Varekai is a Cirque du Soleil touring production that premiered in Montreal in 2002. Its title means "wherever" in the Romani language, and the show is an "acrobatic tribute to the nomadic soul".
The plot is based loosely on the Greek myth of Icarus, who melts his wings after flying too close to the sun. Rather than drowning in the sea below him, in Varekai Icarus lands inside a lush forest, in which the creatures teach him how to fly again.
Creators
- Guy Laliberté : Guide and Director
- Dominic Champagne : Creator and Director (In Quebec)
- Andrew Watson : Director of Creation
- Stéphane Roy : Set Designer
- Eiko Ishioka : Costume Designer
- Violaine Corradi : Musical Director and Composer
- Michael Montanaro : Choreographer
- Bill Shannon : Choreographer
- Francis Laporte : Projections Designer
- Jaque Paquin : Rigging Designer
- Nol Van Genuchten : Lighting Designer
- François Bergeron : Sound Designer
- Cahal McCrystal : Clown Act Creator
- Nathalie Gagné : Makeup Designer
- André Simard : Aerial Acts Designer
Characters
- After a tragic fall, Icarus lands in the midst of the strange forest. He is greeted by a family of survivors. With agility, deftness and sensitivity, like an angel, he rises once again towards the sky. Through this elevation of the spirit, he celebrates the beginning of his rebirth.
- The Betrothed (La Promise)
- Strange, veiled creature, metamorphosis incarnate, betrothed to Icarus, she plays the game of seduction and expresses the joy of freedom. Balancing on a series of canes, she is stunning in her grace, strength and flexibility.
- Guide to Icarus throughout his odyssey in the strange forest, he is in turn the spectre of the injured angel, the provocative sorcerer, the tamer of shadows, the guardian of fire, and the Vigie's accomplice in the young man's rebirth.
- A lame lover, sad and forlorn, the Limping Angel teeters on round-tipped crutches in a stirring, spasmodic dance, inspiring the young man to surpass himself and take flight. This character performs the solo on crutches act.
- The Skywatcher (La Vigie)
- Mad scientist and gifted inventor, the Vigie is the man of calls, the announcer of trials, the hunter of sounds and the tamer of the clouds. From him, the young man learns to survive the fury of the volcanoes and the joy of new love.
Acts
- The Skywatcher entertains the audience and his fellow creatures with his invention, the "Sound Machine", and basically acts like a fool, ad-libbing to various sounds.
- After the Skywatcher and the Guide find it safe to come out of hiding, all the creatures run out in celebration, singing, dancing, and performing small acrobatic stunts with each other.
- With agility, deftness and sensitivity, the performer, playing the part of Icarus, performs astounding dives and contortions in the net that holds him captive.
- Rarely seen in circus shows today, foot-juggling is one of the oldest circus arts disciplines. The principle is simple: the bearer lies on his back and twirls the voltigeur on his feet. Foot-juggling acrobats often come from the same family. This wild family of Icarian brothers plays with the desire to take flight, the courage of audacity and the joy of brotherhood.
- High above their heads, three young acrobats whirl ropes with metal meteors attached to the ends. Handling their ropes with rare agility, they perform impressive acrobatic figures at the same time. Once again, they are an incantation to surpassing one’s limits and to the human yearning to escape the Earth’s pull and rise into the air towards the sublime.
- The two clowns try to perform magic but mess everything up. An unsuspecting audience member is recruited to help.
- The Skywatcher pulls a cloud along by a rope while Icarus and the Betrothed get closer.
- From their trapeze on high, four young women perform a series of striking acrobatic moves, displaying grace, sensuality and impeccable timing. For Icarus, this is the test of desire, between the temptation and the arrogance of beauty.
- This act takes its inspiration from a long tradition of resistance in the Republic of Georgia, whose inhabitants have had to battle numerous invaders over the centuries. The movements of the dancers recall the Georgians’ struggles against neighboring powers that sought to dominate their land. Endurance, precision and more than a hint of frenzy mark this act. The Masters of the Volcano call Icarus to rage and to rebellion. This is the test of Fire.
- The Skywatcher walks around with two huge wheels on each side, teasing the Guide and Icarus.
- Body Skating/Slippery Surface [8]
- Rebirth is nigh for the young man who has landed in the middle of the desolate forest. For the duration of a zany baptism, the hostile forest becomes as colorful as tropical seas. Darting and intertwining on a specially designed sliding surface, the artists fling and catch each other, creating an illusion of skating.
- One clown tries to sing to the audience the song 'Ne Me Quitte Pas' while chasing the spotlight which travels everywhere, from various places on the stage to sections of the audience.
- Like a jointed puppet, a performer on canes teeters in a stirring dance.
- Castor and Pollux, twin brothers and shadows of the sky, circle in their perfect symbiosis around Icarus to invite him into the mysteries of encounters and wrenching goodbyes, departures and homecomings, attraction and repulsion. Suspended by wrist straps, they glide gracefully above the stage, performing original acrobatic figures.
- A juggling virtuoso, he handles the fruits of the forest to celebrate their rebirth with strength, rage and exuberance! Clubs, large balls, hats and ping-pong balls are manipulated with hands, his feet, his head and even his mouth. Performed by Octavio Alegria.
- When the Guide's lightbulb dies, he calls for the Skywatcher to fix it. But the Skywatcher finds this entertaining and acts the silly man he is, which drives the Guide literally insane.
