The Origins of the Circus

The first modern circus was introduced by Philip Astley, a British

cavalry officer in 1768. Astley set up an amphitheatre primarily for
equestrian events. The performance arena, in the center of the
amphitheatre, was a 42 ft. in diameter ring, which is the stand size
still in use today. The classical circus is assumed to consist of four
basic elements: equestrian stunts, clowns, acrobats and jugglers.

Astleys novelty quickly spread throughout Europe and showed up in

America in substantially the same format in 1785. Around the core
circus, launchers added sideshows such as menageries, human and
animal curiosities, and carnival games to boost the spectacle of
their shows.

Cirque du Soleil- The High-Wire Act of Building

Sustainable Partnerships
Creativity had always been the cornerstone of Cirque du Soleils
success. Every year, more than 40% of its profits is being reinvested
in its creative processes

Cirque has rejected many profitable opportunities, throughout the

years, when it could not retain full creative control or when a
creative challenge was not met!

Cirque du Soleil History

Nomadic Performers
From the beginning, several factors differentiated Cirque
du Soleil from the conventional circuses, with the
absence of animals in their shows being the main
characteristic.

Between 1984-1987 Cirque du Soleil toured in the

province of Quebec with its first production, Le Grand
Tour du Cirque du Soleil, Followed by the La Magie
Continue, tripping in Niagara Falls and Toronto.

In 1987 the financial situation of Cirque du Soleil

changed dramatically due to its successful performance
at the Los Angeles Arts Festival, where they opened the
show with the production of Cirque Reinvente.
 Soon after Los Angeles many producers were enchanted
by its success. Another tour across the USA followed,
with the production of the show named Nouvelle
Experience.

A Flower in the Desert

In 1992, Cirque du Soleil signed its first two-year contact with
Mirage Resorts, to perform Nouvelle Experience for a whole year
while preparing a new production called Mystere. Another 3 touring
shows followed every two years, including Saltimbanco in 1992,
Alegria in 1994 and Quidam in 1996.

By 1997, Cirque du Soleil employed 1200 people, including 260

performers and a more than $15 million box office. = ( tickets ) ??

A Growing Production House

Between 1997-1999, Cirque du Soleil kept going with a hectic
production pace, creating three new shows simultaneously.

In 1997, Cirque finally signed a 10-year contract with Disney, to

produce a regular show, La Nouba, in the Walt Disney World Resort
in Orland, Florida.

.+ + + sorry girls. I am tired. ( 4.39 am)!!!