Presents
KURIOS
Presented by Cirque Du Soleil
April 6th thru May 21st, 2017
Sam Houston Race Park - Houston, Texas
CONTORTION. Four deep-sea creatures that embody electric
eels inside the Seeker's cabinet come to life in this stunning, fast-paced and
fluid contortion act. The wriggling artists execute a series of incredible
pyramids and figures at an astonishing pace using the Mechanical Hand as a
platform. KURIOS is
showing from April 6 thru May 21, 2017 at Sam Houston Race Park at 7575 N.
Sam Houston Parkway West, Houston Texas 77064 USA.
KURIOS™ – Cabinet of Curiosities
In an alternate yet familiar past, in a place where wonders
abound for those who trust their imagination, a Seeker discovers that in order to glimpse the marvels that lie just below the
surface, we must first learn to close our eyes. In his larger-than-life curio
cabinet, the Seeker is convinced that there exists a hidden, invisible world – a
place where the craziest ideas and the grandest dreams await. A collection of
otherworldly characters suddenly steps into his makeshift mechanical world. When
the outlandish, benevolent characters turn his world upside down with a touch of
poetry and humor in an attempt to ignite the Seeker’s imagination, his curios jump to life
one by one before his very eyes. What if by engaging our imagination and opening
our minds we could unlock the door to a world of wonders?
ABOUT THE SHOW KURIOS™ – Cabinet of Curiosities is Cirque
du Soleil’s 35th production since 1984. Cabinets of curiosities are the
ancestors of museums, also known as cabinet of wonder in the Renaissance Europe.
Aristocrats, members of the merchant class and early practitioners of science
formed collections of historical relics, works of art or mysterious travel
souvenirs or artefacts. KURIOS™ – Cabinet of Curiosities has a cast of 46
artists from 16 different countries. About 60% of the artists have already
worked with Cirque du Soleil before.
NICO.
The perfect handyman, Nico is a little shy, a tad awkward, and extremely
sensitive. Nico’s accordion costume allows him to bend way down or stand way up
so he can be at eye level with absolutely everyone. KURIOS is
showing from April 6 thru May 21, 2017 at Sam Houston Race Park at 7575 N.
Sam Houston Parkway West, Houston Texas 77064 USA.
ROLA BOLA.
A fearless Aviator who happens to be an expert in the discipline of rola bola
makes a soft, graceful landing in his small propeller plane, which he will use
as a platform. Balanced on his impressive, tottering structure, the artist and
his cylinders and planks rest on a platform built into a trapeze Washington. The
suspended apparatus moves up and down and swings in a long pendulum motion an
incredible feat requiring an extraordinary sense of balance. KURIOS is
showing from April 6 thru May 21, 2017 at Sam Houston Race Park at 7575 N.
Sam Houston Parkway West, Houston Texas 77064 USA.
KLARA.
Klara can receive alpha waves by turning on her heels and pointing her hoop
skirt in various directions. She has a language of her own and symbolizes our
obsession with telecommunications during the golden age of the railroad when the
telegraph and the gramophone were invented. KURIOS is
showing from April 6 thru May 21, 2017 at Sam Houston Race Park at 7575 N.
Sam Houston Parkway West, Houston Texas 77064 USA.
UPSIDE DOWN WORLD.
Dinner guests are stunned by the telekinetic powers of one of their table
companions who can make a chandelier suspended above their heads move. Another
guest challenges him by piling up chairs in an attempt to reach the chandelier.
All of a sudden, the group realizes that their exact double exists in a parallel
universe right above them where the same scene is unfolding…upside down! KURIOS is
showing from April 6 thru May 21, 2017 at Sam Houston Race Park at 7575 N.
Sam Houston Parkway West, Houston Texas 77064 USA.
MR. MICROCOSMOS.
An authority figure, Mr. Microcosmos is the leader of the group. This serious
chap is the embodiment of technological progress; his world is sturdy and evokes
the steam train, massive building structures, the Eiffel Tower and the Grand
Palais. This is man as a microcosm, running on his own steam and traveling in
his own self-contained, self-subsisting ecosystem.
Full steam ahead! KURIOS is
showing from April 6 thru May 21, 2017 at Sam Houston Race Park at 7575 N.
Sam Houston Parkway West, Houston Texas 77064 USA.
ACRO NET.
Above a vast ocean, underwater creatures pirouette, bounce and rebound on a net
that covers the entire stage. Their street-style performance is mixed with pure
trampoline techniques. KURIOS is
showing from April 6 thru May 21, 2017 at Sam Houston Race Park at 7575 N.
Sam Houston Parkway West, Houston Texas 77064 USA.
THE KURIOS.
These quirky, imperfect and dysfunctional robots are products of the unbridled
imagination of their creator.
10 CURIOUS FACTS ABOUT THE SHOW
• To make the
Accordion Man’s attire, the costume-maker spent an entire week sewing inside the
costume.
• Rima
Hadchiti, the artist who plays Mini Lili, is 3.3 feet tall and weighs 41 pounds.
She is one of the 10 smallest people in the world. •
The mechanical hand weighs 750 pounds and measures 15 feet by 6.8 feet.
