Cirque du Soleil Lays Groundwork for Permanent Show in China

Variety writes that Cirque du Soleil will open an office in Shanghai, China to spearhead its first permanent show there by 2018. Cirque was acquired earlier this year by TPG and China's Fosun.

Cirque's permanent show will be located in a "hive city" -- a residential, retail and entertainment district -- in Hangzhou.

TORUK - THE FIRST FLIGHT, inspired by James Cameron's film AVATAR, is set to premiere in Montreal on December 21, followed by a short tour of North America, and a trip across China in 2017. No word on whether this will be China's first permanent show.

'TORUK' envisions a world beyond imagination set thousands of years before the events depicted in the film. The word Toruk, in the Na'vi language, refers to the great leonopteryx, the mighty red and orange predator that rules the Pandoran sky. Central in Na'vi lore and culture, this fascinating creature is crucial to the Na'vi clans' sense of destiny and interconnectedness and is about to be ridden for the very first time by a Na'vi.

'TORUK' is Cirque du Soleil's 37th production since 1984. The company has brought wonder and delight to more than 155 million spectators in more than 300 cities on six continents. Cirque du Soleil has close to 4,000 employees, including 1,300 performing artists from close to 50 different countries.

For more information about Cirque du Soleil, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com.