Saltimbanco
| Saltimbanco | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Company | Cirque du Soleil |
| Genre | Contemporary circus |
| Show type | Touring tent show (1992-2006); touring arena show (2007-2012) |
| Date of premiere | April 23, 1992 (Montreal) |
| Final show | December 30, 2012 (Montréal) |
| Creative team | |
| Director | Franco Dragone |
| Director of creation | Gilles Ste-Croix (1992) Carmen Ruest (2007) |
| Composer | René Dupéré |
| Costume designer | Dominique Lemieux |
| Set designer | Michel Crête |
| Choreographer | Debra Brown (1992) Hélène Lemay (2007) |
| Lighting designer | Luc Lafortune |
| Sound designer | Jonathan Deans (1992) François Desjardins (2007) |
| Make-up designer | Nathalie Gagné (2007) |
| Mask designer | André Hénault (1992) |
| Clown act creator and acting consultant | René Bazinet (2007) |
| Production manager | Pierre Guillotte (2007) |
| Other information | |
| Preceded by | Nouvelle Expérience (1990) |
| Succeeded by | Fascination (1992) |
| Official website | |
Saltimbanco was a touring show by Cirque du Soleil. Saltimbanco ran from 1992 to 2006 in its original form, performed under a large circus tent called the Grand Chapiteau; its last performance in that form was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on December 10, 2006. A new adaptation of the show started touring North America on July 31, 2007, with its first stop in London, Ontario, Canada. The new version was staged in arenas with fewer performances in each city it visited. The new version closed at the end of 2012.
The show was described by Cirque du Soleil as a celebration of life. Its creators say they developed it as an antidote to the violence and despair prevalent in the 20th century.
The show was filmed into a 78-minute DVD which was released in 1997, however since the release of the DVD (especially after the conversion into the arena format) the acts noticeably changed with acts both added and subtracted since it was filmed. Then in 2012, just before its retirement, a documentary version of the show was filmed titled "Saltimbanco Forever 20" which was directed by Eric Chaussé (Director of Photography: Miguel Henriques / Edior: Julie Bouffard), however this DVD has thus far been unreleased, although a short clip was leaked in October 2013, and then in October 2015 another clip was leaked of an interview with boleadoras acrobat Adriana Pegueroles.
English has lost the word 'saltimbank' from current usage; but it is still familiar in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian as 'saltimbanco', and in French as 'saltimbanque', meaning 'street acrobat' or 'entertainer'. According to the company's site, the word "saltimbanco" comes from the Italian "saltare in banco", which means "to jump on a bench." The etymology of the word reflects its acrobatic associations. A 'salto' is a somersault in Italian; 'banco' in this connection is a trestle holding a board, set up as a temporary stage for open-air performers. 'Saltimbanchi' were thus those who performed somersaults on a temporary platform—wandering acrobats, performing as buskers in the open air, the platform giving their audience a better view.
Saltimbanco was Cirque du Soleil's longest running production when it closed at the end of 2012. In 2011 it was the first show by Cirque du Soleil to be presented in Turkey, and Ukraine, in 2012 the first show in Slovakia and in Amman, Jordan.Saltimbanco's last performance took place in Montreal on December 30, 2012 after 6,000 big top and arena appearances before 14 million spectators in 200 cities worldwide.
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Wikipedia