KÀ (Cirque du Soleil)

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KÀ is a show by Cirque du Soleil at the MGM Grand Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada. $165 million was spent in creating the theatre and the show.^[1] It was created and directed by Robert Lepage.

KÀ is the first Cirque du Soleil production that deviates from the company's usual format; it is instead more like a Vegas production show than a traditional Cirque production. The presentation of the story is very straight-forward and easy to understand, unlike the more abstract visuals presented by other Cirque productions.

Contents 1 Creators 2 Stage 3 Choreography 4 Plot 4.1 Pre-show 4.2 Storyline 5 Music 6 Effects 7 Sound and video 8 KÀ in popular culture 9 References 10 External links

[edit] Creators

• Guy Laliberté - Guide (Founder and Chief Executive of Cirque du Soleil)
• Robert Lepage - Creator & Director
• Guy Caron - Director of Creation
• Mark Fisher - Theatre and Set Designer
• Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt - Costume Designer
• René Dupéré - Composer and Arranger
• Jacques Heim - Choreographer
• Luc Lafortune - Lighting Designer
• Jonathan Deans - Sound Designer
• Holger Förterer - Interactive Projections Designer
• Michael Curry - Puppet Designer
• Patricia Ruel - Props Designer
• Jaque Paquin - Acrobatic Equipment and Rigging Designer
• André Simard - Aerial Acrobatics Designer and Head Coach, Creation
• Nathalie Gagné - Make-Up Designer

[edit] Stage

KÀ is the only Cirque du Soleil production to lack a traditional 'stage' and instead relies on floating platforms that rotate and move with the performers on top. This floating stage, 25 x 50 feet and weighing 50 tons.^[2], twists from horizontal to vertical, sprouting poles for performers to climb, and can be covered with 'sand' (cork) for actors to hide within. The theatre and stage were designed by British architect Mark Fisher. The structural design of the stage platforms was by New York engineer Mal McLaren.

[edit] Choreography

In the choreography there were several different cultural martial arts. The main martial art used was Wushu during the fight scenes, followed then by Poi in which staffs and batons were used. The staff poi was often used during the fight scenes where there were staffs or spears and the batons were used by only one character, the Archer's Daughter. Among these was also a "Dualist Sword" which are two swords used at the same time by the same person, the martial art is greatly debated between poi and Wushu.

[edit] Plot

KÀ is a story about "conflict and love", of "imperial twins who are separated at the prime of their youth and have to undergo the rite of passage of self discovery. It is about their encounters with KÀ, the fire that has the dual power to destroy or illuminate."^[3]

[edit] Pre-show

There are four preshows for KÀ, unlike other Cirque du Soleil performances. Once the house opens, the guests are greeted by the villagers of KA ("Gatekeepers") with different professions such the Mayor and his wife, the healer, the gossip, etc. Twenty minutes before curtain two musicians enter the lobby and climb up to two stringed instruments specially designed for KÀ and integrated into the architecture. Ten minutes before the show in the theatre, actors appear in the metal framework to the left and right of the stage and perform flips and leaps assisted with ropes to dive into the audience and attempt to scare viewers. Five minutes before showtime a staged act unfolds demonstrating how there is to be no flash photography or cell phone usage.

[edit] Storyline

KÀ begins with the stage set as a ship. The twins are returning home, and preparations are in motion for their arrival. The boat docks, and the entire royal family is united. The court celebrates the return of the twins by displaying fantastic feats in a pageant. Upon finishing, it is time for the twins to resume their studies. However, pandemonium erupts when the court is attacked by a group of archers. The twins watch in horror as their parents, The Emperor and Empress, are assassinated in front of their eyes.

