Influences: Cirque Du Soleil

  French for "Circus of the Sun", is a Canadian entertainment company. Its theatrical, character-driven approach and absence of performing animals defined Cirque du Soleil as the contemporary circus that it remains today. Each performance has a specific style in costume and stage set and a specific singer that sings in a made-up language throughout each performance of acrobatics, clowns, characters etc. The lead in musical Amelie that I saw earlier this year, and referenced in unit 1, father wrote some shows and she was the lead singer. Even though each performance has a narrative, it is so abstract and difficult to follow as not each performer tells a part of the story. That is one thing I would change about cirque du soleil as a story may make it more engaging for some fewer interesting acts.

The posters for Cirque du soleil all vary but compliment each different performance perfectly. For instance, ‘Kurios’ was a very industrial style with steampunk influences. Gold and bronze metal colours dominated the set and props with circular objects and shapes throughout like clocks. The posters are very simple, usually focusing on a performer and title. They usually don’t use borders, however ‘Joya’ and ‘Worlds Away’ have very simple black and white borders that other images cross over to as if they are passing through the borders. I find this very inviting to the poster as it adds depth and would like to try this with small details in my posters.

  

 One of the circus tents for Cirque du Soleil. They have also used white ones and blue and white stripes. I really like the shape of the tents with the two entrances that lead into the back. I think I will still keep mine to a simple cylinder shape for simplicity and to make the tent look even smaller. However, I do like the traditional colour tent used in the film The Greatest Showman. A simpler shape with one entrance. If I use red and white stripes, I would add yellow to it to help add that inviting glow. Although I may use colours that are commonly used in my posters.

   I really like the use of shadow dancers behind the performers here. The growing in size is slightly daunting but the faces remind me of pumpkin heads which I think looks cute. Additionally, the spotlight shape I could maybe play with shadows at night on the tent using a torch to create shadows or a tea light in the tent for a warm glow that could also create shadows.