Cirque du Soleil

Cirque du Soleil - Dralion

The Chinese consider the lion a symbol of good luck, so it's a half-dragon, half-lion--a dralion--that is the symbol of the East-meets-West fusion of this Cirque du Soleil show, in which 36 Chinese acrobats join the renowned Canadian troupe. Celebrating the four elements as represented in four colors-- blue (air), green (water), red (fire), and ochre (earth)--Dralion combines ancient Chinese circus traditions with Cirque du Soleil's usual stunning elements: the techno-oriented single ring; the multicolored lights and costumes; the music that mixes rock, New Age, and various world influences (though not Chinese); and the madcap clowns that pull a victim out of the audience (he turns out to be a terrific sport).

But of course the main reason to watch a Cirque du Soleil show is the acrobatic stunts, those eye-popping displays of agility, balance, and strength. You'll see an acrobat balancing on one hand, a brawny juggler, a high-flying teeterboard act, a double trapeze, contortionists, a parasol turned and tossed atop a foot, furiously synchronized hoop-diving, unbelievable rope-skipping, and more. While nothing can match the experience of seeing this troupe live, the video does offer some choice close-ups that you would never get from your seat, and you can't ask the live performers to repeat your favorite stunts over and over again. And you'll want to see them over and over because Dralion is a dazzler. --David Horiuchi

Cirque du Soleil - Varekai

Even by the high standards of Cirque du Soleil, Varekai is outstanding. While this artsy circus often aspires to weave a narrative through its spectacular events, in Varekai that story (about a winged boy who falls to earth and falls in love with a caterpillar girl) is as delightful and engaging as the acrobatic feats--which is saying a lot, because these feats will leave you agog. Acrobats juggle each others' bodies with their legs; identical twins spin on aerial straps; a contortionist twists into uncanny pretzel shapes; and much, much more. The elaborate costumes truly do evoke an otherworldly place--one of the clown characters looks like a man's torso emerging from the mouth of a carnivorous plant. Exceptionally well-filmed, and featuring a wealth of extra features about the making of the show, Varekai is Cirque du Soleil at the peak of its powers: Dizzy, dazzling, and sexy. --Bret Fetzer

Deep within a forest at the summit of a volcano there is an extraordinary world-a world where something else is possible. A world called Varekai. From the sky falls a solitary young man and the story of Varekai begins. Parachuted into the shadows of a magical forest a kaleidoscopic world populated by fantastical creatures this young man sets off on an adventure both absurd and extraordinary.System Requirements:Running Time: 115 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: MISCELLANEOUS/SPECIAL INTEREST Rating: NR UPC: 043396017207 Manufacturer No: 01720

Cirque du Soleil - Quidam

When Cirque du Soleil first ventured beyond Canada's borders, its powerful, singularly ambitious "reinvention of the circus" seemed quixotic. Inspired by European precedents, this was a big top downsized to a more intimate, single ring, as the French-Canadian troupe jettisoned animals, banished the usual fright-wigged clowns in favor of funny folks versed in (gulp) pantomime, and focused on acrobats, contortionists, and illusionists. Conventional wisdom would have held that such esoterica was doomed, but anyone lucky enough to catch that initial Cirque production (or, for that matter, any of its subsequent offerings) knows just how wrong conventional wisdom can be.

Cirque's creative brain trust, including "guide" Guy Laliberte and director Franco Dragone, have crafted each production as an extended performance piece framed by recurrent characters, unified production design, and underlying themes. Already mesmerizing visual tableaux and astonishing illusions are given an added poignancy (and, occasionally, true gravity) by the productions' underlying comments about society, conformity, beauty, and emotion; even without such conscious motifs, however, Cirque's sheer artistry is never less than riveting.

Quidam revolves around an Everychild, living with self-absorbed (and deliberately archetypal) parents, who's whisked away to a vividly surreal world where Cirque's remarkable acrobats and artists take literal flight. Their tools are often prosaic--oversized flying rings, an open steel wheel large enough for a single inhabitant, skateboards, ropes--yet the resulting images are stunning. Injecting further drama and atmosphere is the score (here by musical director Benoit Jutras), which is as far removed from traditional circus music as Cirque's "acts" are from Barnum & Bailey. Performed with synthesizers, electric guitar, solo reed instruments, percussion, and voice (often singing in a kind of Esperanto that's tantalizing yet foreign), Cirque's music can be dismissed as New Age only until heard in its intended context.

