Cirque du Soleil to Present Second Show
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Canada's heart-pumping circus troupe Cirque du Soleil will bring ``Alegria'' to town this fall. The circus troupe will present its second show ``Alegria,'' which means ``joy'' in Spanish, one year after the troupe first brought ``Quidam'' to Korea.
``If Quidam was a dark show, Alegria is a hilarious and joyous one for all generations to enjoy,'' Kim Yong-kwan, CEO of Mast Entertainment, the local production company, said.
Kim said that it will be the last chance for the Korean audience to see the performance as the show now touring Latin America will soon finish its world tour after stopovers in Asia.
``After performing in Korea, Taiwan and Dubai, the troupe will wrap up the 15-year-old tour of Alegria,'' said Kim.
Alegria was created to mark the 10th anniversary of the troupe to chant the jubilation and joy of life.
``It was more about a tussle between new and old rather than a storyline like Quidam. It is a metaphor for change through the confrontation between new and old,'' Milan Rokic, vice president of Marketing for Asia-Pacific of the Canadian circus, said.
In the much-hyped show, various eye-popping acts such as hand balancing, fire knife dance, a Russian bar and contortion will dazzle the audience.
Alegria has some of the most beautiful and catchy music numbers among the troupe's repertoires, Rokic said.
He said the show took inspirations from Chinese circus but they put more theatrical and new twists into the performance.
``We have paid much homage to Chinese circus. But we've got a lot of flying scenes. We also took Polynesian inspiration like fire dancing. We have global inspirations in every show targeting the global audience,'' said Rokic.
For the Seoul show, the new white tents will be set up as the Big Top Theater in Jamsil Sports Complex in southern Seoul, the same venue of last year's show with blue and yellow tents.
``We will bring newly-made tents now under construction in France for the Seoul performance. This year's Big Top Theater will be upgraded, with more convenient seat arrangements and spacious lobby-like entrance tents,'' said Kim. The white tents can accompany about 2,500 people.
About 170,000 people saw ``Quidam'' last year, one of the most successful performances of the year.
Alegria costs about 15 billion won to produce in Seoul, according to the agency.
Alegria is the ninth work by Cirque du Soleil, which has toured 65 countries in the world with about 10 million viewers since its premiere in 1994.
About 55 performers from 17 different countries will be on stage for the show. About 70 trailers will carry 500 tons of performance equipment.
The troupe offers an enthralling combination of acrobatic artistry, technical expertise and extravaganzas, along with fabulous music.
Making the best use of human bodies, the troupe does not use animals. Instead, it reinvents stereotyped circus mixed with elements of street performance, busking, opera, ballet, and rock music performed by contortionists, jugglers, clowns, and trapeze artists.
The show will open at Jamsil Sports Complex, southern Seoul, Oct. 15.
Tickets cost from 50,000 to 110,000 won. A VIP ticket for Tapis Rouge is 200,000 won. For more information, call (02) 541-3150 or visit www.cirquedusoleil.co.kr