Cirque du Soleil
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 Cirque du Soleil facts

• lɛj], "Circus of the Sun") is a Canadian entertainment company
• It is the largest theatrical producer in the world
• Based in Montreal, Q, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy Laliberté and Gilles Ste-Croix
• Initially named Les Échassiers ([lez‿e
• ʃa
• sje], "The Waders"), they toured Q in 1980 as a performing troupe
• Their initial financial hardship was relieved in 1983 by a government grant from the Canada Council for the Arts, as part of the 450th anniversary celebrations of Jacques Cartier's voyage to Canada
• Le Grand Tour du Cirque du Soleil was a success in 1984, and after securing a second year of funding, Laliberté hired Guy Caron from the National Circus School to re-create it as a "proper circus"
• Its theatrical, character-driven approach and the absence of performing animals helped define Cirque du Soleil as the contemporary circus (ouveau cirque") that it remains today
• Each show is a synthesis of circus styles from around the world, with its own central theme and storyline