• More than a
hundred costumes were created to dress the cast of KURIOS. •
There are 426 props in the show, the most of any production in Cirque du
Soleil’s history.
• Some 65
trucks transport close to 2,000 tons of equipment for KURIOS™ – Cabinet of
Curiosities.
• The 122 tour
members come from 23 different countries. Some have been touring with Cirque du
Soleil for more than 15 years.
• This is the
first time that Cirque du Soleil presents a welcoming act on top of the big top
before the show starts. When weather permits, 3 artists climb up the big top and
greet the guests from above while playing music and acting. Guests get a taste
of the KURIOS experience as soon as they enter the site.
• It took the
team of props makers approximately 250 hours to build Mr. Microcosmos’ round
belly.
• All
performers are responsible for applying their own make-up every show, which can
take them between 40 minutes to two hours.
SET DESIGN
The set design of KURIOS™ – Cabinet of Curiosities
puts the spectator in a well-defined place: the curio cabinet of a Seeker filled
with unusual objects collected on his travels. Set in what could be called a
retro-future, the scenic environment makes several references to the beginning
of the industrial revolution during the 19th Century without being tied to that
period. “It’s like Jules Verne meets Thomas Edison in an alternate reality, out
of time.” explains Set Designer Stéphane Roy. In this parallel reality, it is
the steam engine and not the internal combustion engine that reigns supreme. The
set evokes the start of the industrialization era, but as if science and
technology had evolved differently and progress had taken on a more human
dimension.
AN ALTERNATE POETIC REALITY The
performance space is dominated by two structures called “cabinets;” one explores
the topic of sound and the other, the topic of electricity. Built by the Seeker
using scraps and pieces collected over time, the two large towers also serve a
“wave sensors” made from miscellaneous components such as gramophones, old
typewriters, electrical bulbs and turbines. In actual fact, these objects were
salvaged from junkyards then dismantled, amalgamated, given a patina and joined
together using tubes and pipes. The two cabinets are attached to the main arch –
another wave sensor – that dominates
the stage. The opening at the center, at the back of the stage, evokes the mouth
of a railroad tunnel through a mountain; it is mainly through this opening that
artists move in and out of the spotlight and that equipment and props are taken
on and off the stage. The show is a tribute to imagination and curiosity. This
makeshift mechanical world celebrates the coming together of pre-existing
objects. “All these objects – the bugle, the typewriter – come with their own
history and it is from their association that a new meaning emerges,” says Roy.
“Further proof that the who is greater than the sum of its parts.”
THE MECHANICAL HAND A huge
steampunk-inspired mechanical hand appears during the show either as a character
or as a performance structure. Operated by two artists using a pedal and gear
mechanism, the all-fiberglass hand is an automaton built from various parts that
look like wood, metal, marble and iron. In the Set Designer’s mind, the Seeker
built the hand with rare objects collected on his travels: a wooden finger found
in Sienna during the Renaissance, a nail picked up in a Greek temple, and so on.
The mechanical hand is a paragon of the DIY (do it yourself) ethos and evokes
the richness and the materials from the era of the greatest scientific
discoveries. It is on this hand that the contortion act and the “Hands
Continent” scene unfold.
AUTO-NOMOUS STRUCTURES For greater
emphasis on the performance, every act in the show is presented on an
independent structure – a module or a promontory – integrated into the set
design. The stage was lowered 14 inches and a bank was installed all around the
stage (the bank is a 23-inches-wide raised walkway on which two rails are
installed for transporting various props). Presented on their separate, distinct
structures, the acts in the show represent the curios that jump to life inside
the Seeker’s workshop. During the Russian cradle duo act, for instance, a giant
leather chest opens up to reveal, encased in sumptuous Moroccan cushions, two
characters that look like mechanical dolls. Another example: the aerial straps
artists perform on a gigantic “drop of mercury” made entirely of fiberglass and
covered in silver leaf.
A “REAL” IMITATION WOODEN FLOOR Building
the stage floor presented a real technical challenge. To create the impression
of a real wooden floor, a 3D finish was produced. Silicone was poured onto
century-old planks of wood to produce a mold into which varnish was poured. A
total of 26 coats of paint and clear varnish were applied alternately to give
the wood its rich finish.
SET DESIGN CLOSE-UPS
• The train in the “Chaos Synchro” act extends out from Mr. Microcosmos’ costume over a distance of 62 feet. The train’s structure is all aluminum and the outer shell is made out of a mostly vinyl canvas. Fiberglass mosquito screen was used for the windows.
• Standing 11.5 feet tall, the Seeker’s chair is decorated with recycled pieces of metal.
• The hot-air
balloon used in the “Hands Continent” scene is made of fabric and has a built-in
blower system. It serves as a projection screen 14 feet in diameter. The gondola
is made of metal and tulle.
• The turbine at the back of the stage behind which the musicians are installed is made of thermally molded plastic over a metal structure.
• The tarpaulin at the back of the stage is made of 2231 square inches of fabric that was given a patina.
• The stage
floor is composed of 160 independent panels.