''Circus of the Sun'' to bring story about ladybug to Kazan
The jubilee show of Cirque du Soleil starts in the Tatarstan capital on 23 May
Cirque du Soleil brings a new show to Russia. Spectators of Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan, Tolyatti, Ekaterinburg and Sochi will see it. The Russia tour of OVO show begins in Saint Petersburg on 28 April. The ''Circus of the Sun'' be in Kazan on 23 May, it's the day of the Kazan premiere. The performances of the show will last to 27 May and be traditionally held at Tatneft Arena. Realnoe Vremya tells the details.
Planet of insects
During the online conference in Realnoe Vremya's editorial last summer, in answer to the question of readers about future tours in Kazan, Director General of the ''Circus of the Sun'' in Russia Natalia Romanova replied the schedule of tours for 2018 was under discussion and she wanted the capital of Tatarstan to be on it. ''Little left to be done – to make up a budget to look what forecasts we have. Firstly, we look at the payback of a tour,'' Natalia Romanova explained then.
According to her, tours are an expensive pleasure because logistic costs are high. If an ''arena'' show goes, while precisely such shows go to Kazan after Corteo, the essentials, the equipment need about 25 trucks. And it's not the end. In addition, Cirque du Soleil tries to make ticket prices available. To the delight of Kazan fans of the Canadian circus, all is fine. Realnoe Vremya found out the new show was going to come to Kazan in the last spring month.
The show OVO became the 25th staging of Cirque du Soleil whose premiere was in Montreal in 2009 when the company celebrated its 25th anniversary. As it usually happens in the Canadian circus, the show has its own history. Cirque du Soleil looked for an idea for its jubilee show, and a colony of insects that inhabited its bright universe was the perfect embodiment of the concept of the harmonic coexistence of diverse types.
Although they rarely consider the entomology as something elegant, the work of director and choreographer Deborah Colker managed to give the world of beetles and spiders elegance, enchantment and charm. ''Spectators will live one day in the colony of flying, extremely curious, dangerous and great inhabitants of the OVO world in order to enjoy the sunrise, feel the joy of flying, feel the necessity, overcome one's fears and, finally, fall in love.''
''When a mysterious egg appears in their midst, the insects are awestruck and intensely curious about this iconic object that represents the enigma and cycles of their lives. It's love at first sight when a gawky, quirky insect arrives in this bustling community and a fabulous ladybug catches his eye — and the feeling is mutual,'' the circus's page says.
Cirque du Soleil can't create a show without a certain humanistic philosophy. And OVO analyses not only about the nature, flexibility of insects and acrobatics but also the idea of being different, which is a characteristic of Cirque du Soleil whose employees represent almost 50 countries and speak 25 languages.
''Citizens of Kazan were shouting 'Bravo'!''
This is what the show's creators tell about it. Tim Bennett, art director of the show, says that families will like OVO and children will love it. The themes and meanings of the show are universal. Even if you've already seen Cirque du Soleil many times, OVO will acquaint people with new sides of their work. Spectators will sink in a new fantasy. The colony of charming OVO inspects are looking forward to meeting Russian spectators and the team – acquainting Russia because learning and cooperation unite us.
''Cirque du Soleil brings a show to Russia that ideally suits kids for the first time. Children will be able to enjoy the game of characters, bright colours, Brazilian music and rapid acrobatics, while parents can enjoy the greatest mastery, perfection of costumes and live musical performance,'' thinks Natalia Romanova, director general of the ''Circus of the Sun'' in Russia.
What interesting will the show offer the spectators? If we believe the trailer, OVO offers ''to rush into a colourful ecosystem teeming with life, where insects work, eat, crawl, flutter, play, fight and look for love in a non-stop riot of energy and movement. The insects' home is a world of biodiversity and beauty filled with noisy action and moments of quiet emotion.
The hidden, secret world at our feet is revealed as tender and torrid, noisy and quiet, peaceful and chaotic. And as the sun rises on a bright new day the vibrant cycle of insect life begins anew,'' the show's creators tell.
What does the word OVO mean? The name of the staging is translated from the Portuguese language as ''egg''. An egg is one of the most ancient symbols of life and birth of many of its forms, including insects that inhabit our universe. The gigantic elements of the decoration – a nine-metre flower, an egg of 8,5 metre of height, a wall that serves as a projection that performs as small forest – it destroys the perspective, and spectators really feel tiny.
The history of costumes for the show is interesting. ''Liz Vandal took her inspiration from many sources, including certain fashion designers such as Pierre Cardin, who focused on graphic lines and geometric shapes. She was also inspired by the slashed sleeves of Renaissance garments. Liz and her team in the costume shop have exploited the permanent pleating technique developed by Japanese designer Issey Miyake,'' says the circus's page.
Citizens of Kazan have a special attitude to Cirque du Soleil. ''The Kazan audience is very emotional, very responsive, it isn't ashamed to express its emotions. When we came with Corteo in 2010, frightened artists came and asked after a very emotional reception: ''What happened?'' People were stamping their feet and shouting: ''Molodtsy!'' (translated as ''bravo''). The majority of our artists don't speak Russian and didn't understand the reaction. They didn't understand, the reception surprised them. But they remembered the word for long,'' remembered Natalia Romanova at Realnoe Vremya's online conference.