Saltimbanco

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Saltimbanco, was the oldest major touring show of Cirque du Soleil at the time of its last performance, having run from 1992-2006.

It is described by Cirque as a celebration of life. Its creators say they developed it to be an antidote to the violence and despair so prevalent in the 20th century. Saltimbanco offers its own vision of life, overflowing with optimism and joy. With its original score, Saltimbanco offers its own unique language conveyed through music, artistry, and singing.

Saltimbanco's last performance was in Brazil on December 3, 2006.

Contents

[edit] Trivia

Saltimbanco is the first Cirque du Soleil show to tour South America, with visits to Santiago, Chile (March 2006); Buenos Aires, Argentina (May 2006), São Paulo (August 2006) & Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (October 2006). Actually, it's last performance is occuring at this very minute in Rio....

[edit] Characters

Groups

  • Urban Worms
The faceless multitude, the masses, the bureaucrats. They are the status quo: they watch and follow, but never act.
  • Multicolored Worms
The Multicoloured Worms are the simplest of all beings, the origin of all life. Following their primal urges, they are concerned only with survival.
  • The Cavaliers
The Cavaliers are gentle protectors. They light our path through the world of Saltimbanco and point the way to the future.
  • The Baroques
The Baroques sleep under bridges and emerge to celebrate life. Defiant, rebellious, explosive, they are enlightened beings whose free spirits run wild.

Singular

  • Death
An ominous reminder of our own mortality, he challenges us to celebrate life, to experience the present as though we were taking our last breath.
  • Ringmaster
The Ringmaster likes to be the center of attention, and often steals the show. With is winning smile and natural charm, he usually gets away with it.
  • The Baron
What secrets lie behind the Baron's sardonic grin? Before you can find out, he has you locked in his hypnotic gaze. He beckons you with his gravelly voice. He is your timeless, ageless guide into the world of Saltimbanco.
  • The Dreamer
The moment he appears, the Sleeper falls asleep. When he does, amazing tableaus take shape. Has he conjured Saltimbanco from the depths of his imagination, or is he dreaming within the show?
  • The Child
Within the embrace of his parents, the child is safe. But the child must discover his own identity, and explore the world beyond his parents' influence. He appears to be like Eddie, playful and innocent.
  • Eddie
Eddie is a jester, a clown. He is the child within us all, who finds adventure in his own imagination. Whatever he needs, he invents.
  • The Singer
The Singer reflects all human emotion, the soul of Saltimbanco. Her language is universal-serenity and excitement, hope and joy, disappointment and melancholy.

[edit] Acts

Permanent

ACT I

  • Opening
Two masked figures, a man in yellow, and a woman in blue, and one unmasked figure, a small boy in white, take to the stage, the Multicolored worms watching from the sides. They perform a beautiful ballet full of feats of balance, strength, and flexibility. (Act performed to "Adagio" on the Soundtrack)
As the trio leaves, the worms approach four 25-foot tall poles in the middle of the stage. They climb up, drop down, jump between, hang from, and even spin on these poles before making their exit. (Act performed to "Saltimbanco" on the Soundtrack)
  • Tight Rope (Double Wire)
Next up, a pink-clad woman approaches the stage. As she ascends the wire, two more tightropes, one three feet higher than the other, are revealed. She performs many tricks; flips, spins, splits. She even backflips from one rope to the other, and then jumps back! As she descends back to the stage, the wires are removed, and what appears to be a parade circles the stage, leaving a raised yellow platform behind. (Performed to a mix of "Kaze" and "Norweg" on the Soundtrack)
A woman takes to the stage, holding in her hands three white balls. She begins to juggle these balls, while the Urban worms look on. As the worms begin to throw her some balls, the number she juggles increases. 4...5...6...7...even 8! As she descends from the platform, she bounces the balls of the steps, walking down with them. As she takes her leave, the stage turns black, giving way to the next act. (Performed to "Arlequin" on the Soundtrack)
  • Boleadoras
When the stage goes dark, two women approach the stage. They come to two wooden platforms set up the stage. When they come to the platforms, they reveal tap shoes. Also, they pull out metal weights, attached to strings wrapped around their hands. They twirl them precariously around their heads while tapping their feet, creating a beat which resounds throughout the tent. The beat speeds up and up until...the stage goes dark, ending the first act. (Music is unfeatured on the soundtrack)

ACT II

In the beginning of Act II, the Baron returns, taking the stage and performing a tap dance with a "tribal beat". This short bit later segues into an upbeat highlight of the show.

