Toruk - The First Flight

Toruk - The First Flight
Logo for Cirque du Soleil's Toruk - The First Flight
Company	Cirque du Soleil
Genre	Contemporary circus
Show type	Touring show
Date of premiere	December 21, 2015 (Montreal)
Creative team
Writers and directors	Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon
Creation director	Neilson Vignola
Set designer	Carl Fillion
Composer	Boe & Bill (Guy Dubuc and Marc Lessard)
Costume designer	Kym Barrett
Lighting designer	Alain Lortie
Artistic guide	Guy Laliberté
Sound designer	Jacques Boucher
Makeup designer	Kym Barrett
Rigging and acrobatic equipment designer	Pierre Masse
Acrobatic performance designer	Germain Guillemot
Choreographer	Tuan Le and Tan Loc Nguyen
Puppet designer	Patrick Martel
Other information
Preceded by	Joyà (2014)
Succeeded by	Paramour (2016)
Official website

Toruk - The First Flight is Cirque du Soleil's 2015 touring production, inspired by James Cameron's film Avatar, and will premiere ahead of the release of Avatar 2. It depicts a world before the events depicted in the film. The show began its development in Montreal, Quebec, and then moved in August 2015 to the CenturyLink Center in Bossier City, Louisiana, where rehearsals took place until the show premiered. The CenturyLink Center was chosen because the massive set of the show did not fit in the Cirque du Soleil studios in Montreal.

The translation for the official teaser trailer from the constructed Na'vi language is the following: "I am the last living member of the Anurai clan. When I connect with Eywa, I hear the voices of our distant ancestors; I hear the time when their lives were threatened. This is that story."

Toruk is the central character of the show, and will be brought to life as a life-sized puppet, along with Pandoran animals such as the Direhorse, the Austrapede, the Turtapede, and a Viperwolf.

The word 'Toruk', in the Na'vi language, refers to the great leonopteryx that rules over the Pandorian sky. Fundamental in Na'vi lore and culture, this perplexing creature is critical to the Na'vi clans' sense of destiny and interconnectedness with members past and present.

Cirque released the following information on some of the key characters in the show as part of the media press conference

Ralu: He is a Member of the Omaticaya Clan and is the son of a formidable hunter who taught him exceptional focus and discipline. Ralu is a sensitive and compassionate boy on the brink of adulthood. Although he is only 14 years old (in Earth years), there is a calm and quiet force about him that underscores his carefree attitude. Always on the lookout for his childhood friend and protégé Entu, Ralu is a natural born leader. Whenever the going gets tough, he channels all his energy and skills into the challenge at hand and invariably gets the job done. Just ask Entu, whom Ralu once saved from certain death by luring away a thanator during archery practice deep in the rainforest. No wonder everybody rallies behind Ralu – his is a doer and a thinker with a heart of gold!

Entu: A member of the Omaticaya Clan, he lost both of his parents early in life in a freak attack by a thanator. He is the same age (14 years old in Earth years) as his lifelong friend Ralu – his mentor – with whom he has always engaged in a healthy competition that has definitely kept him on his toes. Spunky and intense, Entu is fully in touch with his emotions and knows to follow and trust his instincts. One day, when a member of his clan ventured too far out on a cliff edge and was left dangling on a limb, Entu instantly concocted an ingenious counterweight device using his pack, a sturdy branch and some vines to lower himself down the mountain face and save the boy, showing total disregard for his own safety. With his quick wit and dauntless spirit, Entu is eager – and ready – to dive headlong into the adventures that lie ahead.