There was a fascinating documentary series on Bravo a while back about what it takes to put together a new show, following the procedure closely from start to finish including the global search for musical weirdness and performers.

I saw Mystère when I was out in Vegas at their original theatre which was fabulous and also caught one of the traveling shows here in St Louis a few years ago.

George

But unfortunately, I’m spending so damn much money here that I can’t get justification for a camera bag boy on this trip. I just had the breakfast buffet, and it was the equivalent of $38 American. Geez. They even make you pay up front, before they seat you, which makes sense since that’s an amount worth dining and dashing over. Forgot my wetsuit on this trip, so I just paid the fee.

But you’re here virtually — your comments are sitting right here in Paris as soon as you click Submit. Ain’t the internet grand?

Did you see the stuff about Cirque Du Soleil’s HIV scandal a couple years ago? I think the general story was, they fired somebody for being HIV-positive, saying that the work they do has a high probability of minor bloody injuries so they must be very careful, but the rumor was that there’s a lot of casual sex amongst the performers and management was worried about it spreading through the ranks. Last I heard, lawyers were sharpening their knives and drooling over the cash flow from statistics like those above.

Hey Tom, Paris *is* beautiful in the fall, but now I’m really glad I went out to take pictures yesterday — it’s dark overcast this morning, looks like a cold miserable day coming. This will make it much easier to get some work done.

Ironicaly, I was just thinking today about a photo I have of a fire-breathing street performer I shot in Paris - longer ago than I care to admit.

by the way, you were spot on with your assesment as to the street performer origins of Cirque du Soleil but it was on this side of the Atlantic.

And now, more than you ever wanted to know about that…

Cirque du Soleil started in Baie-Saint-Paul, a small town near Quebec City, Canada. In the early eighties, a band of colourful characters roamed the streets there, striding on stilts, juggling, dancing, breathing fire, and playing music. They were Les Échassiers de Baie-Saint-Paul (the Baie-Saint-Paul Stiltwalkers), a street theatre group founded by Gilles Ste-Croix. One of the young performers was Guy Laliberté who became founder and CEO of Cirque du Soleil.

The troupe went on to found Le Club des talons hauts (the High Heels Club), and then, in 1982, organized La Fête foraine de Baie-Saint-Paul, a cultural event in which street performers from all over met to exchange ideas and enliven the streets of the town for a few days. La Fête foraine was repeated in 1983 and 1984. Le Club des talons hauts attracted notice, and Guy Laliberté, Gilles Ste-Croix and their cronies began to cherish a crazy dream: to create a Quebec circus and take the troupe travelling around the world.

In 1984, Quebec City was celebrating the 450th anniversary of Canada’s discovery by Jacques Cartier, and they needed a show that would carry the festivities out across the province. Guy Laliberté presented a proposal for a show called Cirque du Soleil (Circus of the Sun), and succeeded in convincing the organizers. And Cirque du Soleil hasn’t stopped since!

A Few Statistics

* In 1984, 73 people worked for Cirque du Soleil. Today, the business has 3,000 employees worldwide, including more than 600 artists.

* At the Montreal International Headquarters alone, there are 1,600 employees.

* The average age of employees is 34.

* Cirque’s employees and artists represent over 40 nationalities and speak 25 different languages.

* Since 1984, Cirque du Soleil’s touring shows have made nearly 250 stops in close to 100 cities around the world.

* Over 42 million spectators have seen a Cirque du Soleil show.

* Almost 7 million people saw a Cirque du Soleil show in 2003.

* Cirque du Soleil is currently presenting ten different shows:

Touring shows:

o Varekai (North American tour)
o Dralion (European tour)
o Quidam (Australian tour)
o Alegría (Japanese tour)
o Saltimbanco (European tour)

Resident Theatres:

Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando, Florida (”La Nouba”)
Treasure Island in Las Vegas, Nevada (”Mystère”)
Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada (”O”)
New York New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada (”ZUMANITY”)
MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada (”KÀ”)

I particularly like your people-kiss/pigeon-kiss array, and I worry about the guy with the crutch clutching his left arm. But your pictures confirm what Lizzie’s pics several years ago showed: Paris is a beautiful place, and fall makes it even better. Enjoy the hell out of it if you can!