Like three earlier video productions, Quidam can't quite achieve the sheer, enveloping wonder that its theatrical source does. But for fans of Cirque du Soleil's unique performance art, this latest presentation sustains the troupe's magic. --Sam Sutherland

Cirque Du Soleil - Corteo

Bring home the magic artistry and phenomenal acrobatics of Corteo the latest Cirque du Soleil show captured in hi definition! Corteo which means 'cortege' in Italian is a joyous procession a festive parade imagined by a clown. The show brings together the passion of the actor with the grace and power of the acrobat to plunge the audience into a theatrical world of fun comedy and spontaneity situated in a mysterious space between heaven and earth. The clown pictures his own funeral taking place in a carnival atmosphere watched over by quietly caring angels. Juxtaposing the large with the small the ridiculous with the tragic and the magic of perfection with the charm of imperfection the show highlights the strength and fragility of the clown as well as his wisdom and kindness to illustrate the portion of humanity that is within each of us. The music by turns lyrical and playful carries Corteo through a timeless celebration in which illusion teases reality.System Requirements:Run Time: 110 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: MISCELLANEOUS/SPECIAL INTEREST UPC: 043396142534 Manufacturer No: 14253

Fans of the fantastic Cirque du Soleil know that a DVD of a performance can only approximate the sensory experience of being there, but Corteo nonetheless will hold fans spellbound. The loose thread of theme is of a clown who dreams he's dead, and is at his own funeral--so Fellini-esque processionals of angels, jesters, animals, musicians, cannibals, and other-worldly sprites seem perfectly appropriate. The most breathtaking segments include, as always, the sheer athletic prowess and fearlessness of the acrobats and gymnasts. One early scene shows fairies literally swinging from giant chandeliers--then tossing them about and gyrating within them so that at any minute they seem likely to spin into the audience, Phantom of the Opera-style. Other performers take simple hoops and turn them into Olympic-level endurance sport-equipment, by spinning inside, outside, around, and on top of them. Another highlight includes a dream sequence of every kid's fantasy: jumping on a bed that somehow magically becomes a trampoline--and the jumping "kids" incorporate spins, dives, even leaping across the stage onto the other bed and back. There's wily Cirque humor, too: one funereal procession includes four pairs of empty shoes, walking perfectly believably in synch behind shoes occupied by human mourners. The extras are, if anything, even more gripping, including Through the Curtain, a making-of documentary that includes interviews with first-time Cirque director Daniele Finza-Pasca, and some of the early choreography and practice sessions while routines are crafted and honed. Advice the director gives to one of the hoop gymnasts: "Talk to the ring... hold it like you would the horns of a bull!" And let the magic begin. --A.T. Hurley

Cirque du Soleil - La Nouba

Spectacle-makers Cirque du Soleil push the sheer abundance of eye-candy to the maximum in La Nouba. While some astonishing physical feat is underway, a host of colorful clown characters dart in and out at the fringes of the stage. For some viewers, this will only enhance the experience--others will find them an annoying distraction, particularly the lackluster quartet of white-faced clowns who almost never go away. This, combined with some overly busy camerawork, threatens to undermine the show; but the acrobatics are topnotch as ever. The German Wheel, phenomenal bicyclists, trapeze acts, flying straps, tightrope walkers (including a sequence in which a woman does a hand-stand on top of a tightrope walker's head), chair-balancing, and a particularly impressive extended trampoline routine will make La Nouba satisfying. --Bret Fetzer

Enter the magical world of La Nouba. Here anything is possible: dreams become reality and talent turns the ordinary into the extraordinary. Filmed live in high definition at its permanent location at the Walt Disney World (R) Resort in Orlando La Nouba is a dream come true from Cirque du Soleil. Amid this waking dream you'll find clowns ballerinas trapeze artists and so much more. From the incredible BMX bicycle act to displays of precision and balance on high-wire Cirque du Soleil performers continue to thrill and awe fans of all ages. Let the magic and festive spirit of La Nouba carry you away.System Requirements:Running Time: 100 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: MISCELLANEOUS/SPECIAL INTEREST Rating: NR UPC: 043396090545 Manufacturer No: 09054

Cirque du Soleil - Alegria (Live in Sydney)

Cirque Du Soleil - Anniversary Collection, 1984-2005

A collection of Cirque du Soleil's live performances, documentaries, and films.
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Release Date: 6-DEC-2005
Media Type: DVD

