Cirque du Soleil

"Circus of the Sun" redirects here. For the poem, see The Circus of the Sun.

Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group
Company typePrivate
IndustryEntertainment
Founded16 June 1984; 40 years ago (1984-06-16)
FoundersGuy Laliberté
Gilles Ste-Croix
Headquarters
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Stéphane Lefebvre, President and CEO
RevenueIncrease C$850 million (FY 2018)[1]
Number of employees
4000+
DivisionsCirque du Soleil Images
Cirque du Soleil Events + Experience
SubsidiariesBlue Man Group[2]
VStar Entertainment Group[3]
The Works Entertainment[4]
4U2C[5]
Outbox Enterprises[6]
Websitecirquedusoleil.com

Cirque du Soleil (French: [siʁk dy sɔlɛj], Canadian French: [sɪʁk d͡zy sɔlɛj]; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world.[7] Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, Montreal, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 June 1984 by former street performers Guy Laliberté and Gilles Ste-Croix.[8]

Originating as a performing troupe called Les Échassiers (IPA: [lez‿eʃasje]; "The Stilt Walkers"), they toured Quebec in various forms between 1979 and 1983. Their initial financial hardship was relieved in 1983 by a government grant from the Canada Council for the Arts to perform as part of the 450th anniversary celebrations of Jacques Cartier's voyage to Canada.[9] Their first official production Le Grand Tour du Cirque du Soleil was a success in 1984, and after securing a second year of funding, Laliberté hired Guy Caron from the National Circus School to recreate it as a "proper circus". Its theatrical, character-driven approach and the absence of performing animals helped define Cirque du Soleil as the contemporary circus ("nouveau cirque") that it remains today.[10]

After financial successes and failures in the late 1980s, Nouvelle Expérience was created—with the direction of Franco Dragone—which not only made Cirque du Soleil profitable by 1990, but allowed it to create new shows.[11] It expanded rapidly through the 1990s and 2000s, growing from one production to dozens of shows in over 300 cities on six continents. The company employed 4,900 people from 50 countries and generated an annual revenue of approximately US$1 billion in 2017.[12][13] The multiple permanent Las Vegas shows alone play to more than 9,000 people a night, 5% of the city's visitors, adding to the over 100 million people who have seen Cirque du Soleil productions worldwide.[14][15]

In 2000, Laliberté bought out Daniel Gauthier's stake in the company, and with 95% ownership continued to expand the brand.[16][17] In 2008, Laliberté sold 20% of his share to the investment groups Istithmar World and Nakheel of Dubai, but later bought back their stake following the 2008 global financial crisis.[18][19] In 2015, TPG Capital, Fosun Industrial Holdings, and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec purchased 90% of Cirque du Soleil while Laliberté retained a 10% stake in the company.[20][21] In February 2020, Laliberté sold his remaining 10% stake in the company to Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec for $75 million.[13][22] Following a bankruptcy brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the company was sold to a group of its creditors led by Catalyst Capital Group in November 2020.[23]

The company's creations have received numerous prizes and distinctions, including three Drama Desk Awards;[24][25][26] seven Primetime Emmy Awards;[27][28][29][30][31] multiple Gemini Awards;[32][33] a Daytime Emmy Award;[34] a Juno Award;[35] and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[36] In 2000, Cirque du Soleil was awarded the National Arts Centre Award, a companion award of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards,[37] and in 2002 was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.[38]

  1. ^ van Praet, Nicolas (21 June 2018). "Cirque du Soleil eyes international expansion with new show priced for emerging markets". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  2. ^ Deb, Sopan (2017). "Blue Man Group Is Bought by Cirque du Soleil, With Plans to Expand". New York Times. Archived from the original on 7 July 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  3. ^ Kelly, Brendan (5 July 2018). "Cirque du Soleil targets kids with acquisition of VStar Entertainment". Montreal Gazette. Archived from the original on 10 September 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  4. ^ Arsenault, Julien (6 February 2019). "Cirque du Soleil acquires magic show company The Works Entertainment". CTVNews. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  5. ^ "4U2C sets the ice ablaze". Montreal Gazette. 6 May 2014. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  6. ^ "Outbox Enterprises to take on Ticketmaster". Variety. 3 February 2011. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  7. ^ Circus arts in America and in Canada (PDF) Archived 20 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Regroupement national – des arts du cirque. Accessed on 11 October 2013.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Adam Sandler (28 August 2006). "Guy Laliberte: Cirque's shining light". Variety. Archived from the original on 25 April 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2007.
  10. ^ John Rockwell (5 May 2006). "The Soleil Never Sets". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 16 September 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  11. ^ Babinski, Tony (2004). Cirque du Soleil: 20 years under the sun. Harry N. Abrams Inc. ISBN 978-0-8109-4636-1.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference :10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ a b van Praet, Nicolas (17 February 2020). "Caisse boosts Cirque du Soleil stake with deal to buy out founder". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  14. ^ Glaister, Dan (27 January 2005). "Spend! Spend! Spend!". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  15. ^ Bennett, Susan (2016). "Circus and Gentrification". In Batson, Charles R.; Leroux, Louis Patrick (eds.). Cirque Global: Quebec's Expanding Circus Boundaries. Montreal: McGill–Queen's University Press. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-7735-9870-6.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hermann was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ "Circus tycoon Guy Laliberté becomes first clown in space". The Guardian. 30 September 2009. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 7 September 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  18. ^ "Istithmar and Nakheel buy 20% Cirque du Soleil stake". Emirates 24/7. 7 August 2008. Archived from the original on 16 September 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
  19. ^ Austen, Ian (20 April 2015). "Sale of Cirque du Soleil Aims to Open Doors in China". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  20. ^ "Voluntary Announcement Investment in Cirque du Soleil" (PDF). Fosun International. Hong Kong Stock Exchange. 20 April 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  21. ^ "Cirque du Soleil's second act". Al Jazeera English. Archived from the original on 29 April 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  22. ^ "Caisse paid $75 million to Guy Laliberté for Cirque du Soleil shares". Archived from the original on 21 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference :24 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ Cirque du Soleil. Rizzoli. 1993. ISBN 978-08-4781-793-1.
  25. ^ Gans, Andrew; Lefkowitz, David; Viagas, Robert (18 May 1998). "Ragtime, Beauty Queen Win Drama Desk Awards". Playbill. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  26. ^ "2013 Winners". Drama Desk Awards. 27 September 2013. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  27. ^ "GalaFilm News". Archived from the original on 7 July 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2007.
  28. ^ "Cirque Du Soleil: Corteo". Television Academy. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  29. ^ "Cirque Du Soleil's Dralion". Television Academy. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  30. ^ "Cirque du Soleil II: A New Experience". Television Academy. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  31. ^ "Cirque du Soleil". Television Academy. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  32. ^ "The television program Midnight Sun wins a Gémeaux Award" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  33. ^ "The 1996 Gemini winners". Playback. 11 March 1996. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  34. ^ Graham, Peter (3 May 2016). "Felix & Paul Studios Win Daytime Emmy For Inside the Box of Kurios". VRFocus. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  35. ^ "1996 | Best Global Recording | Cirque du Soleil". The JUNO Awards. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  36. ^ "Guy Laliberte Honored on the Hollywood Walk of Fame". Dance.broadwayworld.com. 22 November 2010. Archived from the original on 9 December 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  37. ^ "Cirque du Soleil biography". Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation. Archived from the original on 5 February 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  38. ^ "Cirque du Soleil". Canada's Walk of Fame. Archived from the original on 3 August 2008. Retrieved 7 January 2007.