Dralion

Dralion
Company Cirque du Soleil
Genre Contemporary circus
Show type Touring
Date of premiere April 22, 1999 (Montréal)
Final show January 18, 2015 (Anchorage)
Creative team
Director Guy Caron
Director of creation Gilles Ste-Croix
Set designer Stéphane Roy
Composer Violaine Corradi
Costume designer François Barbeau
Clown act designer Michel Dallaire
Lighting designer Luc Lafortune
Choreographer Julie Lachance
Sound designer Guy Desrochers
General artistic director Sylvie Galarneau
Company founder and CEO Guy Laliberté
Other information
Preceded by La Nouba (1998)
Succeeded by Varekai (2002)
Official website

Dralion (pronounced Drah-lee-on) was a touring production by the Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Soleil. The show combines elements of traditional Chinese circus with Western contemporary circus, complementing the "East-meets-West" theme implied in the title — the name is a portmanteau of "dragon" (representing the East) and "lion" (representing the West). It is Cirque du Soleil's 12th touring production and the first Cirque show since 1985 not to be directed by Franco Dragone.[1] "Dralion" performed its final show at the Sullivan Arena in Anchorage, Alaska on January 18, 2015.

Set and technical information

The backdrop for Dralion is a metallic structure 60 feet (18 m) in width and 26 feet (7.9 m) in height. It is covered in perforated aluminum tiles, giving it the appearance of medieval armor or a futuristic Chinese temple. Sitting atop the structure are six giant claws which allow performers to climb the wall and suspend in mid-air. Above the stage itself are three large concentric aluminum rings. The first is utilized as a catwalk; the second is used to support acrobatic equipment; and the third is used by performers to move up and down and suspend in the air.[2]

Dralion's stage was later reused for Ovo in early 2016.

Characters

Dralion featured 50 members in its performance troupe, of which about 5 or 6 play principal characters.[2]

Acts

The acts of Dralion combine unique western and eastern acrobatic skills.[2][3]

Rotation acts

Retired acts

Costumes

Dralion's costumes are vibrant in color; inspired by clothing from India, China, and Africa; and are shaped according to the movements of each performer's choreography.[4] In total there are around 1500 wardrobe pieces for the show, taking into account that some artists have up to four costume changes during a single performance.[5]

Music

With the company's departure from its longtime creative team, Dralion features the work of a new Cirque composer, French-Canadian composer Violaine Corradi.[6] The music of Dralion aims to be a fusion of sounds from East and West by the use of acoustic and electric instruments. Featuring rhythmic and lyrical motifs, the influences range from Indian melodies to sounds from Andalusia, Africa, Central Europe, and the West. Instruments used in the CD are drums, violin, winds, keyboards, guitar and percussion instructions. Released on November 9, 1999, Dralion’s soundtrack features the vocals of Basque counter-tenor Erik Karol, and Canadian female vocalist Agnès Sohier. The tracks for the CD are listed below, with their corresponding acts alongside in italics.[7]

The original album artwork of Dralion by Heidi Taillefer, 1999

Track listing

  1. Stella Errans (Single Handbalancing, 1999 - 2015)
  2. Ombra
    • Foot Juggling (Rotation, 1999 - 2010)
    • Contortion with Bowls (Rotation, 1999 - 2000)
    • Balancing on Chairs (Rotation, 2010 - 2012)
    • Contortion (Rotation, 2012 - 2014)
  3. Spiritual Spiral
    • Setup to Double Trapeze, (1999 - 2010)
    • Setup to Skipping Rope, (2014 - 2015)
  4. Miracula Æternitatis
    • Spirits (1999 - 2014)
    • Crossed Cyr Wheel
  5. Bamboo (Bamboo Poles, 1999 - 2015)
  6. Ballare
    • Aerial Pas de Deux, (1999 - 2015)
    • Aerial Straps (Rotation, 2010 - 2015)
  7. Ravendhi (Teeterboard, 1999 - 2005)
  8. Ninkou Latora
    • Double Trapeze (1999 - 2010)
    • Crossed Cyr Wheel (2012 - 2015)
  9. Aborigenes Jam (Hoop Diving, 1999 - 2015)
  10. Hinkò (Ballet on Lightbulbs, 1999 - 2010)
  11. Kamandé (Skipping Rope and Finale, 1999 - 2015)

Other songs

  1. Element (Preshow)
  2. Original Opening (Opening, early 1999)
  3. Elements (Opening, 1999 - 2015)
  4. Ledjendia
    • Opening, (1999 - 2015)
    • Prelude to Skipping Rope (1999 - August 2014)
  5. Naya (Single Handbalancing Intro)
  6. Juggling Prelude
  7. Momma Kee (Juggling, Viktor Kee version, 1999 - 2006)
  8. Vladik-Jug (Juggling, Vladik Myagkostoupov version, 2006 - 2015)
  9. Lanterne (Lanterns, 1999 - 2015)
  10. Soleil Tilt (Soleil Tilt, 1999 - 2015)
  11. Bombarde (Dralions, 1999 - 2015)
  12. Shine (Transition, 2001 - 2015)
  13. Hibana (Aerial Hoop, 2001 - 2015)
  14. Anima (Aerial Hoop, 2001 - 2015)
  15. Trampo-Wall (Trampolines, 2005 - 2015)
  16. Diabolos (Diabolos, 2010 - 2015)
  17. Medusa (Medusa, 2010 - 2015)

Vocalists

Female Singers

Male Singers

*During the 2007-2008 Japan tour, Calvin Braxton and Cristian Zabala alternated the role.

Further information: Cirque du Soleil discography

Tour

After premiering under the Grand Chapiteau in 1999, "Dralion" was briefly retired in December 2009. In mid-2010, the show began the arena restaging process, having its first dress rehearsal at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA before beginning its arena tour in October 2010 in Trenton, NJ. After touring for an additional four years in the arena, the show returned to North America in the fall of 2014 to begin its "Farewell Tour". On January 18, 2015, "Dralion" performed for the final time in Anchorage, AK. [8][9]

The following colorboxes indicate the region of each performance:  EU   Europe  NA   North America  SA   South and Central America  AP   Asia/Pacific  OC   Oceania  AF   Africa

Grand Chapiteau tour

Arena tour

References

  1. Cirque du Soleil - About Dralion
  2. 1 2 3 "Presskit Dralion Sept 2010" (PDF). Cirque du Soleil (Press Kit). Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  3. "Dralion - Acts". Cirque du Soleil (Press Material). Retrieved 2012-02-08.
  4. Clément, Ronald (2009). Cirque du Soleil 25 Years of Costumes (in Chinese, English, French, and Japanese). Canada: Dépôt légal, Bibliothèque et Archives Canada. pp. 62–67. ISBN 978-2-9803493-4-8.
  5. "Acrobats defy gravity in Cirque du Soleil's 'Dralion'". Des Moines Register. 2011-03-28. Retrieved 2011-03-29.
  6. Cirque du Soleil - Creators of Dralion
  7. "Music - Dralion". Cirque Tribune. Retrieved 2011-03-27.
  8. "Dralion Schedule". Cirque Tribune. Retrieved 2011-04-14.
  9. "Dralion Tickets and Info". Cirque du Soleil. Retrieved 2011-04-14.

External links

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