2008 Woodie Awards
Mullins to become circus tent for "Soleil"
UMass in for spectacular sights, sounds 1st week back
By Stephanie McPherson, Collegian Staff
Issue date: 9/2/08 Section: Arts & Living
For three decades the name Cirque du Soleil has brought to mind bright colors, unique entertainment and unbelievable feats of human strength and agility.
Those same thoughts will fill the University of Massachusetts when "Saltimbanco," Cirque's longest running traveling show, performs at the Mullins Center from Sept. 3-7.
Created in Canada during the early 1980s by young street performer Guy Laliberté, the human circus has kept the baroque spirit of original, big top performing alive in both its permanent shows and traveling tours.
The world of "Saltimbanco," Italian for "acrobat," represents a bustling urban environment, but not in a familiar sense. Many people see a city as a metropolis of mixed classes, rising crime rates and missed opportunities.
"Saltimbanco," with its broad cast of characters, shows the audience what a city could be - making the most of the diversity fostered in mazes of brick and concrete. The characters in the show are living a colorful, beautiful life in harmony.
"We wanted Saltimbanco to be a show about the future of the city," said Gilles Ste-Croix, director of creation for the show, on the Cirque Web site. "But all the material we studied was very dark, despairing. And our hearts rebelled. We said: 'You've got to believe that you're going to live in a better future … and that you can be part of that future. You've got to have hope."
Unlike some of the more recent Cirque creations, "Saltimbanco," which started in 1992, has no set plot, according to Michael J. Ocampo, the head coach for this run of the show. The lack of a storyline allows viewers to take what they want from the performance.
"They really wanted this to be a fun show full of life, full of color," Ocampo said. "What it does allow [for] is people to come in and have two hours of escaping."
Ocampo has been with Cirque du Soleil since 1993, starting as an artist in the show "Alegria." He has since performed in and worked on a number of performances, but "Saltimbanco" holds a special memory for him.
Those same thoughts will fill the University of Massachusetts when "Saltimbanco," Cirque's longest running traveling show, performs at the Mullins Center from Sept. 3-7.
Created in Canada during the early 1980s by young street performer Guy Laliberté, the human circus has kept the baroque spirit of original, big top performing alive in both its permanent shows and traveling tours.
The world of "Saltimbanco," Italian for "acrobat," represents a bustling urban environment, but not in a familiar sense. Many people see a city as a metropolis of mixed classes, rising crime rates and missed opportunities.
"Saltimbanco," with its broad cast of characters, shows the audience what a city could be - making the most of the diversity fostered in mazes of brick and concrete. The characters in the show are living a colorful, beautiful life in harmony.
"We wanted Saltimbanco to be a show about the future of the city," said Gilles Ste-Croix, director of creation for the show, on the Cirque Web site. "But all the material we studied was very dark, despairing. And our hearts rebelled. We said: 'You've got to believe that you're going to live in a better future … and that you can be part of that future. You've got to have hope."
Unlike some of the more recent Cirque creations, "Saltimbanco," which started in 1992, has no set plot, according to Michael J. Ocampo, the head coach for this run of the show. The lack of a storyline allows viewers to take what they want from the performance.
"They really wanted this to be a fun show full of life, full of color," Ocampo said. "What it does allow [for] is people to come in and have two hours of escaping."
Ocampo has been with Cirque du Soleil since 1993, starting as an artist in the show "Alegria." He has since performed in and worked on a number of performances, but "Saltimbanco" holds a special memory for him.
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