Cirque du Soleil's emphatic comeback
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| Daniel Lamarre.[Photo provided to China Daily] |
"I have been doing lots of research. There are two schools of thoughts in China about the traditional arts. One is that people are looking for Western brands, which is going to be very appealing for Cirque du Soleil. The other is that locals want foreign brands to respect their culture," he said.
The upcoming show, he added, will appeal to the first group of people. Meanwhile, the resident show in Hangzhou, which will feature a blend of Chinese and Western cultural elements, would cater to the second. In addition, at least 50 percent of the Hangzhou cast will be Chinese artists.Lamarre is confident that Chinese audiences will like the shows that Cirque du Soleil has to offer, citing the troupe's expertise in choreographing acrobatic arts that are weaved into emotional storylines.
Johnny Dean Harvey, creative director of Kooza, expanded on this point.
"I think one of the great things about Kooza, or any Cirque du Soleil show, is the intimacy in the theater which cannot be replaced by technology or communicated by cellphones or video cameras," he said.
"All the artists are within several feet of the audience. This provides audiences a reminder that what they are experiencing is taking place right in front of them, instead of through a screen."
Harvey also noted that Chinese audiences have reached such a level of sophistication that it is not necessary to completely localize shows in order to appeal to them.
Built at a cost of 1 billion yuan ($148 million), the permanent theater for the resident show in Hangzhou is currently in its final construction phase. This is the first time Cirque du Soleil has built a permanent theater to host a resident show outside the North American market. When ready, the theater, which used to be a heavy-duty machinery factory, would be able to accommodate 1,440 people.