  • Russian Swing
As the stage lights up again, an odd contaption with a swinging platform suspended from a metal frame appears, with multiple artists upon it. They jump off the swing, performing twists, spins, and flips, before landing on the mat.
As the stage goes dark yet again, a spotlight focuses on a pair of twins, huddled together. As they break their huddle, they appear to be mystified. As they stand, they approach two vertical ropes hung from the ceiling. They climb the ropes, and eventually moving onto a trapeze. As they perform both static and swinging portions in their routine, the Baroques watch from below.
  • Hand-to-Hand
As the trapeze act ends, the stage gives way to two men standing on top of a table-like platform. One grabs the other by the hands, and the man he grabbed balances on his hands. Continuing with a routine of stinning balancing maneuvers, these two truly make a great team!
As the Hand to Hand Ends, the stage goes dark one last time. This time, giving way to four Cavaliers, accompanying four white clad figures to the stage. As they lie down on the stage, the Baroques attach bungee cords to their waists. Soon, they rise up to the top of the big top, and bounce through the air. The artists flip, sway, and bounce in time with each other in perfect synchronization. As the act ends, so does the show...
  • Closing
The Baroques return and fly through the air on bungee cords as the band plays out another joyful tune. As the Singer sings out "Horere Ukunde", the show comes to an end.

In Rotation

A man enters the stage, entirely dressed in glowing white. In his hands, he holds two sticks, each attached to opposite ends of a string. On the string, he spins the Diabolo, an object that appears like a spool of thread. He throws the diabolo, and performs many tricks with it, entirely leaving the audience in awe.

Past Acts

Three women take to the stage, dressed in primary colors. They begin an acrobatic dance using ribbons and balls that creates a beautiful feeling of peace throughout the big top.
One of the first Saltimbanco acts, an awe inspirig one man Spanish web act.
After the Lorador brothers (hand-to-hand act) left Saltimbanco, an empty slot was left in the show. This was filled by the four contortionists from Nouvelle Experience, with an act virtually the same as in Nouvelle, but with new music created especially for the act.

[edit] Soundtrack

Unlike the usual Cirque soundtrack, the Saltimbanco soundtrack has come through with 3 versions, unlike the usual 2.

Original 1992

  1. Kumbalawé
  2. Barock
  3. Kazé
  4. Amazonia
  5. Norweg
  6. Urgence
  7. Pokinoï
  8. Saltimbanco
  9. Il Sogno di Volare
  10. Horéré Ukundé
  11. Rideau

Extended Version Released in 2001

  1. Kumbalawé
  2. Barock
  3. Kazé
  4. Amazonia
  5. Norweg
  6. Urgence
  7. Pokinoï
  8. Saltimbanco
  9. Il Sogno di Volare
  10. Horéré Ukundé
  11. Rideau
  12. Adagio (Live)
  13. Arlequin (Live)

2005 Version

  1. Kumbalawé
  2. Saltimbanco
  3. Cantus-Mélopée (Performed by Laurence Janot)
  4. Norweg
  5. Kazé
  6. Barock
  7. Adagio (Performed by Laurence Janot)
  8. Amazonia
  9. Pokinoï
  10. Il Sogno di Volare (Performed by Laurence Janot)
  11. Horéré Ukundé
  12. Rideau

Also there was a CD release to the staff members of Saltimbanco: "Saltimbanco live". It is very rare to come by. It's a 2 disc set and it features the music of the entire show.

[edit] External Links

  • Alexis Brothers Official website of Marco and Paulo Lorador, the original hand-to-hand act in Saltimbanco.


Cirque du Soleil Troupes

Alegría • Corteo • Dralion • Kà • La Nouba • Love • Mystère • O • Quidam • Saltimbanco • Varekai • Zumanity
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