Talk:Quidam

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[edit] Hit?

A hit among "everyone else" seems like a dangerous generalization and a bit NPOV... perhaps it can be toned down? (The Swami 00:58, 20 December 2005 (UTC))

  • Suggestion seconded - it is a broad, non-neutral claim. (HueyCobra 13:37, 26 March 2006 (UTC))

[edit] Long Beach & Cincinnati (2006)

I'm deleting my original reviews since I just posted them on a separate web page along with my new reviews plus photos of 3 Cincinnati shows; see www.lmlk.com/quidam. As a historical note of interest, it was these Long Beach performances that inspired me to build up this Quidam entry for the Wikipedia, along with several other pages mentioned in the See Also section (plus a separate entry for the CD mentioned in the Music section).--Funhistory 19:50, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Sydney (2004)

Quidam was my first Cirque show too. Vis Versa featured but Hand-balancing was absent as Olga Pikhienko had already left the show to join Varekai. I recall no errors though any number of things could have escaped my observation as it was hard to take stock of everything at times. The clown movie scene went for at least 10 minutes, presumably to compensate for the absent act. No Juggling in Sydney if I recall correctly. (HueyCobra 13:37, 26 March 2006 (UTC))

  • There probably wasn't Juggling in Sydney as the performer (Steven Ragatz) only reprised his role in January 2006 in San Diego, CA. Also, by 2004, a new handbalancer had already replaced Olga - Marina Trouchina. However, as the act was in rotation, I presume that it just so happened that on the day you watched the show, it was out.

[edit] John's Radio Stations

Funhistory, I would like to applaud your continued editing and improvement of the Quidam pages (if only we had an editor of your calibre for Alegría!). Regarding the 'pre-show mayhem' ("Show Notes" subsection of the Trivia section), in Sydney 2004 John tuned the radio to play some bars of music from Alegría and Saltimbanco, which had toured Australia in 2001 and 1999 respectively. (During Francesca Gagnon's singing, John mimed gagging at the soppy tune!) Do you think this tongue-in-cheek reference to previous touring shows is standard? HueyCobra 04:27, 23 April 2006 (UTC)

I think it's a pre-recorded message that has been identical at each show in its history, completely unrelated to previous shows at each new venue, but I have no way of knowing. All I can tell you is that the 2 most recent shows in our vicinity have been Dralion & Varekai, & none of their music was played on John's radio. John's finger-in-the-mouth is standard; I'm sure it's just a sibling-rivalry thing since he's a star in Quidam, & she's an excellent star in Alegría! By the way, are you 100% positive the clip you heard was from Saltimbanco? Please listen to the first 10 seconds of "Eclipse". And thanks for the compliment! It's the least I can do (aside from emptying my bank account for Quidam tickets) to show my appreciation for these remarkable performers!--Funhistory 22:56, 23 April 2006 (UTC)
Now that I think about it, I have no way of knowing what that other music was as I am not particularly familiar with Saltimbanco and have never seen or heard Nouvelle Experience. So I am probably incorrect. However, I think it makes more sense to poke fun at the most recent shows to have previously visited the city. Especially in Australia, where I think Cirque remains a niche interest despite the ticket sales. At any rate, I stand corrected, and won't presume to tell the troupe how to run their show! HueyCobra 07:59, 24 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Enhanced CD Stuff

I've moved this discussion content to the discussion page for the Quidam CD.--Funhistory 00:17, 9 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Soundtrack Titles & 2 "Unpublished" Songs

I've noticed that the song used in Handbalancing (or was, since there is no Handbalancing being performed at the moment) is named as 'Equilibrage' and the song for John's manipulation is 'Gopher'. Are these official names released by the Cirque?

