The Greatest Show on Earth. Hi from a dead clown. Part 9
No matter what you say but I like this guy. I already wrote about him here http://olgeya-humayer.livejournal.com/3607.html , but I can always repeat it.
Guy Laliberté was born in Québec City in 1959. An accordionist, stilt-walker and fire-eater, he founded Québec’s first internationally-renowned circus with the support of a small group of accomplices. A bold visionary, Guy Laliberté recognized and cultivated the talents of the street performers from the Fête foraine de Baie-Saint-Paul and created Cirque du Soleil in 1984.
Guy Laliberté was the first to orchestrate the marriage of cultures and artistic and acrobatic disciplines that is the hallmark of Cirque du Soleil. Since 1984, he has guided the creative team through the creation of every show and contributed to elevating the circus arts to the level of the great artistic disciplines.
Cirque du Soleil has become an international organization, as much in terms of its makeup as in the scope of its activities and influence. Guy Laliberté now heads an organization with activities on five continents.
In October 2007, Guy Laliberté entered into a second lifetime commitment by creating the ONE DROP Foundation to fight poverty around the world by providing sustainable access to safe water. This new dream stems from the knowledge that the right to water is key to the survival of individuals and communities all over the world and from the values which have been at the heart of Cirque du Soleil since its inception: the belief that life gives back what you have given and even the smallest gesture will make a difference.
Well, a very good and talented guy.
And now fasten your seatbelts…
One more creation form Guy Laliberté and his Cirque du Soleil – Corteo Show
Show Trailer
I am impressed.)))
About the show.The show begins with a funeral scene!!!
Corteo, which means “cortege” in Italian, is a joyous procession, a festive parade imagined by a clown. The show brings together the passion of the actor with the grace and power of the acrobat to plunge the audience into a theatrical world of fun, comedy and spontaneity situated in a mysterious space between heaven and earth.
The clown pictures his own funeral taking place in a carnival atmosphere, watched over by quietly caring angels. Juxtaposing the large with the small, the ridiculous with the tragic and the magic of perfection with the charm of imperfection, the show highlights the strength and fragility of the clown, as well as his wisdom and kindness, to illustrate the portion of humanity that is within each of us. The music, by turns lyrical and playful, carries Corteo through a timeless celebration in which illusion teases reality.
Characters
The Dead Clown is the central character of the story, the one whom this fantastic funeral is honouring … but could it all be a dream? A former member of the troupe surrounding him, he dons his costume to perform onstage one last time.
Although only an amateur opera singer, the Giant Clown imagines himself to be a great artist of worldwide renown. Without doubt, it is with him that the Dead Clown is closest, almost like brothers.
For the White Clown, appearances are what matters most. Like the Loyal Whistler, he is an authority figure … at least, he’d like to be. Of all the colourful characters, he admires only the stars and scorns the others. It is the White Clown who opens the door to the magic of the circus for the Dead Clown.
SOME FRAGMENTS FROM THE SHOW.CHANDELIERS…
BEDS…
From THIS IS IT
“For a splashy version of Dirty Diana, Jackson wanted a flaming bed with a pole-dancing aerialist “playing the part of the fire,” Alonzo says.
The elaborately plotted stunt: Jackson intended to be pursued around the bed by the “fire woman,” and each time she touched the stage, flames in the form of fluttering crimson fabric would shoot skyward.
After she caught him, she would lash him to the bed’s tall posts with gold rope and a sheet of red fabric would billow before him, illuminating his struggling silhouette.”
From Corteo
Four women, the Dead Clown’s former loves, come together in dreamlike joy. They perform aerial acrobatics on three giant chandeliers that spin above the Dead Clown’s bed.
****
A tender and poetic moment between the Dead Clown and his Little Clowness that bespells the audience with child-like delight.
ANGELS…
In our case we can’t avoid angels.
Angels above the bed of a dying person.
A dead clown is trying to reach the angel. As we can judge, he is not successful.
A ladder specialist amazes the audience with his unnerving balance and finesse as he performs on various ladders, trying desperately to reach the angel who is watching him from above.
SHAKESPEAR REFERENCE
When eight characters pile into a miniature theatre to present “Romeo and Juliette,” confusion upstages them all. Expect the unexpected in this madcap performance.
ET???
As you know, sometime in the past MJ recorded the album “ET (Extra Terrestrial)”, based on the same name fantasy movie (1982). E.T. Storybook is a fantastic story about friendship between a man and an alien. MJ like this movie a lot.
In more details about the connection between MJ and E.T. you can read here http://ukrainito.blogspot.com/2009/07/peter-pan-or-et.html (thank you for the link, Diana77)
In my opinion, the whole show is dedicated to the one and only man. By the way, this show is already several months old. Russia will see this performance on 26th June in St. Petersburg.
I’m very grateful for the help Moroshka and Arven provided me searching some pics and scan of TII.
Materials Used: http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/ru/shows/corteo/
Michael Jackson is alive and that I think about it 
There’s no doubt in my mind that Michael was in collaboration with Guy Laliberte for a long time. Actually, MJ was here in Montreal way back in 2003 meeting with Guy for a “project”. It didn’t go thru at the time coz of the 2005 bullshit, but in 2007, he did meet up with him again. Although I don’t know the details, they planned something spectacular! That Cirque du Soleil show next year will blow everybody’s minds!
I sort of have an “inside” scoop on this,lol
Grace, thanks you for information 🙂 I would be grateful to you if you give more details
My husband knows Daniel Lamarre, who works for Guy Laliberte. I don’t have much more info, since he can’t really give out too much, but what they’re working on has not been done before. They’ve started working on the show way before the announcement, which was actually made unofficially a few months ago. I do know that Katherine makes ALL the decisions in regards not only to this show, but everything involved with the Estate…
I like to think that behind Katherine is MJ himself ;))
Grace, thank you for your comment.
It is very interesting.
Let’s wait for the result of this collaboration.
Grace, thank you, thank you, thank you!!! You confirmed my suspicions! We will witness the Greatest Show on Earth – it’s amazing. Stay with us, your opinion is very important for me.
We are currently working on a series of videos, which will try to cover all of this information.;)
I’m looking forward to seeing and reading any of your work. You guys are doing an amazing job!
Grace, thank you very much. And you live in Montreal? 🙂