The Ethos of Cirque du Soleil

Our days are too filled with the rational, practical, and expected. Cirque du Soleil brings you that which has never existed, makes you feel things you’ve never felt, and helps you see the world upside down—if only to appreciate it right side up. We create entertainment that defies conformity because, deep down, we are a bunch of rule-breakers and moment-makers who want to do, see, feel, and try EVERYTHING! Together, we’re building a more audacious world because life can always use a little more folly.

In 1984, a modest troupe of jugglers, dancers, fire breathers, and musicians took to the streets of Baie-Saint-Paul, a charming village on the shores of the St. Laurent River near Quebec City.

Since then, Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group has sparked an artistic revolution, bringing wonder and joy to more than 365 million spectators, across 90 countries and nearly 1,450 cities. With a team of more than 4,700 people (including 1,800 artists) of nearly 90 nationalities, we are ecstatic to bring creativity and art to every corner of the world.

365 million spectators
6 continents
90 countries
1,450 cities
4,700 team members
90 nationalities
16,000 costume pieces
1,800 artists

“O”
Over 16M visitors
1.5M gallons of water
100 feet high dives

Michael Jackson ONE
28 strobe lights
587 lighting fixtures
295 custom LED fixtures

Mystère
30 years
2,000 shows
15M tickets sold

For each JOYÀ show
194 three-course gourmets dinners
20 chefs
200 bottles of Champagne

TOTEM is the winner of the 2013 New York City Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Experience.

“O” set a Guinness World Record for the largest underwater hydraulic stage lifting system with 7 independent lifts.

The Beatles LOVE is the winner of three Grammy Awards, and there are more than 130 different Beatles songs used in the show.

In KURIOS, there’s a character called the Accordion Man, whose attire required the costume-maker to spend an entire week sewing inside the costume.

In CRYSTAL, the on-ice experience, most of the artists do up to 4 costume changes in one performance and the fastest is done in 35-seconds.

The boat in the Storm scene of KÀ weighs 1,800 pounds and is completely manipulated onstage by the artists.

In the high dive of “O”, performers leap from 60 feet above the stage into a 17 feet deep triangular section of the pool.