- The performer's grace, strength and flexibility are astonishing, as she balances on a series of strategically placed canes. Poised now on her feet, now on her hands, she contorts herself on her canes, maintaining a delicate equilibrium.
- Propelled by two Russian swings, acrobats are hurled high into the air, like the fires of an erupting volcano, alighting on their partners' wrists or on a landing canvas. In feats of outstanding audacity, the acrobats even soar from one moving swing to the other!
- All the performers come out without their headgear and bow to the audience
In rotation
- Suspended high above the stage or flying through the air on her hoop, a young woman performs a series of movements displaying her flexibility and strength.
Past acts
- Two lovers dance and perform acrobatic stunts, showing their love, trust, and respect for each other.
Music and musicians
All music is played live by seven musicians and two singers. Composed by Violaine Corradi and directed by the bandleader/keyboard player, the music has many different tastes. Some songs are quiet and sorrowful while others are more upbeat and exciting. Every song matches the mood of the act and the mood the performer/creature is portraying. In a way, the music makes up most of the soul of the act.
Instruments used in the show are two sets of keyboards, bass, drums, percussion, violin, and various wind instruments. There are numerous music solos, with the violin, flute, and accordion among the instruments heard. When those occur, the musician comes into view, still hidden in the trees but slightly visible to the audience.
There are two distinctively different voices in the show. The primary voice is a male singer called the Patriarch. He is dressed in a dark purple outfit and sings to all but two acts. He is able to tap into the feeling of the act and portray the feeling with his facial expressions and arm and hand movements. He always shows himself except during the two acts where he doesn't sing. He appears to watch over the other singer, almost like a father figure, and occasionally interacts with the wind instrument musician whenever the musician has a solo. His range is from high tenor to bass, almost sounding mechanical.
The other voice is a young female singer called the Muse. Her outfit is that of a light purple flower. She is amazed by everything she sees but is normally shy and hides among the trees, almost unseen. She has two solos, where she shows herself to her fellow creatures and the audience. For seven other acts, she either blends with the Patriarch or sings a small part of the song. During these acts, she is either next to him or hiding among the trees. For the remaining acts, she remains out of sight. Her range is from low alto to high soprano.
During the Triple Trapeze act, there is a third voice, blending with the Patriarch. The voice belongs to the wind instrument musician, hidden in the trees behind the Patriarch.
Soundtrack
Returning from her work with Dralion, Violaine Corradi wrote the Varekai soundtrack, which was released the 7th January 2003. Rather than creating an acurate soundrack like with other Cirque productions, Cirque du Soleil collaborated with Nitin Sawhney, which resulted in the production of a CD with similar themes and sounds from Varekai but quite differently arranged. The CD features the vocals of the two original singers of Varekai, Zara Tellander and Mathieu Lavoie, however the soundtrack also includes the vocals of world music artists Natacha Atlas and Tina Grace, who were not in the production, simply featured on the soundtrack
Many of the CD tracks are dramatically different from their live counterparts. The general fan reaction to the CD was disappointing, and in late 2003 Cirque du Soleil created an 'Exclusive Premium Edition' CD which featured the original CD, featuring a bonus CD and DVD, containing 6 live tracks, two remixes, and 2 video remixes.
The revised album artwork of Varekai, 2004.
Track Listing:
- Aureus (interlude between acts)
- Rain One (before Russian Swings)
- Le Rêveur (Solo on Crutches)
- Vocea (Flight of Icarus)
- Moon Light (Handbalancing on Canes)
- Rubeus (interlude between acts)
- Patzivota (Wedding and setup for Russian Swings)
- El Péndulo (Aerial Straps)
- Gitans (Opening)
- Kèro Hiréyo (Triple Trapeze)
- Infinitus (interlude between acts)
- Lubia Dobarstan (Water Meteors)
- Emballa (Juggling)
- Oscillum (Russian Swings)
- Funambul (Cloud Act)
- Resolution (not in show)
Below are the live tracks, in order as they appear on the Exclusive Premium Edition bonus CD. Listed after each track title is the performance associated with the track.
- Célébration de l'Errance (Overture)
- Trasparenza (Acrobatic Pas de Deux)
- Euphoria (Icarian Games)
- Sun Drum Fun (Body Skating)
- Mutationis (Handbalancing on Canes)
- Movimento (Georgian Dance)
The bonus CD also conatins two tracks that were remixed versions of 'El Péndulo' and 'Emballa'. In addition, the DVD features two videos with nature and recording footage, recorded with the CD version of 'Patzivota' and 'Moon Licht'.
Fire Within
The experiences of the initial cast during the creation of the show were portrayed in the Emmy Award-winning series, Fire Within (featured on the Bravo Network). The television show gave an intimate look into the struggles, joys, problems and tears the artists endured to create the show we see today.
Touring
Varekai completed its first North American tour in 2006; its last stop was in Vancouver, Canada from June 22 to July 23. It debuted in Australia in August and arrived in New Zealand in early 2007. Later in the year, Varekai finished its Australian tour in Perth, and moved onto its first European Tour. At the end of 2007 the show had its European premiere in Antwerp, Belgium in January it was in London, United Kingdom. In April and May 2008 it was to be seen in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Varekai continues to perform in Europe, and will eventually visit Berlin and Oberhausen (Germany), Vienna (Austria) and Madrid (Spain)
External links
