Cirque is GONE???

[dancingfish]

So for those of you who just got back-- If Cirque is gone what have they replaced them with for entertainment???

[sal7202]

Add me to the list of folks who say "Good Riddance to Bad Garbage"! IMO, Cirque was pretentious at best, and the Bar at the Edge of the Earth was an abomination. They took what was a wonderful space and transformed it into something straight out of The Munsters.

[toban]

We saw the Cirque performance on the Summit in '06 and enjoyed it thoroughly. I would say it was a huge step above the usual array of washed up ventriloquists or magicians. I dont think its quite fair to compare it to a land based show. We were also hoping to see the show on the Constellation.

[Rev22:17]

superjerryw,

 

The addition of the Cirque show was part of the rebranding that took place a couple of years ago to try and give Celebrity the appearance of a more upscale cruise line. Now that the bean counters are in charge and they start to dumb down the cruise experience I'm sure we can look forward to seeing the Cirque show replaced by a jug band...:rolleyes:

 

Rather, Celebrity got rid of the Cirque du Soleil arrangement because there was a LOT of negative reaction to it from passengers. When the "Bar at the Edge of the Earth" was introduced, it quickly became the most deserted place on the ship. Yes, the "bean counters" noticed the drop in sales of beverages there, but there was a reason for it -- and it was backed up by 99% negative feedback on evaluations.

 

The Cirque du Soleil shows in the Celebrity Theater, introduced when they scrapped the "Bar at the Edge of the Earth" concept, drew a lukewarm reaction at best. They apparently were no better than the acrobats and other specialty acts that perform in Celebrity's regular production shows.

 

Overall, the Cirque du Soleil arrangement proved to be one of the worst "bombs" in the history of cruising. Good riddance!

 

Norm.

[Drew B]

The Cirque du Soleil shows in the Celebrity Theater, introduced when they scrapped the "Bar at the Edge of the Earth" concept, drew a lukewarm reaction at best. They apparently were no better than the acrobats and other specialty acts that perform in Celebrity's regular production shows.

 

I'm not sure about that part. On my last cruise, every seat in the theater AND all of the standing room was filled nearly 45 minutes before the show started. With pretty much ALL of the other shows (certainly the production shows), the theater never completely filled. That should tell you there was some demand...

[wieslaw]

Saw this on the forum (Tbelian is on the Constellation now)

 

"In answer to the Cirque question. They are gone. Off contract effective 1/1/2007. Word was when the contract was up, they wanted a big increase, and did not get it. It was an expensive show for 1 performance each cruise, and they were already highly paid. This comes from butler Rusty, and cruise director Don Fluke."

 

Can anyone confirm this? We are on Constellation later this month, and were really looking forward to the show!:(

 

Nancy

 

Nancy there are two "Cirque" shows not far from you before you start your cruise.......so if you really want to see them.......

 

Cirque Du Soleil - Delirium Jan 24, 2007

Wed 8:00 PM Auburn Hills, MI

Palace Of Auburn Hil... View Tickets Cirque Du Soleil - Delirium Jan 25, 2007

Thu 8:00 PM Auburn Hills, MI

Palace Of Auburn Hil...

 

Wes

[ClothesRail]

Good riddance I say. I am in the entertainment business and I thought the Cirque performance we witnessed on board was pathetic. Certainly not worth any extra fees.

Anyone who has seen a full Cirque show will appreciate that this was a poor relation. We actually got talking to the performers as they were on an excursion with us. They were new to the company and it seems likely that Cirque were using the ships as the 'breaking in' for new performers.

Ships company dancers, especialy the adagio ones are usually just as good and, often, much better.

[excitedofharpenden]

Add me to the list of folks who say "Good Riddance to Bad Garbage"! IMO, Cirque was pretentious at best, and the Bar at the Edge of the Earth was an abomination. They took what was a wonderful space and transformed it into something straight out of The Munsters.

Now come on sal. Don't beat around the bush. Tell us what you really think;)

 

One of the best acts I saw on ship were the aerialists, Jean Claude and Gaby whilst they were on Mercury (or maybe Galaxy?). Excellent to watch and I'm sure a match for any of the Cirque shows on board. I have seen pictures of the Bar at the Edge of the Earth and it looked tatty. From the general feedback I have read on the boards I would have been interested to see the show, but now I am not able to, I won't worry too much.

 

BTW, I was fortunate enough to see the Cirque's "Love" show in Vegas a couple of months ago. Truly spectacular. If you get the chance, go and see it.

