Cirque Éloize Saloon

Thursday, February 22, 2018 – 7:30 PM

VPAC at OCCC

Presented By

America is expanding. The railroad is stretching westward to lands of untold promise. In the middle of the desert, a town comes to life. The Saloon doors swing open to reveal a motley cast of individuals, each with a tale to tell.  In Cirque Éloize Saloon, the infectious energy of folk music and strains of fiddle set the tone for an acrobatic comedy that sweeps spectators away in a mad flurry.

Enigmatic, colorful characters come together and reveal themselves, resulting in a series of unexpected situations, unfolding to the rhythm of acrobatic prowess and original choreographies. Under the spell of the Saloon’s beautiful Belle, the lover sets off a chase worthy of the greatest Westerns. The lovebirds on the run wreak havoc everywhere on their path, from the deserted plains to the depth of the mines – until the ultimate acrobatic showdown. Walking through Saloon’s door means entering a mythical atmosphere created by live music and the exhilarating pace of spectacular performances.

In this production, they turned to traditional folk and country music, including “Crazy” by Patsy Cline, “Bad News” and “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” by Johnny Cash and the timeless ballads and work songs of Lead Belly, to tell their story while honoring the pioneers of these genres. In addition, a number of original compositions draw from the styles of Dolly Parton, Hank Williams and the great Emmylou Harris.

Each of the circus disciplines developed in Saloon demands a particular approach. They had to consider not only the story, but also the frantic movements of bodies in space. The acrobats’ high-level proficiency and sense of danger totally captivated them. The music acts like a soundtrack of a live movie and, in this context, the influence of a master like Ennio Morricone (“The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”) was unavoidable. The iconography of the Wild Wild West and Saloon is rich. Like finding one’s self overlooking a trove of old sepia photographs, it provided an inexhaustible source of knowing nods and references that were insanely fun to play with, while maintaining a modern touch and poetry that remains a Cirque Éloize trump card.

Positioned at the heart of the renewal of circus arts, Cirque Éloize has been creating moving performances filled with magic and emotion since 1993.  Continually striving for artistic perfection, it is one of the leaders in contemporary circus arts.  Based on the multidisciplinary talents of its artists, Cirque Éloize expresses its innovative nature through theatricality and humanity, and combines circus arts with music, dance and theatre in a path-breaking and original manner.

“CIRQUE DU SOLEIL’S HIPPER, SEXIER COUSIN”

— The Stage - London, UK

www.cirque-eloize.com