Alegría (Cirque du Soleil)

File:Alegria-Cast.jpg

Alegría DVD finale (Sydney 2001).

This article is about the Cirque du Soleil troupe. For other uses, see Alegria.

Alegría ("joy" or "jubilation" in Portuguese and Spanish) is a Cirque du Soleil touring production, created by Gilles Ste-Croix and originally directed by Franco Dragone.

Alegría is one of Cirque du Soleil's most popular touring troupes. The main theme of Alegría is the misuse of power, whether by kings, tyrants or dictators - but it is also about hope and perseverance. Through a glimpse of the horrors of our past and the great possibilities of our future, the show is intended to inspire us to be better individuals and to work together with our fellow man.

Creators

• Guy Laliberté - Guide (Founder and Chief Executive of Cirque du Soleil)
• Franco Dragone - Director
• Gilles Ste-Croix - Director of Creation
• Dominique Lemieux - Costume Designer
• René Dupéré - Composer
• Michel Crête - Set Designer
• Luc Lafortune - Lighting Designer
• Debra Brown - Choreographer
• Guy Desrochers - Sound Designer

Touring Information

Alegría completed its European tour in Gijón in August/September 2007. The troupe commenced its South American tour in Curitiba on September 14, with performances to follow in Brasília, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Porto Alegre.

Characters

• Fleur

In the absence of a king, the Old Birds have only a fool to turn to: Fleur. Fleur is our guide through the world of Alegría, but he is unpredictable, and a dangerous madman who believes he is king.

• The Nostalgic Old Birds

The Nostalgic Old Birds have lived in the palace for as long as it has existed. Courtiers without a court, the Old Birds admire their reflections in the mirrorless frames, but they are only empty shells, shadows of their former selves.

• Tamir and Little Tamir

Tamir appears when he is needed, only to disappear once he has fulfilled his mission. His wide grin and sparkling eyes are windows into a generous soul.

• The Nymphs

As they celebrate each breath of life, the exuberance of the tiny, fragile nymphs is infectious.

• The Bronx

The Bronx are young and tough. They are the next generation, ready to topple the old order and take power from the weak Old Birds.

• The Angels

The White Angels are the graceful guardians of Alegría. Agile, confident, and daring, the Angels are the youth of tomorrow who have alighted in the palace from the heavens.

• The White Singer

The Singer in White is a symbol of all that was good in the old order. She is the storyteller who echoes in song everything she sees around her.

• The Black Singer

The Singer in Black is the White Singer's alter ego. There is a wickedness about her. In her elegant black dress, she hides many secrets in her dark heart.

• The Clowns

The Clowns alone have been able to resist political upheavals and social transformations. Witnesses to the passing centuries, they are Alegría's social commentators.

Acts

Act I

• Opening
• Synchro Trapeze

Perched on their individual trapezes, two aerialists perform in a display of harmony and beauty. In this routine, the daring duo defy the law of gravity with mid-air twists and maneuvers, building to a crescendo of aerial feats.

• Clowns
• Powertrack

The Bronx are young and tough; they are the next generation. Individually and as a gang, their acrobatic prowess on the fast track is a measure of their power. They are strong, but also sensual and graceful. They are both an imposing force and a celebration of youth.

• Handbalancing

Combining agility, strength and grace, the lone artist deftly lifts his body in the air, balancing his weight on one hand and then the other as he creates striking and elegant forms.

• Clowns
• Fire/Knife Dance

Tribal and magical, this authentic ritual dance is performed to the pulsing rhythm of congo drums by an artist weaving his baton-like fire knives around his entire body, from his feet to his palms to his mouth, in a seductively dangerous dance.

• Clown with Candle
• Manipulation

Performed by the talented Maria Silaeva. The original act by Elena Lev consisted of only hula hoops but now consists of other things such as ribbons etc.

• Snow Storm

Reflecting the eternal spirit of mankind, the clowns are witnesses to the passing of centuries, the social commentators of the world of Alegría. Grounded in real life, they tell little stories of everyday existence where everyone is a hero, and where anyone can fall in love and suffer a broken heart. The clowns are visionaries - philosophers of absurdity. Endearing, comical and child-like, they turn the world into a circus.

