FAQ

The Studio is a full-fledged creation, innovation and training laboratory. Since 1997, all shows have been created at Cirque du Soleil’s International Headquarters, which provides a great deal of flexibility to the creative teams working on various Cirque projects.

Performers come from a variety of backgrounds, including artistic gymnastics, tumbling, acrosport, swimming, diving, dance, singing, music and, of course, circus arts. Some fifty nationalities are represented among artists.

All Cirque du Soleil costumes are custom-made and the majority are produced at the Costume workshop at the International Headquarters (IHQ). The workshop, the only one of its kind in North America, employs specialists in fields as varied as shoemaking, textile design, lace-making, wig-making, patternmaking, costume-making and millinery.

Cirque du Soleil’s accessories workshop creates and builds all objects and machinery used in for its shows (sculptures, mechanical devices and game accessories, etc.), in addition to costume accessories (masks, leatherwork, shoes, textured fabrics, etc.). An accessory specialist has to be multi-talented. At Cirque du Soleil the production of accessories is a team effort, and each team works at sculpting, welding, painting, molding, sewing and sawing, all the while knowing how to work with various machines, electronics and plumbing. This diversity of skills illustrates the ingenuity, and, above all, the artistic approach used in everything they create.

To read a biography of Cirque du Soleil’s founders and creators, please click on the “Press Materials” tab in our Press Room section.

Cirque du Soleil’s logo was created in 1984, by Josée Bélanger, and is based on a tarot card representing the sun. The sun as a symbol is important because it embodies youth, energy and dynamism. The logo has evolved slightly, since 1984, while retaining its symbolism and image from the tarot cards.

When it came time to give his troop of traveling acrobats a name, Guy Laliberté, thought of the name Cirque du Soleil (literally translated, "Circus of the Sun") while watching a sunset in Hawaii. Upon his return, he researched the significance of the word sun, in a dictionary of symbols and found the word referred to youth, energy and dynamism - words that defined the troop perfectly.

Cirque du Soleil’s international headquarters (IH) stands proudly in the Saint-Michel district of Montreal, Quebec, next to the former Miron sandpit and Montreal Waste Treatment and Disposal Centre. Construction of Cirque du Soleil’s IH is part of a larger Saint-Michel initiative: an urban development program where Cirque du Soleil embodies the cultural centre of the district’s Environmental Complex. For more about Cirque du Soleil’s IH, visit the Press Room section of our website.

Our previous creations were named Cirque du Soleil, La Magie Continue, Cirque Réinventé, Nouvelle Expérience, Fascination, Pomp Duck and Circumstance, Soleil de minuit, DELIRIUM, Banana Shpeel, ZED, ZAIA, Viva ELVIS, Saltimbanco and IRIS.

Our current tour plan can be view on the following page.

While we would very much like to accommodate requests for backstage visits, to meet an artist or get an autograph, we cannot. Our performers and trainers have extremely busy schedules and so we respect the little down time they have by not offering such visits.

As Cirque du Soleil is focused on creating shows, it does not organize day camps, circus art courses or workshops.

While we are flattered you would consider consulting with Cirque du Soleil experts about your idea, Cirque du Soleil is presently managing no less than 18 shows around the world, in addition to developing new projects. These endeavors monopolize all of our resources and people, and is why we cannot put you in contact with one of our experts.

Cirque du Soleil is pleased to award tickets to its shows to those organizations whose work benefits children in need. To learn more, visit the Global Citizenship's Action on Tour page. Cirque du Soleil does not offer free tickets to individuals.

As Cirque du Soleil is focused on creating shows, it does not have its own circus school. For those wishing to invest time in circus arts, please contact the National Circus School.

Due to certain laws and licensing regulations, Cirque du Soleil cannot accept proposals or suggestions from unsolicited parties.

For more information on the procedures to host Cirque du Soleil in your city, please email contact@cirquedusoleil.com.

Please send a detailed email to contact@cirquedusoleil.com, and it will be forwarded to the appropriate department or team.

In order to respect the little down time our artists have in their intense schedules, we do not offer this service. That said, should you wish to explain your idea to Cirque du Soleil’s special events department, please write to events@cirquedusoleil.com to discuss how other artists may be available for your private event.

Cirque du Soleil does not make video recordings or take photographs of our shows.

Cirque du Soleil does participate at private engagements. If you are interested in such an opportunity, please contact Cirque du Soleil’s special events department, at events@cirquedusoleil.com.

While we would very much like to accommodate requests for special occasions, such as wedding proposals or anniversary announcements, we cannot. We receive many such requests, and so we must always refuse.

While we do not have a brochure which can be sent to students, everything to know about Cirque du Soleil is on our official website.

Cirque du Soleil’s international headquarters does not offer tours or visits. As a place of work and creativity, it is reserved strictly for our employees and partners.

To contact Cirque du Soleil artists, please send an email to contact@cirquedusoleil.com. You can also send a letter to the following address: Cirque du Soleil Customer Service 8400 2nd Avenue Montreal, QC H1Z 4M6. Don’t forget to specify the name of the artist and the show they were a part of. While it will be our pleasure to make certain your message gets to the right person, please note that there is no guarantee the artist may reply, especially given his/her intense schedule.