CIRKOPOLIS to Hold CIRCUS: FROM EGYPT TO ELOIZE Panel Discussion on 12/12

In anticipation of the New York City Premiere of CIRKOPOLIS, the critically acclaimed show by Montreal-based troupe Cirque Eloize, NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts will host the panel discussion CIRCUS: FROM EGYPT TO ELOIZE, on Thursday, December 12, 2013 at 6:30pm at La Maison Française, New York University (16 Washington Mews, New York, NY 10003).

Bringing together experts, practitioners, and scholars from the world of circus, the panel discussion will explore the vast history beginning with early references to circus in ancient Egyptian paintings of jugglers, the birth of the modern "traditional" circus, the international contemporary circus renaissance, and the challenges facing the circus art form in North America.

Panelists include Duncan Wall (National Director, Circus Now), Suzi Winson (Director and Co-founder, Circus Warehouse), Jean-Pierre Dion (Cultural Attaché, Quebec Government Office) and Cecil Mackinnon (Arts Professor of Drama, Tisch School of the Arts, NYU). The panel will be moderated by Hovey Burgess (Master Teacher of Graduate Acting, Tisch School of the Arts, NYU).

CIRCUS: FROM EGYPT TO ELOIZE is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.nyu.edu/maisonfrancaise or call (212) 998-8750.

CIRKOPOLIS, by Montreal-based troupe Cirque Eloize, begins its strictly limited engagement at NYU Skirball Center (566 LaGuardia Place, New York, New York, 10012) on Wednesday, December, 18th, 2013 and concludes on Sunday, January 5th, 2014.

From the architect of the astonishing acrobatics at the 2006 Olympic Games closing ceremonies (Cirque Éloize's Artistic Director Jeannot Painchaud) and the world-renowned choreographer of Cirque du Soleil's Zumanity and LOVE (Dave St-Pierre) comes a magnificent circus spectacle that lives between dream and reality, underscored by a continuous stream of original music, and brought to vivid life by 3-D projections. With CIRKOPOLIS, Cirque Éloize takes their breathtaking blend of circus arts, theater, and dance to a highly-stylized metropolis setting, where twelve acrobats and multidisciplinary artists rebel against monotony, reinvent themselves and challenge the limits of the factory-city as only they can. In a world where fantasy provokes reality, the veil of anonymity and solitude is lifted and replaced by bursts of color.

Positioned at the heart of the renewal of circus arts, Cirque Éloize has been creating moving performances filled with magic since 1993. Continually striving for artistic perfection, it is one of the leaders in contemporary circus arts. Based on the multidisciplinary talents of its artists, Cirque Éloize expresses its innovative nature through theatricality and humanity, and combines circus arts with music, dance and theatre in a path-breaking and original manner. With ten original productions to its credit, Cirque Éloize has presented more than 4,000 performances in over 440 cities and 40 countries. Cirque Éloize has taken part in numerous prestigious international festivals and seduced Broadway with its show Rain. In addition to its touring shows, Cirque Éloize develops custom made concepts for international special events. To date, more than 1,300 events have taken place. In 2004, Cirque Éloize's head office and creative studio moved to the Dalhousie Station, a historic building in the heart of Old-Montréal. In order to maintain this site as a place for dialogue and encounters for the circus community, Cirque Éloize invites up-and-coming artists to visit. Today, the company employs more than 100 people and is celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year.

CIRKOPOLIS is co-directed by Cirque Eloize Artistic Director Jeannot Painchaud and Dave St-Pierre and choreographed by Dave St-Pierre. CIRKOPOLIS is performed by Maude Arseneault, Angelica Bongiovonni, Dominique Bouchard, Mikael Bruyere-L'Abbe, Ashley Carr, Samuel Charlton, Myriam Deraiche, Lauren Herley, Reuben Hosler, Ugo Laffolay, Yann LeBlanc, Frederic Lemieux-Cormier and Francois Saussus.

CIRKOPOLIS also features set design and illustrations by Robert Massicotte, music by Stefan Boucher, acrobatic designs by Krzysztof Soroczynski, costume design by Liz Vandal,lighting design by Nicolas Descoteaux, video projections by Robert Massicotte and Alexis Laurence, and make-up design by Virginie Bachand, with Krzysztof Soroczynski as Head Coach, Renald Laurin as Drama and Acting advisor, Emmanuel Guillaume as Artistic Coordinator, and Emilie Grenon-Emiroglou, Marie-Eve Carriere, and Johanne Madore as Coaches. Jonathan St-Onge is the Executive Producer.

CIRKOPOLIS is presented by NYU SKIRBALL CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS as part of their 10th Anniversary Season.

Tickets for CIRKOPOLIS range from $40 to $80 and may be purchased online at www.nyuskirball.org, by phone at 212.352.3101 or 866.811.4111, or in person at the NYU Skirball Center Box Office. The box office is open Tuesday through Saturday from 12:00 to 6:00 P.M. The NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is located at 566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square, New York, New York 10012. For more information, please visit www.nyuskirball.org.