From the Big Top to Gainesville
Cirque du Soleil's "Saltimbanco" takes acrobatic performance to new heights
Additional Images
Photo courtesy of Al Seib © 2005 Cirque du Soleil Inc.
A group of Cirque du Soleil performers gather in front of the Chinese Poles, which represent the skyscrapers of Saltimbanco. The act is also inspired by a Chinese discipline and features more than 26 acrobats performing at 25 feet above the stage.
Anyone who has seen a Cirque du Soleil show will say the same thing: "You simply haven't lived until you've experienced Cirque."
Lucky for Gainesville, the city will get its own taste of this how-did-they-do-that crowd pleaser when the troupe visits this spring to perform a revamping of Saltimbanco, its classic big-top show that debuted in Montreal in 1992 and has remained a smash hit with audiences worldwide.
Saltimbanco will appear at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center from May 7 to 10. This is the first time Cirque du Soleil has performed in Gainesville since its founding in 1984.
Having originally run from 1992 to 2006, Saltimbanco is Cirque's oldest major touring show. Traditionally performed under the big top, Saltimbanco was redesigned for an arena setting in late 2007 to accommodate more diverse audiences on a sweeping tour through the United States and Canada.
"It's the only way we can get to the smaller cities," said Carmen Ruest, Saltimbanco's director of creation. "To bring a big-top show to a city, you need a 1 million population. It takes a big city. With the arena tours, we can stay for a few days and bring the show to people who can't travel to the big cities."
Ruest has a long history with Cirque and has worn many hats over the years, including everything from production director to costume designer. She started in the late 1970s when she moved to Montreal as an aspiring dancer and befriended a group of street performers who went on to form Cirque du Soleil in the mid '80s.
The cast and crew spent a busy 21 weeks reconfiguring Saltimbanco for a totally new venue. The stage was raised, and the show's sound and lighting were completely revamped.
"We had to recast, retrain and re-rehearse everything," Ruest said. "But we did a new show with a concept that had existed and [had] lived on for so many years, and I was lucky enough to work with the former creators of the show."
For quicker set-up and teardown while touring, the entire stage was constructed with lightweight materials such as aluminum.
Like most Cirque du Soleil shows, Saltimbanco is fairly abstract, but its overarching theme is the idea of living in an urban landscape -- the similarities and differences of the people who live there, and all the sights and sounds of a bustling metropolis.
"We created Saltimbanco when it was said that by 2020, half of the population would be living in big cities. People were saying that it was dangerous and scary in the cities. It was so dark," Ruest said. "We wanted to show our children that if you want to move around and see what's going on in the world, that it could be a very good experience. Throughout the show, you will see all of the characters reaching out to others -- making relationships, making friendships and becoming new people."
Saltimbanco takes audience members on a brightly colored journey through an imaginary city where hope, not fear, is emphasized. Its cast of characters ranges from a ringmaster to a baron, and the non-stop action is set to a compelling score sung in various languages including Swedish, Arabic and German.
Saltimbanco, which originates from the Italian phrase "saltare in banco," meaning "to jump on a bench," is divided into nine acts. Some of these acts include Juggling, the Trapeze Duo and the Russian Swing, which catapults characters close to 30 feet into the air for a series of breathtaking jumps, only to land on the shoulders of their partners seconds later.
Talk about making it look easy.
But being sent flying through the air in a tightly enclosed arena was a bit nerve-wracking for some of the acrobats.
"The most worrying challenge was the Trapeze Duo," Ruest said "When you see the big top, it's 2,500 seats on three sides of the stage, so it feels really intimate. But in the arena, you don't see the walls -- they're so far back. [The performers] had to get used to it fast."
An eye-popping combination of acrobatics, dance and theater, Saltimbanco is truly a family friendly show and is sure to resonate with people of all ages.
In these uncertain times, Ruest and the show's creators hope Saltimbanco audiences, first and foremost, "have a good time and get some relief from all their personal problems.
"We hope to open a new door in their imagination and give them ideas that everything is possible," Ruest said. "If we're able to do that for only two people per show, then that is great."
Ruest recommends arriving at least 20 minutes before show time, as the cast will be out in the stands interacting with audience members and their children.
Adult tickets for the show range from $30 to $80, and children's tickets are $24 to $64. Cirque du Soleil is offering both Senior and student discounts. For more information on the show or for details about the special pricing, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/special/saltimbanco/gainesvillePromo.htm, or call 1-800-277-1700. §
Laura Wright is a freelance writer living in Gainesville. She may be contacted at laura@towerpublications.com.
SIDEBAR:
Did You Know?
All artists apply their own show makeup. It takes about 90 minutes for each artist to complete.
The equipment on tour totals 360,000 pounds.
The poles that are used in the Chinese Poles act are 24 feet long.
The entire costume department can be packed and ready to go in less than one hour.
Saltimbanco's cast features 47 artists hailing from 20 countries around the world.
