‘Running away to join the circus’ is a fantasy that has crossed the mind of many a world-weary worker who wishes for a life on the road, free from the constraints of the mundane where thrills and spills are the norm, and every day presents a new potentially perilous challenge to be overcome. While in years gone by the circus was the very antithesis of a long-term, stable career, nowadays, with major international groups such as the world-famous Cirque du Soleil putting on increasingly sophisticated productions, when it comes to personnel – both on stage and behind the scenes – only the very best need apply.
With the Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group now employing more than 4,000 people, including 1,200 artists, and putting on shows in 86 countries and counting spread across six continents, the organisation has grown massively from its roots as a street theatre group in Quebec, Canada, in the early 1980s. The company’s ambitious shows are now comparable to some of the biggest tours in the music world, with a stacked roster of creative and technical collaborators utilising the very latest in live entertainment technology to ensure that the show dazzles wherever it’s being performed.
Keen to witness these fabled levels of production firsthand, TPiMEA travelled to Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena to meet the team behind the latest Cirque du Soleil show to arrive in the Middle East, CRYSTAL. Welcoming us to the venue in the afternoon before the show were the company’s Senior Publicist, Roberto Larroude, as well as Yasmin Qraitem of promoter, SESLive!, who led a whistlestop backstage tour that started in the office of Production Manager, Michael Davis.
Photos: Matt Baker, Oliver Brajon, courtesy of Cirque du Soleil
