Amaluna

Amaluna
Logo for Cirque du Soleil's Amaluna
Company Cirque du Soleil
Genre Contemporary circus
Show type Touring show
Date of premiere April 19, 2012 (Montreal)
Creative team
Director of creation Fernand Rainville
Director Diane Paulus
Set and props designer Scott Pask
Costume designer Mérédith Caron
Composers Guy Dubuc
Marc Lessard
Sound designer Jacques Boucher
Lighting designer Matthieu Larivée
Choreographers Karole Armitage
Debra Brown
Acrobatic choreographer Caitlan Maggs
Acrobatic and rigging designer Fred Gérard
Props designer Patricia Ruel
Makeup designer Eleni Uranis
Dramaturge Randy Weiner
Other information
Preceded by Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour (2011)
Succeeded by Michael Jackson: One (2013)
Official website

Amaluna is a touring show by Cirque du Soleil, created and directed by Diane Paulus. It premiered in Montréal, Quebec, Canada, on April 19, 2012.[1] Loosely inspired by William Shakespeare's The Tempest,[2] the story takes place on an island governed by goddesses. During a storm, a group of men are washed up on shore. The queen's daughter falls for one of the young men, and the trials of their love are the basis of the show's main narrative through-line.[3] The show is notable for having a cast that is 70% female.[4]

The title, Amaluna, is the combination of two words. "Ama" which refers to mother in many languages, and "luna" which means moon. The moon is a symbol of femininity, which is part of the reason it was chosen for this production.[5]

Set and technical information

Scott Pask created a set that was inspired by nature, using branches resembling bamboo that frame the set and reach out to the audience. The set is open yet immersive at the same time. Trees tower near the edge of the central stage and lower, denser flora are visible further upstage. The trees are handcrafted and are not treated to look like wood, yet still suggest a natural look.[6]

The principal colors seen throughout the stage are those found in peacock feathers. Lighting is used to create a sense of danger and heightened awareness, using the set to cast shadows.[6]

The center stage in Amaluna has a mechanism allowing it to revolve, as can the carousel suspended above the stage. The set design has very few moving parts. This allows for greater attention to the performers.[6]

  • There are 174 branches in 534 sections (90 in the canopy and 84 upstage) making a total of 1.7 kilometres (1.1 mi).
  • There are three models of branches in the canopy and 35 in the upstage.
  • The 25-foot (7.6 m)-diameter carousel weighs 6,000 pounds (2,700 kg).
  • The grid weighs 8,600 pounds (3,900 kg) and includes three acrobatic winches, each able to lift loads up to 400 pounds (180 kg) at 10 feet (3.0 m) per second.
  • The acrobatic winch in the centre of the carousel can lift up to 1,000 pounds (450 kg) at 10 feet (3.0 m) per second.
  • The waterbowl is 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m) tall, 7 feet 3 inches (2.21 m) in diameter, and weighs 5,500 pounds (2,500 kg) when filled with water.

Acts

  • Magic Pageant - The Goddess Prospera calls all the people of the island together to celebrate her daughter Miranda's journey into womanhood through this opening dance sequence.
  • Unicycles: Two artists would perform tricks on short unicycles together, tossing each other and the unicycles around.
  • Aerial straps - The Storm Goddess soar over the stage and the audience in a solo act while Prospera conjures a storm that brings a group of men to the island, including Romeo, Miranda's new love.
  • Clowns: Mainha, Miranda's childhood nanny, and Papulya, Romeo's manservant, fall in love throughout the show.
  • Peacock dance - The Peacock Goddess meets Romeo in the forest, and does a gentle yet haunting dance that symbolizes the purity of love.
  • Vocal Aerial Hoop - The Moon Goddess bestows her blessing on Miranda and Romeo in a haunting song as she contorts herself on the coerce (aerial hoop).
  • Water bowl/Hand balancing on canes - Miranda plays in the water bowl, coming up to do amazing contortions on canes outside the rim of the water bowl. Romeo finds her and the two play and tentatively kiss for the first time.
  • Uneven bars - The Amazons, the fierce warriors of the island, show off their skills when flipping and jumping amongst four bars of uneven height
  • Teeterboard - The men have been captured, and they use a Teeterboard to propel themselves upward, escaping gravity and their prison.
  • Manipulation - The Balance Goddess emerges and balances palm fronds of various sizes on one another, before removing the smallest stick and everything tumbles down. This represents the delicacy of balance and trust in a relationship.
  • A Thousand Arms and Sticks: During this transition/dance sequence, a line of performers move in sync but at slightly different intervals to create the effect of peacock feathers.
  • Chinese pole - Romeo performs feats of strength to impress Miranda on a single upright pole whilst other men dance around the base holding bamboo sticks.
  • Banquine - An Italian acrobatic tradition going back to the Middle Ages that combines gymnastics and ballet. Showcasing the agility of the human body. The artists perform a sequence of feats and human pyramids with their perfectly synchronized movements.

