By COLLEEN HAWKESFORD of the Weyburn Review
The Cirque du Soleil is not your average circus.
And their website (www.cirquedusoleil.com) is not your average website.
Filled with full-color pictures and graphics of strange and interesting characters, the sprawling website features a history of the circus, backstage glimpses, and even full explanations and pictures from their shows.
The Cirque began as a troupe of stilt-walkers in Montreal. In 1984 they began touring and the circus grew and grew until it became what it is today: an empire expected to reach $300 million in sales this year and one that employs more than 1250 people.
Their current activities include a tour in North America (unfortunately no stops anywhere CLOSE to Weyburn), a permanent home about to be unveiled at Walt Disney World in Florida and another one at Las Vegas.
The circus is not the ol' tigers-jumping-through-flaming-hoops, elephants-on-their-tiptoes routine. In fact, there are no animals in the show at all. It's more like a stage show, combining elements of the circus, theatre and music.
One of the interesting elements on this site is a bunch of quick-time movies you can download. They show bits and pieces of acrobatic acts, dancing and trapeze artists, accompanied by the show's music.
Performance ideas begin at the cirque's headquarters in Montreal. The shows centre around a particular theme or tell a story. A movie inspired by "Alegria" is due out this spring, and tells the love story between Fido, a street performer, and Giulietta, the lead singer in a travelling circus.
There are job postings for anyone interested in running away to join the circus, including openings for Head of Aquatic Operations, Assistant Logistics Director, and several other jobs that sound like they require NASA experience (or if you'd like, you can be the head cook on their Asia-Pacific tour!)
Another neat feature is a map of seats under the big top. If you click on a section of seats, a picture pops up showing exactly what their view of the performance will be like from there.
The show closest to home is in Chicago, so I clicked on it, looking for ticket information (you never know!) The price tag ranges from the most expensive adult seat at $52.50 to the cheapest child's seat at $11.50 - and there's a tent post right in the middle of that one.
The website provides a lot of written information about the cirque, making it rather boring for younger children, but it is interesting to find out what goes on backstage, as well as the cirque's history.
Of course the site is one big advertisement. Not only can you order tickets for the show, you can also purchase all sorts of cirque t-shirts, masks and other merchandise.
But the information they provide about the show, and the pictures, music and movies about the show make it irresistible to check out.
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