Inspired by James Cameron's famous film Avatar, Cirque du Soleil's new show, "Toruk, le premier envol" will be presented at AccorHotels Arena in Paris from April 4 to 14! Behind the scenes, Janie Mallet, the show's communications manager, told us more about this show that promises to be exceptional!
What are the major new features of this Cirque du Soleil show?
Janie Mallet: "We have costumes that are inspired by Avatar and unique in their kind, we have devices that were created specifically for the show and, for the first time, a team of puppeteers that will bring all Pandora's creatures to life. Another particularity of this show: the stage is gigantic and covers more than 2,000 m² with projections that cover the entire stage and will also reach the audience. These video projections are larger than 5 Imax screens! So it's really a feast for the senses. »
How much do you give to technology in this show?
Janie Mallet: "Technology is an important part of the show to match the film Avatar, which was a technological revolution in the world of cinema. In addition to lighting effects and video projections, we also have an application that people can download to their smartphones and that allows them to participate in certain special effects. But, of course, we still have that creative and acrobatic touch of Cirque du Soleil that has always characterized us. Avatar director James Cameron, with whom we have worked since the beginning, has given us great freedom by allowing us to create new characters, but also acrobatic numbers with these Nav'i clans."
How did the artists get into the shoes of the characters on the planet Pandora?
Janie Mallet: "Our artists had to learn to move like the characters in the film, like the Nav'i people. They had to attend workshops with an actress from the film Avatar to master all the movements. They must move around with tailor-made outfits so that they look like characters straight out of the film. All the text on stage is also in the Nav'i language, except for the narrator who speaks French. »
How long have you been on the road with this show?
Janie Mallet: "We started in November 2015 with a world premiere of the show in Montreal. So we've been on the road for 3 and a half years now and we've been travelling the world with this show... We've already done North America, Australia, New Zealand, Asia and now we're in Europe and for the first time in Paris this week. We have 112 people from 25 nationalities travelling for this show and 34 trucks carrying the equipment, costumes, puppets, set... So it's really quite a logistics, without forgetting everything that goes on behind the scenes at the technical level or even the support of the artists and acrobats who have to train. »
Ticket office
Toruk, the first flight
From April 4 to 14 at Accorhotels Bercy Arena, Paris.
www.cirquedusoleil.com/toruk and www.livenation.fr