Acts in Rotation

  • Juggling - Cali, Miranda's pet lizard sheds his skin and performed an amazing act of juggling balls which are at times on fire, all whilst on top of the water bowl.
  • Cyr wheel: An acrobat performs tricks within a large metal ring known as a Cyr wheel.
  • Hula hoop: A variation on the prior hula hoop act, the peacock goddess juggles and manipulates hoops around her body.

Retired acts

  • Tightrope: Four artists (two male and two female) would jump and dance across a series of tight ropes strung just above the stage floor, using peacock feathers as fans.
  • Hula hoop: An artist would manipulate LED hula hoops all across her body simultaneously.
  • Fixed Trapeze Duo: Two artists would perform stunts, using each other for support on a still trapeze over the stage.
  • Water Meteors/Icarian Games: Whilst balancing on the feet of an artist lying back on the specially designed chairs, another artist would spin and juggle water meteors.
  • Hoop Diving - The lizards dive and do backflips through hula hoops held out by one member before a finale where they jumps through fixed rings, with up to 6 hoops being stack on top of each other.
  • Icarian Games - Prospera invites the male troop to celebrate love and harmony. Artists flip, turn and throw each other into the air using only their hands and feet whilst lying on their backs.
  • Diabolo: The peacock goddess manipulates diabolos (i.e., Chinese yo-yo), which are two sticks linked by a string on which a wooden spool balances.

Music

The music in Amaluna is contemporary, using guitars. Bass, drums, cello, vocals, keyboards, and percussion support the guitars in delivering the music. Amaluna is the first Cirque du Soleil show with an all-female group of musicians.[7]

Track titles as they appear in order on the CD (the items in parentheses reflect the act correlated with each song):

  1. All Come Together (Opening 2012 - Present)
  2. Elma Om Mi Lize (Icarian & Water meteor 2012 - 2015, Icarian Games 2015 - 2016)
  3. Tempest (Storm Straps 2012 - 2014, The Storm & Aerial Straps 2014 - Present)
  4. Enchanted Reunion (Suspended Poles & Peacock dance 2012 - Present)
  5. Fly Around (Uneven Bars 2012 - 2014)
  6. Hope (Vocal Aerial Hoop 2012 - Present)
  7. O Ma Ley (Waterbowl-Handbalancing 2012 - Present)
  8. Burn Me Up (Teeterboard 2012 - Present)
  9. Whisper (Manipulation 2012 - Present)
  10. Running On The Edge (Tightwire 2012 - 2013)
  11. Ena Fee Alyne (Unicycles 2012 - 2013 & 2016 - Present, Hula Hoops 2014 - 2015, Diabolo 2015 - Present)
  12. Creature Of Light (Chinese Pole & A Thousand Arms and Sticks 2012 - Present, Cyr Wheel 2015 - Present)
  13. Mutations (Juggling 2012 - Present)
  14. Run (Aerial Straps 2012 - 2014, Banquine 2016 - Present & Finale 2012 - Present)

Other tracks used in the show that aren't included on the CD include:

  1. Tenderness (Interlude-Present)
  2. Uneven Bars song (Uneven Bars 2015-Present)
  3. Fixed Trapeze Duo song (2014)
  4. Hoop Diving song (2015-2016)
    Amaluna's grand chapiteau in São Paulo, Brazil (November, 2017)

Vocalists

Prospera

  • Julie McInnes: Apr 2012 - Jan 2015
  • Amanda Zidow: Jan 2015 - Present
  • Nesrine Belmokh: May 2015 - Jun 2015 (temporary replacement for Amanda Zidow)

Female singer

  • Jenifer Aubry: Apr 2012 - Present

Moon Goddess

  • Marie-Michelle Faber: Apr 2012 - Apr 2013, May 2015 to Present

Tour

Amaluna began its Grand Chapiteau tour in North America which lasted for 3 years before it moved on to tour Europe where it converted into arena format twice when it performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

The following colorboxes indicate the region of each performance:
 EU   Europe  NA   North America  SA   South and Central Americas  AP   Asia/Pacific  OC   Oceania  AF   Africa

References

  1. ↑ "Amaluna show Press Kits & Material". Cirque du Soelil Press Materials. Cirque du Soleil. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
  2. ↑ "Cirque du Soleil's Amaluna to put female spin on The Tempest". CBC News. 2012-01-16. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
  3. ↑ "Amaluna - About the Show". Amaluna. Cirque du Soleil. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
  4. ↑ Rinaldi, Ray Mark. "Cirque du Soleil returns to Denver with gal-powered "Amaluna"". The Denver Post.
  5. ↑ "Cirque du Soleil Unveils a New Touring Show Amaluna Directed by Diane Paulus in Montreal's Old Port Starting April 19". 2012-01-16. Archived from the original on 2012-04-22. Retrieved 2012-01-25.
  6. 1 2 3 "Amaluna - Set Design" (PDF). Amaluna - Press Kit. Cirque du Soleil. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
  7. ↑ "Amaluna - Music" (PDF). Amaluna - Press Kit. Cirque du Soleil. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
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