 

Phil

[Eleris]

Saw it twice onboard, thought the X-dancer's did a better job and didn't have the arrogance in their performance. WAY over rated! Give me the X performers any day. Those kids work hard to entertain us and are the nicest people when they aren't working! Cirque dancers were on some of our excursions in Europe and a hello was not part of there routine.

[Sky Sweet]

Add me to the list of folks who say "Good Riddance to Bad Garbage"! IMO, Cirque was pretentious at best, and the Bar at the Edge of the Earth was an abomination. They took what was a wonderful space and transformed it into something straight out of The Munsters.

 

Hi Sal :)

 

I agree with you about what they did with that space renamed "Bar at the Edge of the Earth". During our first Celebrity Cruise, which was on Infinity to Alaska in 2001, our favorite evening venue was its comparable lounge where we would dance the night away to a very good band in a beautiful setting while meeting many wonderful passengers. A year later we cruised on Millennium and did the same. With this in mind, it really saddened me to see what became of that space on Constellation, which was usually empty, and look forward to the possibility that it will be restored to its original use.

[superjerryw]

 

The Cirque du Soleil shows in the Celebrity Theater, introduced when they scrapped the "Bar at the Edge of the Earth" concept, drew a lukewarm reaction at best. They apparently were no better than the acrobats and other specialty acts that perform in Celebrity's regular production shows.

 

Overall, the Cirque du Soleil arrangement proved to be one of the worst "bombs" in the history of cruising. Good riddance!

 

Norm.

 

When I saw the Cirque de Soleil show I would hardly say the reaction was lukewarm. Rather, they were given a standing ovation. The only thing the audience found disappointing was that the show was only about 35 minutes in length. The cast members were as good as any in land based Cirque based shows. As already mentioned, it was standing room only, unless many other performaces in the Celebrity theatre.

 

By the way, you said "They apparently were no better than the acrobats and other specialty acts that perform in Celebrity's regular production shows." Can we infer from this comment that you did not actually see the Cirque show on board a Celebrity ship....

[Sky Sweet]

On one of our recent cruises, someone told me that Cirque de Soleil has a history of recruiting young people who are down on their luck, such as prostitutes, and training them to perform in their shows. If Cirque de Soleil actually does this, I admire them for being so altruistic. Does anyone know if this is true?

[elena7seas]

Sky Sweet...the answer to your question is more complicated than a simple yes or no answer. Please read to the end of the following article from "Tabaret - The Magazine of the University of Ottawa" (Canada)....

 

http://www.tabaret.uottawa.ca/article_e_307.html

 

The Serious Side of the Cirque du Soleil

 

by Geneviève L. Picard

 

ARRIVING AT THE HEADQUARTERS of the Cirque du Soleil, visitors are greeted by a gigantic bronze clown’s shoe, big enough for an adult to crawl inside. The shoe is completely worn out, with flapping sole and frayed laces. It conveys the world-weariness of the professional clown who has spent a lifetime making people laugh, collecting scrapes, bruises and dust along the way.

 

The sculpture pays homage to the street performers of the Cirque du Soleil. Even before the Cirque was formed in 1984, its artists — stilt walkers, jugglers, fire eaters, musicians and dancers — had launched the Fête foraine de Baie Saint-Paul. “We had no pretence of changing the world,” recalls Chantal Côté, one of the Cirque’s press agents. “We were just a bunch of freaks who wanted to bring joy to our audience.”

 

Today, in 2006, the Cirque is an international corporation with 3,000 employees, including 900 artists. It has entertained 50 million people in hundreds of cities around the world. But the Cirque has not forgotten its humble beginnings. It has maintained an artistic sensitivity to its environment and makes a point of acting responsibly towards the community.

 

The One Per Cent Solution

 

ACCORDING TO Gil Favreau, director of social affairs and international cooperation at the Cirque du Soleil, social action has been “anchored in the genetic code” of the Cirque from the start. “When we visit a city or town, we get in touch with the mayor, the baker… It is extremely important to forge links with the community.” And what was true of the small troop of travelling acrobats in the early 1980s is even more important today, with some 40 employees now focusing on social development.

 

The Cirque’s CEO is also a passionate supporter of this commitment. Daniel Lamarre (BA 76 and winner of the 2004 Meritas Tabaret award), notes that the Cirque contributes one per cent of its net income to social programs. “We believe that if everyone contributed one per cent of profits, world hunger could be eliminated,” says Lamarre.

