Cirque du Soleil Saltimbanco Background Information

Cirque du Soleil was founded in 1984 by Guy Laliberté and Daniel Gauthier, both street performers. This entertainment group started out as Les Échassiers and had performance tours in Quebec in 1980. The group went through financial difficulty, which was lifted when they received a government grant in 1983 to perform in the 450th celebration of the discovery of Canada. The group received another grant the following year and launched Le Grand Tour du Cirque du Soleil which became a success. Laliberté took this opportunity to transform the group from being street performers into a real circus. However, Cirque du Soleil went through a series of financial difficulties.

The group's tours outside of Quebec were not successful. They performed in Toronto and Niagara Falls, and though they received good reviews, the turnout in their shows was low. They fell into $750,000 of debt. They were helped in this matter by the Desjardins Group, covering $200,000 worth of bad checks. Daniel Lamarre, a financier, also offered to represent Cirque du Soleil for free. The group tasted its first financial success in 1987 when they performed in the Los Angeles Arts Festival. Cirque du Soleil risked traveling to Los Angeles without money for the return trip to Montreal, and their efforts paid off.

The group's Saltimbanco, a show telling a specific story with a particular theme, was launched in 1992. Focusing on the mixing of cultures, personalities, and colors, Saltimbanco brought out a message of peace at a time when immigration was a big issue. It was received well by the audience. Saltimbanco is Cirque du Soleil's oldest running show, having been performed from 1992 to 2006 in its original form. It has presently been revised and designed for shorter performances in arenas. The revised Saltimbanco started to tour again beginning in North America on July 31, 2007. Cirque du Soleil describes the Saltimbanco as a celebration of life in the midst of present conditions of violence and despair.