Dralion
| Dralion | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Company | Cirque du Soleil |
| Genre | Contemporary circus |
| Show type | Touring |
| Date of premiere | April 22, 1999 (Montréal) |
| Final show | January 18, 2015 (Anchorage) |
| Creative team | |
| Director | Guy Caron |
| Director of creation | Gilles Ste-Croix |
| Set designer | Stéphane Roy |
| Composer | Violaine Corradi |
| Costume designer | François Barbeau |
| Clown act designer | Michel Dallaire |
| Lighting designer | Luc Lafortune |
| Choreographer | Julie Lachance |
| Sound designer | Guy Desrochers |
| General artistic director | Sylvie Galarneau |
| Company founder and CEO | Guy Laliberté |
| Other information | |
| Preceded by | La Nouba (1998) |
| Succeeded by | Varekai (2002) |
| Official website | |
Dralion (pronounced Drah-lee-on) was a touring production by the Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Soleil. The show combines elements of traditional Chinese circus with Western contemporary circus, complementing the "East-meets-West" theme implied in the title — the name is a portmanteau of "dragon" (representing the East) and "lion" (representing the West). It is Cirque du Soleil's 12th touring production and the first Cirque show since 1985 not to be directed by Franco Dragone. "Dralion" performed its final show at the Sullivan Arena in Anchorage, Alaska on January 18, 2015.
The backdrop for Dralion is a metallic structure 60 feet (18 m) in width and 26 feet (7.9 m) in height. It is covered in perforated aluminum tiles, giving it the appearance of medieval armor or a futuristic Chinese temple. Sitting atop the structure are six giant claws which allow performers to climb the wall and suspend in mid-air. Above the stage itself are three large concentric aluminum rings. The first is utilized as a catwalk; the second is used to support acrobatic equipment; and the third is used by performers to move up and down and suspend in the air.
Dralion's stage was later reused for Ovo in early 2016.
Dralion featured 50 members in its performance troupe, of which about 5 or 6 play principal characters.
The acts of Dralion combine unique western and eastern acrobatic skills.
Dralion's costumes are vibrant in color; inspired by clothing from India, China, and Africa; and are shaped according to the movements of each performer's choreography. In total there are around 1500 wardrobe pieces for the show, taking into account that some artists have up to four costume changes during a single performance.
With the company's departure from its longtime creative team, Dralion features the work of a new Cirque composer, French-Canadian composer Violaine Corradi. The music of Dralion aims to be a fusion of sounds from East and West by the use of acoustic and electric instruments. Featuring rhythmic and lyrical motifs, the influences range from Indian melodies to sounds from Andalusia, Africa, Central Europe, and the West. Instruments used in the CD are drums, violin, winds, keyboards, guitar and percussion instructions. Released on November 9, 1999, Dralion’s soundtrack features the vocals of Basque counter-tenor Erik Karol, and Canadian female vocalist Agnès Sohier. The tracks for the CD are listed below, with their corresponding acts alongside in italics.
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Wikipedia