As the palace burns to the ground, the surviving members flee for their lives. The Twin Sister and Twin Brother, accompanied by their Nursemaid attempt to escape to a boat that will take them to safety. However, the Twin Brother is shot down by an arrow, and is left behind. The Court Jester jumps of the boat and saves the Twin Brother from what seemed to be his doom. The boat has also escaped, but encounters a terrible storm which sinks the vessel. As a soft piano and cello duet plays, the Nursemaid drowns in the water. The Twin Sister grabs hold of her, and quickly swims to the surface. ^[4]

The darkness fades, and the stage is set in the Archer's Den. The Chief Archer, The Evil Counselor and his men celebrate their victory from the destruction of the Imperial Palace. The Counselor's Son unveils his ultimate creation, a machine that "grinds bones with the magical ore to unleash the destructive power of fire". ^[5]

The Twin Sister, The Nursemaids and the zany Valets are reunited on a golden sandy beach. As they explore, they encounter giant sea-creatures, including a turtle, a star fish and a strange, blue caterpillar. The group then leaves, to try and find any other survivors. Close to here, the Court Jester and the Twin Brother have taken refuge in a cave. The Jester gently tries to nurse the Twin Brother's wounds. To distract him from his pain and fear, the Jester teaches the Twin Brother the art of shadow puppets. This beautiful moment is foiled by the archers, who, watching at a distance, plot their capture of the two. The Jester hears a sound, and investigates while leaving the Twin Brother alone. The Twin Brother also turns, and sees the face of the Chief Archer's Daughter. They meet eyes, but are interrupted as the Archer's leap out and capture him. The Chief Archer's Daughter watches hopelessly as the Twin Brother is carried away.^[6]

Meanwhile, The Twin Sister and her entourage are scaling a mountain, when they are also attacked by the Archers. The Archers are less successful at catching the group, but they are split up. The Twin Sister and The Nursemaid are re-united by a friendly Mountain Tribe. However, the Archers also manage to find the clan. Under the threat of being captured by the Archers, the Mountain Tribe save the Twin Sister by revealing their escape device - their simple tent dwelling transforms a miraculous man-powered flying machine. The group escapes, but the Twin Sister falls from the bird, plunging into a deep, lush forest.^[7]

The stage returns to the Archer's Den. The Twin Brother is placed inside a cage that he is helpless in. The Chief Archer's Daughter watches from a distance, holding the flutes that the Twins played before their lives were changed forever. All seems lost for the Twin Brother, until he finds a friend in the kind natured Chief Archer's Daughter, who dares approach him. She leans towards the cage to see the Twin Brother closer, when he darts forward and kisses her quickly and gently. The Chief Archer's Daughter is taken aback for a moment. Facing away from the Twin Brother, she secretly is quite smitten by him. After a tender moment and after great hesitation, the Chief Archer's Daughter releases the Twin Brother from his cage. She begs him to flee. Before he does, he gives the girl a present. He gives her the flutes, the precious ceremonial gifts that were treasured by their kingdom. The Twin Brother then flees, leaving the Chief Archer's Daughter in hope they will meet again. She cannot hide her joy - she expresses her love through a touching performance of dance using the Twins' flutes. All of this has been witnessed by the Counselor's Son, who has desired the Chief Archer's Daughter for years. Engulfed by the rage of his unrequited love, he prepares for war.^[8]

The stage lights up again, into the lush forest that the Twin Sister has fallen into. The magical forest is home to many creatures, including enormous bugs and a 80-foot long snake. As the Twin Sister falls, a dashing creature comes to her rescue. It is the Firefly Boy, who lives within the forest. He swoops down and rescues the daughter, before inviting her to dance within in the trees with him. Perched high above in the vines is one of the singers, singing a sweet and exotic melody for their acrobatic dance. Knowing that she must continue her search for her brother, The Twin Sister reluctantly leaves.^[9]

The Twin Brother and Sister are reunited at last. They inspire the other prisoners that were captured to stand up and fight against the slavers. The enormous slave cage is where the rebellion is staged, showing the prisoners performing death-defying jumps through the air. The prisoners are overjoyed to escape. The moment is only ruined by the sounds from the Drums of War. An army led, led by the Evil Counselor's Son and his father are preparing to crush the remains of the Empire once and for all. With the aid of the Firefly Boy and the people of the forest, the Twins lead a counter attack, and are victorious. In the Aftermath, we hear the cries of sorrow from the Counselor. He rushes to the side of his son, who lies dying in the center of the battlefield. The stage slowly disappears into darkness.^[10]

The stage lights up for a final time, revealing the same boat the twins used to return to the land. Triumphant after the battle, peace and harmony has been restored to all of the Empire. The Twins now rule the empire, and each has married their beloved met on their journey. The Chief Archer has vowed peace, and symbolizes this by breaking his bow over his knee. The Counselor's Son also returns. Although not dead, he has been blinded by the battle. To show he has learned the error of his ways, he makes a magnificent display through fireworks. KÀ ends the way it started; in celebration.^[11]

[edit] Music

KÀ features an off-stage band that accompanies the acting, acrobatics, and singing that takes place on stage. During various portions of the show, different musicians make appearances in the show, performing in costume directly on the stage. The vocals in KÀ are provided by a mezzo-soprano and an alto voice, both of which are female.

