Cirque du Soleil® Is Coming Back to Riga with VarekaiTM!
For the first time in four years, Cirque du Soleil is coming back to Riga with Varekai this fall. The performances will take place from September 20th till 24th, 2017, at Arena Riga.
“Varekai, Tales of the Forest” tells the story that is as old as the hills. It picks up where the Greek myth leaves off. Icarus falls wounded from the sky into the shadows of a magical forest. Not to lose heart and to survive, he will have to reach the sky again. In his extraordinary adventures, Icarus will meet surreal creatures that inhabit the world located deep within a forest, at the summit of a volcano. At the edge of time, in this place of all possibilities, begins an inspired incantation to life rediscovered and love found that are the sum of all things.
All Cirque du Soleil’s productions are unique blends, and Varekai is an absolute proof to that. Piecing together all possible genres, arts and disciplines – original music, costumes, set design, choreography, live vocals, video-art and make-up solutions – at their heart these shows still have circus arts in all their manifestations, starting from street performances to high-tech and awe-aspiring aerial acts. This is how Cirque du Soleil invokes the imagination, provokes the senses and evokes the emotions of people around the world. An international cast of Varekai consists of 50 performers coming from 13 countries, including 6 musicians. On top of that, there are 50 crew members on tour – trainers, physiotherapists, wardrobe employees, stage managers, technical specialists and administrative personnel – who daily support the performance.
Cirque du Soleil’s International Headquarters (IHQ), located in Montreal, is a unique world-class creative laboratory and a huge training facility all at the same time. This is the place where directors, acrobats, designers, musicians, costume creators can bring any idea to life. Four training studios with a total area of 3291 square meters are here to address various training needs of the artists. Last year the artisans working at the production workshops (the ateliers) made some 14,000 or so costume elements and items, which took close to 30 kilometers of fabric from around the globe. There is also a residence to house artists that is also a part of Cirque du Soleil’s IHQ. It is always full of creative minds working on the current projects or artists who have just been hired by the company and are currently completing their preliminary trainings before joining one of Cirque du Soleil’s shows.
Varekai’s Artistic Director Bruno Darmagnac said, “Cirque du Soleil is excited to return in Riga with one of its classics - Varekai. The show has been touring in arenas for the past three years touching audiences around Europe, Russia and North America. Varekai is a story about love and hope. It’s about the ability to find the courage to reach out and open yourself to new experiences in times of struggle and adversity. This is something we are all confronted at one of point of our lives. Varekai is a great blend of stunning acrobatics, choreography, live music and funny clowns.”
About Cirque du Soleil:
From a group of 20 street performers at its beginnings in 1984, Cirque du Soleil is a major Québec-based organization providing high-quality artistic entertainment. The company has close to 4,000 employees, including 1,300 artists from more than 50 different countries. Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to more than 180 million spectators in more than 400 cities in over sixty countries on five continents.