‘Saltimbanco’: Joy and light

The Cirque du Soleil arena show was designed to give hope to all children, a director says.

By JOHN BENSON

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

Not only do alternate universes exist in the world of Cirque du Soleil, but idealistic dreams become a reality.

This is the notion behind the Montreal performance group’s “Saltimbanco,” which comes to Cleveland for shows Tuesday through Feb. 1 at The Wolstein Center at CSU. Originally conceived in 1992, the show has undergone a renovation of sorts that finds it moving from the big top to arenas.

“When the show was created, there was a lot of dark news and it was a recession time, so we wanted ‘Saltimbanco’ to give hope for our children,” said Cirque du Soleil Director of Creation Carmen Ruest, calling from Montreal. “We wanted the children to see life more joyful and to really bring some light and colors into the city, because ‘Saltimbanco’ is like an imaginary city.

“It’s really bright, colorful and adds a really dynamic rhythm, and it’s high-level acrobatic acts.”

Aside from featuring Chinese pole walkers and Russian swing artists, “Saltimbanco” was the first show to feature performers on bungee chords. The idea behind the show is to explore the urban experience, including the people who live there, the hustle and bustle of the street and the towering heights of skyscrapers.

More so, “Saltimbanco” uses the diversity of inhabitants as a force toward unity among mankind. This heady notion materializes in the actions of the 47 artists, who are all dressed as individually unique characters. This is different from other Cirque du Soleil shows, which normally feature families of oddball performers dressed alike on stage. 

The responsibility of reconfiguring “Saltimbanco” into an arena setting belonged to Ruest, who was actually involved in the casting of the original show 16 years ago. An important factor for the director was to make it a quintessential Cirque du Soleil spectacle without losing any of the intimacy the show enjoyed while touring as a big, top production. 

“My goal was really to keep the heart and soul of the show, so I was able to get some of the first creators of the show to team up and be a part of the restaging,” Ruest said. “It was really important for me to keep the integrity of the concept of the show first, and for the new artists in the cast to add the feeling of what it was when it was created.

“I think that’s why Cirque is having so much success right now, because we put creativity as our priority, and we manage to have an artistic team on every show that takes care of keeping the concept as close to when it was created.”

Ruest is hoping “Saltimbanco” continues the mind-blowing experience that was “Delirium,” Cirque du Soleil’s first foray into the arena world.

“I think for people who have never seen a live Cirque show, this is a very best introduction because it’s really for the whole family,” Ruest said. “It’s really dynamic, high-level acrobatics and a feast for the eyes as well. It’s a really happy show. The mix of theater and choreography is really big, and there’s also a lot of movement in ‘Saltimbanco.’”

She added, “It’s a joyful thing.”