In the brand new Cirque du Soleil show, Echothe Canadian artist Charlotte O’Sullivan spends a long moment hanging by the hair from her partner, the Austrian Penelope Scheidler.
With their costumes surrounded by blue light, the two women embody fireflies, which breathe “a drop of hope” into the show, she says.
The show is inspired by the fact that we are so busy that we do not see the nature around us, the fauna and flora
Cirque du Soleil will indeed present, in a world premiere in Montreal, Echohis new creation under a marquee since the start of the pandemic and since the crisis that shook the company, in 2020.
The show Echodirected and designed by Mukhtar Omar Sharif Mukhtar, was built from Under the same sky, which Cirque was to launch in the spring of 2020, but which ultimately never saw the light of day. The director, who was already working there as an acrobatic consultant, took up the concept originally developed by London visual artist Es Devlin.
See the nature around you
“The show is inspired by the fact that we are so busy that we don’t see the nature around us, the fauna and flora,” says Mukhtar Omar Sharif Mukthar.
Wednesday, in an extract presented to the media, we could see the accompanying musicians, including the Quebec singer Pascale-Brigitte Baril, wearing animal antlers, who testified to the orientation of the show. Three acts: one of soft wire, where the artists perform on ropes suspended almost in the middle of the flames, another of an acrobatic human frame bringing together a troupe of eleven players in colorful costumes and prowess, and the suspension act by the hair.
Such a number is “very rare”, continues Charlotte O’Sullivan in an interview. “It’s the only aerial number where you don’t have to hang on by your hands or your legs! During research that the young woman carried out at the library of the National Circus School, the artist discovered that the first suspension number identified came from China. “It was a number where the performers were drinking tea in the air,” she says.
A long-held secret
The secret of this performance was recovered by American artists, who transmitted it to six generations of artists, without however revealing the formula to the public, she continues. “We don’t say how we tie our hair, but I assure you we’re hanging by the hair,” says Charlotte O’Sullivan.
After having developed this solo number, Charlotte O’Sullivan suggested to her great friend, the Austrian Penelope Scheidler, to prepare a duet with her.
“Generally, hair suspension acts take place in a more traditional way, with juggling, for example. Here, the two women extended the concept to dance and acrobatics.
They have even developed a concept where they are suspended by the jaws. “We were looking for something that could show the strength of women,” says Charlotte O’Sullivan. Her colleague, Penelope Scheidler, who is also a contortionist, had already devised a number where she used her jaws to balance herself. “We asked someone to create a jaw attachment for us,” she adds.
In addition, the resumption of creation at Cirque du Soleil comes as the company is doing “very well”, said Wednesday its director of public relations, Caroline Couillard. At the beginning of March, the group Cirque du Soleil announced a refinancing of its debt of 550 million dollars and an improvement in its credit rating. Emmanuelle Leclerc-Granger, Chief Financial Officer of Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, saw in this the prospect of “ensuring a promising future for our audience and our partners”. Remember that in 2021, Cirque du Soleil passed into the hands of its creditors, who injected the money necessary for its survival.
The show Echo will be presented under the big top of the Old Port of Montreal from April 20 to August 20, 2023.