Act II

• Song Vazoule
• Flying Man

This virtuoso defies gravity in his powerful performance. Combining the elasticity of the bungee and the power of the gymnastic rings, the artist soars through the air while performing acrobatic feats. His awe-inspiring performance is a marriage of incredible skill, agility and strength. Although his sculpted physique is imposing, he is tender and graceful.

• Russian Bars

Acrobatic flyers are thrust into the air from a single, double or triple bar that is perched on the sturdy shoulders of powerful catchers. The sure-footed flyers perform multiple synchronized somersaults and mid-air twists at unbelievable speed. The Russian bars require a great deal of concentration and mutual trust between the performers. Each flexible bar measures two to six inches in width.

• Contortion

These two bird-like creatures execute imaginative and impressive feats of flexibility and balance while perched on a seemingly weightless rotating table. With their fluid movements, the duo move as one entity, metamorphosing into extraordinary sculpted forms.

• Aerial High Bar

Three high bars set more than 40 feet above the stage form the aerial playground for daring acrobats to fly to and from the arms of mighty catchers, suspended by their knees on a cradle swing. The act, performed by Russian acrobats, culminates in a death-defying plunge into the net.

• Finale

The White Singer performs the Alegría theme song as the cast assembles on-stage for ovation.

Music

Alegría's highly-acclaimed music was composed by René Dupéré. The show's currently performing vocalists are Joan Bluteau and Nancy Chiche.

The music of Alegría has also featured (remixed) in the Delirium touring arena show and in Soleil de Minuit ("Midnight Sun") - the July 11 2004 celebration of Cirque du Soleil's 20th anniversary and the Montreal International Jazz Festival's 25th anniversary.

Alegría (soundtrack)

The Alegría CD soundtrack was released on September 27 1994 by RCA Victor Records and distributed by BMG (UPC 090266270125). It remains Cirque du Soleil's best-selling album to date, having sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide. The soundtrack was nominated for a Grammy Award and several Félix Awards in 1995, winning two of the latter - 'Producer of the Year' for Robbi Finkel and René Dupéré, and 'Sound Mixer of the Year' for Rob Heaney. Alegría was also ranked on the Billboard World Music Chart for 65 weeks.

In 2002, the soundtrack was re-released by Cirque du Soleil Musique Inc., with two additional tracks recorded from live shows during Alegría's 2001 season in Sydney. Cerceaux accompanies the Manipulation performance, such as Elena Lev's hoops act featured during that season. Malioumba accompanies the Flying Man act, which was performed by Aleksandr Dobrynin. However, both additional tracks are approximately 2:30 shorter than their corresponding versions on the Alegría DVD.

• Track listing:

1. Alegría 5:47
2. Vai Vedrai 4:33
3. Kalandéro 5:16
4. Querer 4:34
5. Irna 4:46
6. Taruka 5:32
7. Jeux d'enfants 4:40
8. Mirko 5:03
9. Icare 7:25
10. Ibis 6:20
11. Valsapena 4:06
12. Nocturne 3:08
    • Additional Tracks:
    1. Cerceaux (Manipulation) 4:00
    2. Malioumba (Flying Man) 4:16

• Total playing time 69:26

Singers

The CD soundtrack's lead vocals are provided by opera-trained French-Canadian Francesca Gagnon. Gagnon also features as 'The White Singer' (principal vocalist) in the Alegría DVD, with fellow French-Canadian Ève Montpetit supporting as 'The Black Singer'. However, in practice, the troupe's singers rotate the demanding White role in order to prevent "burn-out."

Alegría (film)

In 1998, Alegría was adapted into a film of the same name, written by Rudy Barichello and directed by Franco Dragone. The cast included actors such as Frank Langella, Mako and Whoopi Goldberg, as well as several performers and musicians from the touring production (many appeared in both this film and the Alegría DVD recorded during the show's 2001 season in Sydney). The film employs a conventional structured narrative as opposed to the abstract allegory of the live show.

External links

• Official Alegría website
• Template:Google video
• Brief images

Film links

• Alegría at the Internet Movie Database
• Alegría at Amazon.com

Music links

• Alegría Music and Vocalists at The Cirque Tribune
• Composer René Dupéré interview (Las Vegas Sun)
• Composer René Dupéré's website
• Singer Francesca Gagnon's website

Performer links

• Elena Lev's website