, 1992.

2005 Version

  1. Kumbalawé
  2. Saltimbanco
  3. Cantus-Mélopée (Performed by Laurence Janot)
  4. Norweg
  5. Kazé
  6. Barock
  7. Adagio
  8. Amazonia
  9. Pokinoï
  10. Il Sogno di Volare (Performed by Laurence Janot)
  11. Horéré Ukundé
  12. Rideau

Saltimbanco also featured several other limited editions of its soundtrack. In 2001 Cirque Musique released a limited edition featuring the original 1992 soundtrack featuring two additional tracks, Arlequin and Adagio (performed by Laur Fugere). Another limited edition of the CD, "Saltimbanco-Live in Amsterdam", was created and distributed exclusively to the staff members of Saltimbanco. The employee special edition features the entire show on CD and is considered a collectors item.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Acrobats and Mountebanks, Le Roux, Hugues, 1860–1925; Garnier, Jules Arsène, 1847–1889, ill; Morton, A. P Translated A P Morton. London, Chapman and Hall 1890. View at http://www.archive.org/details/acrobatsmounteba00lero
  2. ^ [http://cirquetribune.com/database/show.php?show=Saltimbanco&mode=schedule CTDB - Saltimbanco (Tour Schedule)

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Cirque du Soleil troupes

Alegría · Corteo · Criss Angel Believe · Dralion · KÀ · KOOZÅ · La Nouba · Love · Mystère · Nouvelle Expérience · O · OVO · Quidam · Saltimbanco · Varekai · Wintuk · ZAIA · Zed · Zumanity
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saltimbanco"
Personal tools