Originally, KÀ's score was to be composed by Benoit Jutras^[12]. However, Jutras left the show because of creative differences, and the music of KÀ was composed by René Dupéré, who also composed music for multiple Cirque productions, including Mystère at Treasure Island, and Cirque's 1994 production of Alegría.

The soundtrack for KÀ was released on the 18th of October, 2005. In addition to the original score, the soundtrack features several 'inspired by' tracks. Although the album is somewhat remixed, most of the content remains faithful to the show. Below is the track-listing of the soundtrack.

1. O Makunde
2. Pagent
3. Koudamare
4. Storm
5. Deep
6. Shadowplay
7. Pursuit
8. Forest
9. Flight
10. Threat
11. Love Dance
12. Battlefield
13. Aftermath
14. If I Could Reach Your Heart (inspired by 'O Makunde')
15. We've Been Waiting So Long (inspired by 'Shadowplay')
16. Reach For Me Now (inspired by 'Deep')

Directed by veteran Hollywood conductor, Simon Leclerc, The KÀ soundtrack features a symphonic orchestra of 57 musicians and a choir of over 40 singers, making KÀ Cirque Du Soleil's 'ambitious recording to date'^[13]. Rather than the usual tradition of the original singers performing on the show's soundtrack, KÀ features the voices of Élise Velle (René Dupéré's wife) and a young soprano boy named Philippe Lapan-Vandal. In addition, the 'inspired by' tracks, with the exception of 'If I Could Reach Your Heart' (performed by Élise Velle), feature the voice of Canadian world artist, Nitza Melas.

Through the music of KÀ, René Dupéré attempts to provoke emotions and feelings such as drama, emergency, energy, serene, passion and even 'trying to describe the birth of love'. Dupéré describes the music with an 'African flavor' and states that he wishes the audience to feel as if the show was 'full of energy'. Dupéré says that the music itself has no specific time-frame. 'It could be from medieval times or even 200 years in the future...the music itself is ageless' ^[14].

[edit] Effects

KÀ combines complex automation, pyrotechnics, puppetries, and multimedia projections that allow the audience to immerse in the story.

[edit] Sound and video

Every seat in the KÀ Theater is equipped with a pair of stereo speakers at ear level. The digitally-mixed audio system, of over 2,400 speakers^[15], can route sounds to these in-seat speakers, which when combined with the main house speaker system, can create a very dynamic surround sound audio experience.

The multimedia projection in the show utilizes both infrared video motion detecting as well as a system of touch sensitive panels beneath the surface of the main 'Sand Cliff' deck. This allows the system to track the location of individual performers and change the video content accordingly. A similar example of the infrared portion of this technology can be seen in some movie theatre lobbies where kids can step on and burst video projected bubbles.

[edit] KÀ in popular culture

• Footage of KÀ was featured in the premiere of the seventh season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Built To Kill, Part 1.

• KÀ was a part of the 2007 NBA All-Star Game half time show.

• KÀ was also featured in an episode of Really Big Things, on the Discovery Channel.

• The KÀ theater was used as the set for MTV's "Road Rules" series; episode 14 of the 2007 season.

• The performers from KÀ participated in part 1 of the first season finale of Top Chef, on Bravo.

• On 28 December 2007 the German national TV channel ZDF made history when they aired KÀ^[16].

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• KÀ on Cirque du Soleil's website
• KÀ on Mark Fisher's website
• Review of KÀ

v • d • e Cirque du Soleil troupes Alegría · Corteo · Dralion · KÀ · KOOZÅ · La Nouba · Love · Mystère · O · Quidam · Saltimbanco · Varekai · Wintuk · Zumanity