Meaning “cortege” in Italian, the show Corteo is a happy procession imagined by the symbol for happiness, a clown. This Cirque du Soleil show combines acting with acrobatics to surround the audience in a place watched over by quiet angels set between heaven and earth. The procession is for a funeral but it is set in the atmosphere of a carnival. The production debuted in North America in 2005. “The Grand Parade: Portrait of the Artist as Clown” show at the National Gallery of Canada was what first brought inspiration for the show.
Like Saltimbanco, Corteo takes its style and acts from earlier cirque productions. The show is directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca and takes place on two large moving stages covered with painted curtains with each stage complete with its own turntable 104 feet in diameter. The show contains such acts as the Cyr Wheel, Tightrope, Marionette, Teeterboard, Juggling, Aerial Straps, Crystal Glasses & Tibetan Bowls, and Acrobatic Ladders. The remaining cities on the tour are: Ottawa, ON, Calgary, AB, Tokyo, Japan and Miami, FL. 61 musicians and singers plus a 16 piece choir and 13 piece string section make up the soundtrack which, unlike other Cirque shows, is sung in Italian, French, and Spanish.
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