CirqueZumanity Background Information

Based in Montreal Canada the Cirque du Soleil roughly means Circus of Sun in French. The entertainment empire was founded by 2 former street performers in 1984, Daniel Gauthier and his friend Guy Lalibert.

In 1980, the troupe called Les Echassiers toured Quebec. During this time, they faced many financial hardships but these problems were successfully resolved when the government gave them a monetary grant in 1983. After receiving additional funding from other sources the Cirque du Soleil is able to really get the show moving. Their performances display a very unique individualist style. Each performance borrows from the many styles being practiced around the world, while having its own storyline and its own personal theme. After Cirque du Soleil got started, there were still considerable financial valleys and peaks to contend with.

In one decade, Cirque had expanded quickly from the very first show with only 73 employees created in 1984 up to the current 3,500 employees now in over 40 countries. Cirque is in the development stage at this time of several other shows across the world. The biggest show to date appears in Las Vegas where each night they entertain five percent of Vegas’s population. Cirque’s outstanding works have even earned them rewards, including 4 Prime time Emmy Awards. Laliberte purchased from Gauthier ninety-five percent of the business ownership of the performance and is continuing to make inroad expansions to the brand.

The production Zumanity was inspired by a great many sources. Laliberte had been given the opportunity to create 2 shows to be performed at Las Vegas, However, Laliberte was looking for a new and more original concept then that which he current was using.

In 2003, the Cirque du Soleil introduced its new production, Zumanity. The production was created to be viewed strictly by the adult members of the audiences and represented a break away from the usual traditional Cirque format. Laliberte claims that the show was not only just a break away from the norm but it also gave the entertainers the opportunity to do a riskier performance. Laliberte explained that the shows of the past were generally family-oriented and usually politically correct. However, this gave them the chance to experiment with new and unique experiences involving different styles of performances.