Seeing Cirque du Soleil

Founded originally as a group of French-Canadian street performers, Cirque du Soleil has grown into a multiple-show, multiple-company performance organization that now entertains across the globe!

The name is French for "circus of the sun" and one thing that made this circus different from many others is that it was decided early on that none of the acts would involve animals. Instead the audience is treated to amazing feats of human flexibility, strength and gymnastics. None of the shows are spoken or have words that are an actual langauge, something which lets the show move anywhere and still connect with the audience, no matter what language the locals speak.

If you travel to Las Vegas, you can take your pick from multiple Cirque du Soleil-staged shows around town. Or you can keep an eye out for a touring company of Cirque and catch them when them come to a town near you.

When you see a CIrque du Soleil show, you're always going to find some sort of storyline. It can vary from simple to complex or from vague to concrete. But most often, a character is taking a journey, and the audience is following along.

Aerial innovations are a hallmark of a Cirque show, and gymnasts perform trapeze acts on gigantic bungee cords, leaping from the floor to the rafters in elegant single bounds.

Cirque du Soleil brought back a circus classic: the contortionist. Once relegated to the sideshow or ten-in-one, these fantastically-flexible performers are featured as stand-alone acts.

The European tradition of clowning is much more theatrical then it's American descendant and there is often a feature performer hired as a main character for each tour.