Since "Equilibrage" has never been officially released on a CD, it is an unofficial title (note that the official French name for the Handbalancing act is "Equilibre"); however, I'll ask an insider & post another message here soon. It may very well be that the anonymous person who added the name here on 21 April 2006 actually meant -bre instead of -brage. "Gopher" is not Cirque's music, but an old recording by Yma Sumac, & that was its official name.--Funhistory 19:28, 7 June 2006 (UTC)
There are no official titles for the Handbalancing, Spanish Webs, or Cloud Swing songs since they've never been formally published (apart from the video). According to a present band member I've communicated with, all the song clips used in the show are nicknamed for the original artists (e.g., "Isabelle", "Olga", "Petra", etc.). These nicknames were in use while the show was still in its formative stages prior to the release of the soundtrack CD in 1996. I like hearing tidbits like this! By the way, the 2 "unpublished" songs offered as promotional downloads for fans who bought pre-sale tickets to Cincinnati shows with their American Express card are just "Misere" & "Enfants" (with a couple minutes of narration before/after) that were published on the European CD. I had hoped that they'd be "Olga" & "Petra"!--Funhistory 02:06, 10 June 2006 (UTC)
That's the first time I've heard this nickname thing, cool stuff. As far as I know, for other shows like Alegria, they refer to the songs by the act's name in French (such as Cerceaux and Corde Lisse). I'm not really surprised that the "unpublished" songs are Misere and Enfants, although I'm dying to hear a studio version of Handbalancing (or "Olga"!) It was just rather disappointing because they aren't even "unpublished", it was just that it was released at a later date. Any idea as to what the narration before/after the clips were talking about?
This first part is read by a lady while "Rivage" plays in the background: "On the occasion of Quidam's North American tour, Cirque du Soleil & American Express are proud to offer you 2 exclusive songs, recorded before a live audience under an Amsterdam big top in 1999. Composed by Benoit Jutras, the music of Quidam is of remarkable, dramatic intensity, drawing on influences that range from Classical music to the most eclectic & contemporary sounds. Benoit Jutras' enchanting music accompanies & envelopes the show. The first song, "Misere", is interpreted by Richard Price. In lyrical tones, this piece accompanies the spectacular Banquine act, performed by 15 Slavic artists. You will then hear the melodius voice of young soprano, Audrey Brisson-Jutras in "Enfants d'acier", a duet she performs with Richard Price." (Then both songs play back-to-back. Then she returns.) Thank you for taking the time to listen to this exclusive recording from "Quidam", available only to American Express cardmembers. You can find the album, "Quidam", on our website, & in all music stores. The 2 songs that you have just heard are not included on the album. If you would like more information, or wish to join Cirque Club, please check out our website at www.cirquedusoleil.com." Then a snippet of "Zydeko" plays. Notice that nowhere does she use the word "unpublished", but that's the word used on the Cirque Club website for the tease: "Cirque du Soleil and AMERICAN EXPRESS are proud to present this EXCLUSIVE MUSIC SOUNDTRACK SAMPLER FEATURING TWO UNPUBLISHED MUSIC SELECTIONS from the Cirque du Soleil show Quidam, recorded before a live audience under an Amsterdam big top in 1999."--Funhistory 14:20, 11 June 2006 (UTC)
Issue #32 (Apr 2004) of the Fascination! newsletter has this quote from an IRC chat with Quidam's drummer, BJ > Q: "What's the name to the Handbalancing song again?" BJ: "I have no idea what the name of the handbalancing song is. We don't use the commercial names of the record. We just call the tunes by the names of the act." Remembered reading that ages ago (it took me forever to find again) and hope it's of interest. Cheers, HueyCobra 14:50, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Banquine=Bend?

Quoting the article: "Banquine An Italian acrobatic tradition going back to the Middle Ages that combines gymnastics and ballet. Showcasing the agility of the human body (in Russian it means "to bend"[...]" Well, Russian is my native language, but I am not aware of any Russian word that means "to bend" and sounds even remotely close to "banquine".

[7.7] What is "Banquine"?
"Banquine" is an Italian acrobatic tradition which goes as far
back as the Middle Ages. It is a combination of gymnastics and
ballet. The literal definition of the word in Russian is "To Bend".
I too suspected it was in conflict with a supposedly Italian acrobatic tradition. Since it's no big deal, I don't mind deleting it.--Funhistory 05:18, 7 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Unpublished Aerial Hoops Melody

I don't know if I'm just missing something dumb, but it seems to me that there is another piece of music playing during the Hoops descent (before Séisouso) that isn't listed in the article or on the CD. Does anyone know what that is, or is it, too, unpublished?

Unpublished (aside from being on the video). I love that piano! A segment of it is included on the enhanced CD program. There's another completely unpublished clip of music on that program that I've been meaning to mention here. It's not used on the video, & it's not very memorable, so that's probably why it got dropped (or was never used in the actual show).--Funhistory 14:39, 25 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Aerial Straps

I'm pretty sure that Aerial Straps, when it was still an act in Quidam (now that it's in Corteo), was not placed between German Wheel and Diabolos. I can't put my finger on where it is, but I think it's somewhere in the second act. Also, the clown acts aren't placed in the correct places, so maybe the part where it says "in order of appearance" should be removed.

I just got back from seeing 3 shows in Cincinnati, & will have several minor updates to the order of the show. But a quick response regarding Straps is that at one point, it opened the show instead of German Wheel. That's why I positioned it near the beginning. Maybe I'll just clarify the notes about the order. Give me a few days. I'm so excited! I was able to speak to a few of the performers (10--but who's counting?) briefly last night, & saw a special performance of Banquine along with the show's founders (Guy & Franco) who attended Thursday night's show.--Funhistory 04:51, 10 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Official Minor Act Names

I just obtained a copy of the Running Order published by Michelin for the 2000/2001 England shows, which lists "Petit Salon", "Hoops", "Darts", & "Coat Rack" as the official names. Unfortunately it does not name the airwalking segue, or the Egares transformation scenes. Nonetheless, it is still nice to know these names. I am so upset with myself that I didn't seek out a similar Running Order brochure at the Cincinnati shows last week. They're supposedly available at a special American Express booth, which was probably located in the tickets trailer, but it didn't jump out at me, & I totally forgot.--Funhistory 15:49, 17 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] List of Quidam's Itinerary

A group of wiki users disinterested in Quidam deleted the the List of Quidam's itinerary page, & expressed the opinion that info such as the Official Programs section does not belong on Wikipedia. What I like about Wikipedia is that it contains information not assembled anywhere else. Their policy to not allow links to fan sites, combined with their new campaign to eliminate fan material such as I've assembled on this main Quidam page, will eventually produce a Wikipedia that I (& presumably many others) will have no interest in visiting. With less info on Wikipedia, Google results will be primarily other sites that are more information-rich.--Funhistory 14:52, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Fair use rationale for Image:CirqueDuSoleilQuidam.jpg

Image:CirqueDuSoleilQuidam.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in Wikipedia articles constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.BetacommandBot 19:35, 2 June 2007 (UTC)