Cirque Michael Jackson

The Associated Press

Date: Tuesday Apr. 20, 2010 1:33 PM ET

LOS ANGELES — First the Beatles and Elvis, now Michael Jackson.

The acrobatic troupe Cirque du Soleil announced Tuesday that it will put on a live touring show featuring the songs of the King of Pop starting late next year.

That will be followed by a permanent production in Las Vegas in 2012 at a property owned by casino operator MGM Mirage.

The casino company did not say which venue will host the show.

Cirque and Jackson’s estate will each own 50 percent of the project and share equally in the cost of putting it on. The estate will also receive royalties from the use of Jackson’s music and other property.

And CNN.com:
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/04/20/michael.jackson.cirque/index.html?eref=edition

Los Angeles, California (CNN) — Cirque du Soleil and Michael Jackson’s estate have struck a deal to bring the late pop star’s music to the big tent starting next year.

The show will go on tour near the end of 2011, and a Las Vegas, Nevada, show will debut the following year, according to Cirque du Soleil President and CEO Daniel Lamarre.

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Leoš Janáček – String Quartet No. 2, ‘Intimate Letters’ (1 of 4)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jh7aXjRj08

I did not like this piece on first listen – then I read about it’s background: the description of Janacek’s unrequited love and pining. And now the piece is very powerful to me.

Janacek once wrote: “I maintain that a pure musical note means nothing unless it is pinned down in life, blood and locale; otherwise, it is a worthless toy.”

And that is exactly true for this piece, the “Intimate Letters”. How many songs do we each have in our personal lives that are tied to a certain event or emotion that triggers our memory when we hear it? Or to have a piece like this framed with new information so the performance takes on a deeper perceived meaning.

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The Clowns of Cirque Du Soleil

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVwRv7tnRcA

A montage of the clowns of Cirque Du Soleil. I see Dimitri Hatton here from our ZAIA Cirque show doing his Montgolfiere passage and “Mad Conductor” act. I’m sure that Onofrio Colucci is also in this video but I’m not sure which clown he is (formerly with “O” and Zaia, currently with ZED in Tokyo).

You’ll also see Brian Dewhurst from Mystere. I had the chance to see Mystere performed in Vegas several years ago and the pre-show antics of Dewhurst stand out in my memory as one of the highlights of the show. He is SO funny.

John Cage 4’33”

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUJagb7hL0E

You might have heard the piece 4’33” (Four minutes and 33 seconds) by John Cage for piano, but here it is presented by a full orchestra.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcHnL7aS64Y

John Cage talks about Silence. “We don’t know a difference between time and space, we don’t know where one starts and the other stops.”

Where do Musicals come from?

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbltJNYaH0k

Where do Musicals come from? Also on my blog you can find related clips from “Broadway: The Golden Age”. I own this movie and it’s fantastic for giving an understanding of the roots and development of the American Broadway Musical. This short clip here is from the same producers. (In fact I did a glowing review of the film and one of the producers posted a comment here on my blog – not THAT’S cool.)

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TOTEM by Cirque Du Soleil – Trailer

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOA6q88PssE

Official Cirque Du Soleil TOTEM trailer. Opening May 2010.

TOTEM traces the fascinating journey of the human species from its original amphibian state to its ultimate desire to fly. The characters evolve on a stage evoking a giant turtle, the symbol of origin for many ancient civilizations.

TOTEM retrace le périple fascinant de lespèce humaine, de son état primitif damphibien jusquà son désir ultime de voler. Ses personnages évoluent sur une piste en forme de tortue géante, symbole dorigine de plusieurs civilisations anciennes.

http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/totem

Cirque du Soleil has unveiled details about Totem, its acrobatic show inspired by the founding myths and legends of aboriginal cultures and slated to premiere in Montreal in April 2010.

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Cirque says Macau ZAIA here to stay

Jerry Nadal (senior vice-president for resident shows of Cirque du Soleil): ‘We’re here for the long hall’ as reported April 7, 2010 in the Macau Daily Times. Full article posted here with link to original MDT article at end of post.

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