 

The Cirque’s outreach program is based on three pillars: social arts, fundraising and community involvement. It focuses exclusively on their chosen cause: youth at risk. “We’re talking about young people who might well give us the finger on the street, but, like all other youth, have their place in society,” says Gil Favreau with a grin.

 

GIL FAVREAU states the obvious: “We are artists, and what we do best is art!” Leveraging this expertise, the Cirque has developed a number of outreach programs over the years, but the most important is undoubtedly Cirque du monde. Since 1993, Cirque du monde has supported the personal and social development of young people at risk not only in Canada, but also in South Africa and Australia, in Brazil and Mexico, in Burkina Faso, in Cameroon, in Mongolia, and so on. In all, 59 communities in 19 countries have benefited from these circus workshops, which are led by artists specially trained for the program, supported by social workers.

 

Cirque du monde instructors meet regularly with a group of young people over several months, working to develop cooperation, mutual assistance and shared goals. The workshops teach youth the rudiments of circus performance, both on stage and behind the scenes.

 

“There may well be a performance in the end,” explains Gil Favreau, “but the final objective is to develop self-esteem. The community’s attitude towards these young people has a significant impact.” Learning is a two-way street, and the Cirque du Soleil has garnered in return an impressive store of knowledge on outreach strategies for the youth of Africa, Mongolia, etc.

 

Examining social initiatives launched by corporations, you often find a strong publicity undercurrent, according to Michael Mulvey, professor of marketing at the University of Ottawa’s School of Management and currently guest professor at Rutgers Business School, New Jersey. However, “the Cirque seems to be committed to having a social impact, and it really appears that the entire organization is behind the project. The Cirque does much more than contribute money; it gives its time and some of its intellectual capital, it shares its expertise and its passion, trying to spark something.”

 

The Cirque du Soleil has also developed a unique way to support organizations working with youth at risk. “In each city the Cirque visits, we select a group that has a local outreach program,” explains Gil Favreau. “We give them tickets to our shows—prime tickets for prime shows.” The organization can then resell the tickets in draws or raffles. In Los Angeles, for instance, the Cirque donated 1,000 tickets to its California-based partner, who sold them at slighter higher than face value and used the entire proceeds to fund its outreach activities. The Cirque also invites youth members of the sponsored organization to a special preview performance.

 

In addition, the Cirque provides financial assistance to two circus schools working with youth at risk: the Circo para Todos in Colombia and Circus Ethiopia in Ethiopia.

 

A Tribe that Nurtures its Ideals

 

GIL FAVREAU is clear: In everything it does, the Cirque endeavours to be a good corporative citizen. “Even though we are only a ‘small’ company of 3,000 in this gigantic world we live in, we are a tribe with a firm belief in our values.”

 

For example, the international headquarters of the Cirque du Soleil is located in the Saint-Michel district of Montréal. There the Cirque has worked to revitalize this poor neighbourhood. It has become the driving force behind the ambitious TOHU project (la Cité des arts du cirque de Montréal). This unique initiative stems from a partnership that combines the forces of several Canadian circus organizations located in the area: the École nationale de cirque, En Piste (le regroupement national des arts du cirque) and the Cirque du Soleil.

 

This commitment to the community is also evident in the cities visited by the Cirque’s touring companies and in the cities where the Cirque has set up permanent shows (Las Vegas, Orlando and soon Tokyo). “In Las Vegas,” Gil Favreau offers as an example, “our employees work on volunteer projects with local communities, run in marathons, and organize fundraisers to buy Christmas baskets.”

 

Even canvass from old circus tents is converted into sturdy carrying bags that are prized by the public for their originality and unique style — a great example of recycling and reuse.

 

“It’s good if there is some sort of harmony or resonance between the cause and the organization,” stresses professor Mulvey. For the Cirque du Soleil, the cause flows naturally from its very identity.

 

“When we were long-haired youth, older people in brushcuts and ties believed in us,” remembers Gil Favreau. So it only makes sense for the Cirque to provide opportunities to today’s young people, now that it has the means to realize its dreams. “In all honesty, this is one of the things I am most proud of,” concludes Daniel Lamarre.

 

Working with the Circus

 

Through Cirque du monde, the Cirque has already recruited a young athlete from Rio, Brazil who has demonstrated remarkable prowess with the Chinese pole and bungee jumping. But this is the exception that proves the rule, because the program’s aim is definitively not to recruit new artists for the Cirque du Soleil.

“Our athletes are all professionals,” stresses Marceline Goldstein (BSc 03), acrobat scout for the Cirque. The Cirque’s scouts look mainly for athletes who are winding up their competitive careers as well as former circus performers.