Arts & Culture
are to one another, evoking the joys and sorrows of everyday life. Mr Ouellette added: “It is a celebration of individuality. After Alegrìa, Franco wanted to look at how each individual acts and reacts in a society. He wanted a more human dimension to the perform- ers so the audience can relate to them.” Tough adapted for the acrobatic acts,
Quidam is the first show to use everyday clothing. Te set design has also been kept to a minimum, and the stage at the Royal Albert Hall - where the show was also performed in 2009 - is dominated by a giant arch, evoking a monolithic structure like a train station or an air- port, where people constantly come and go. Te revolving stage is also used to reflect an ever-changing, unpredictable world. Mr Ouellette said: “Tis will be my
third time at the Royal Albert Hall and the Quidam set looks beautiful in that venue. It really is a privilege for us to perform in this legendary place. “We always want to provide the best
Dragone for Cirque du Soleil and I love the poetry, the imagery and the beauty of each of those shows. “By chance Cirque du Soleil were
looking for a profile like mine to be the Artistic Assistant for Quidam’s Japan tour almost 11 years ago and I took the opportunity and joined the company. I have been back as Artistic Director with my first love at Cirque, Quidam, since November 2012 after working with three other shows and after a year as Senior Artistic Director.” He added: “In Quidam, audiences can expect to see Franco Dragone’s unique and poetic examination of our own world, with of course high level acrobatics.” As a result, unlike any other Cirque du
Soleil show, Quidam doesn’t take specta- tors to an imaginary realm of fanciful, larger-than-life characters. Rather, it is an examination of our own world – inhab- ited by real people with real-life concerns. Te young protagonist, Zoe, is bored, ignored by her parents and her life has lost all meaning. Seeking to fill the void of her existence, she embraces a place for dreaming and where those she meets encourage her to free her soul – the world of Quidam. It is the story of the one who cries out, sings, and dreams within us all. A tribute to those faceless strangers we all
show possible, so we are working hard on keeping the artist inspired but also injury free.” He added: “I have toured with smaller dance companies in the past but the touring conditions of Cirque are at an- other level. Te show is bigger, so there are more people to lodge and feed. We want the artists to perform well though, so we provide them with great touring conditions.” Showcasing the agility of the human body, Quidam – which premiered back in 1996 and has toured five continents since then – features 52 world-class ac- robats, musicians, singers and characters. In addition to aerial contortion and
clown acts, audiences can expect the Di- abolo, or Chinese yo-yo, German Wheel and hand balancing. Te Italian acrobatic tradition of Banquine also sees 15 artists perform spectacular sequences of acro- batics and human pyramids. Benoit Jutras’ passionate and intense
music will also be performed live at every show by six musicians, playing a wide variety of instruments such as the violin, cello, percussions, saxophone, electric and classical guitars and keyboard.
Quidam opens at the Royal Albert Hall on January 4th 2014 for a limited run. For more information and tickets, visit
www.cirquedusoleil.com
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