Cirque du Soleil's Anniversary Collection 1984-2005 is a 12-disc retrospective of the Canadian troupe's distinctive brand of performance, involving the fantastic feats of acrobatics and athleticism, balance and contortion; the single-ring techno circus; the multicolored lights and costumes; the abstract story lines of fantasy and self-discovery; the music that fuses rock, New Age, and various world influences; and the madcap clowns that prey on their live audiences. The programs included are La Magie Continue (1986); Cirque Reinvente (1989); Nouvelle Experience (1991); Saltimbanco (1994), the 1994 documentary retrospective A Baroque Odyssey; the Amsterdam-set Quidam (1999); Allegria (1999), the live Sydney show; the Chinese-influenced Dralion (2000), in its standard, non-Superbit release; the relatively short IMAX film Journey of Man (2002); Varekai (2002), from Toronto; La Nouba (2003), from Walt Disney World; and Midnight Sun, strikingly staged outdoors at the 2004 Montreal International Jazz Festival.

That's a lot of aerial feats, tricks, and tumbling, but the set is not designed to absorb in one sitting. Rather, viewers can sample both the simpler early shows and the stunning later performances that, with their 5.1 sound and widescreen pictures, are perfectly suited to home theaters. Compiling 12 previously released DVDs in space-saving Thinpaks at an economical price, the Anniversary Collection is nearly all the Cirque du Soleil you could ever want, but completists should note that the set does not include the feature film Allegria: An Enchanting Fable, the bonus disc of Varekai, the reality-TV show Fires Within, and the 13-part variety series Solstrom. --David Horiuchi

Cirque du Soleil - Lovesick

Dare to enter the sensual world of LOVESICK an adult-themed reality-based drama that explores the eccentric lives lead by Sin City's most provocative performers.Filmed over two years and set in Las Vegas during the creation of the cabaret-style production ZUMANITY ANOTHER SIDE OF CIRQUE DU SOLEIL' LOVESICK discloses the disturbing reality of the talented and entrancing artists who put their flesh and audacity centre stage to create this edgy new show. Meet Alex the flirtatious Cuban stripper; Joey the sassy but endearing New York City drag queen; Laetitia the elegant and ambitious British dancer; Jonel the audacious debutant; Andrew the Director of Creation; and Spymonkey the spontaneous clown quartet'all of whom will challenge their own limits and be forced to redefine their identities.Sexy poetic and intensely erotic LOVESICK slips inside a startling universe where men dress up as women brides perform in staged orgies and love affairs are exposed under the show's glaring spotlights.System Requirements:Running Time: 97 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: MISCELLANEOUS/SPECIAL INTEREST Rating: NR UPC: 043396142565 Manufacturer No: 14256

From the creators of the reality series Fire Within comes another look at the creation of a Cirque du Soleil production--in this case, the controversial and erotic Zumanity, which performs exclusively in Las Vegas. Lovesick follows four performers--drag MC Joey Arias (also seen in Mondo New York); an alarmingly muscular Cuban named Alex, who discovers his girlfriend is pregnant as he's in the midst of the show's development; British Laetitia, who keeps imagining her father's unhappy response to the show; and Canadian Jonel, who's soon to be married--if her fiance can make it across the border. As the documentary chronicles the bumpy and often abrasive process of Zumanity's creation, it delves into the strain the show puts on the performers' relationships, both because of the show's sexual content and the enormous commitment it requires. Viewers seeking titillation will probably be disappointed, as Lovesick only provides glimpses of Zumanity itself. But anyone interested in the interplay between on-stage and off in the lives of performers will find this documentary fascinating and wish it had only gone further into the dancers' psyches. --Bret Fetzer

Cirque du Soleil - Saltimbanco

Saltimbanco is a celebration of life in which an international troupe of more than fifty performers ranging from 8 to 45 years of age defy gravity and dazzle with their artistry. A panoply of acts in which top-notch acrobatics are executed with masterly beauty, hand-balancing, double trapeze, double tightrope, Chinese poles, the Russian swing, bangees, jugglers, and clowns. Created in 1994 as an antidote to the violence and despair typical of the 20th century, this phantasmagorical show proposes a new vision of urbanity, overflowing with optimism and happiness. Saltimbanco is not linear; rather, it is a kaleidoscope, an adventure in which anything can happen. Saltimbanco has its own language, a soul expressed through the voice, the body and music. 1994, 78 minutes.

Cirque du Soleil - Midnight Sun

Co-produced by Amèrimage-Spectra and Productions Conte IV, a subsidiary of Cirque du Soleil Images, Midnight Sun features 150 circus artists, entertainers and street performers, as well as over 100 singers and musicians. All these artists came together on July 11, 2004, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Festival International de Jazz de Montrèal and Cirque du Soleil's 20th birthday by performing in a magnificent show on the main stage of the Festival International de Jazz de Montrèal.