New Cirque du Soleil Show KOOZA Headed to Randall's Island, Tickets on Sale Jan. 18

The latest Cirque du Soleil touring show, KOOZA, proudly presented by iShares, will premiere under the Grand Chapiteau in New York at Randall's Island Park on Thursday, April 16, 2009 for a limited engagement. KOOZA is the 10th big top show from Cirque du Soleil to perform in New York since 1988.

KOOZA, which premiered in Montreal, Cirque du Soleil's home base, in April of 2007, has been touring North America since, having played engagements in such cities as San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto and Philadelphia to rave reviews and sold-out big tops. Robert Hurwitt in The San Francisco Chronicle called KOOZA "breath-taking and heart-stopping," adding. "KOOZA is Cirque du Soleil at the top of its form." Chris Jones in The Chicago Tribune raved "KOOZA exemplifies the best of the Cirque du Soleil tradition. KOOZA shows how Cirque knows how to always do something totally fresh and different without compromising its color or its quality. It's a flawlessly executed, hard-edged, hard-driving, ambitiously contemporary affair.

The name KOOZA is inspired by the Sanskrit word "koza," which means "box," "chest" or "treasure," and was chosen because one of the underlying concepts of the production is the idea of a "circus in a box."

About KOOZA

KOOZA is a return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil that combines two circus traditions - acrobatic performance and the art of clowning. The show highlights the physical demands of human performance in all its splendor and fragility, presented in a colorful mélange that emphasizes bold slapstick humor.

"KOOZA is about human connection and the world of duality, good and bad," says the show's writer and director David Shiner. "The tone is fun and funny, light and open. The show doesn't take itself too seriously, but it's very much about ideas, too. As it evolves we are exploring concepts such as fear, identity, recognition and power."

The show starts with The Trickster bursting onto the scene like a jack-in-a-box right in front of The Innocent, and that is just the first of many surprises to follow. The Innocent's journey brings him into contact with a panoply of comic characters such as the King, the Trickster, the Heimloss, the Pickpocket, the Obnoxious Tourist and his Bad Dog.

Between strength and fragility, laughter and smiles, turmoil and harmony, KOOZA explores themes of identity, recognition and power. The show is set in an electrifying and exotic visual world full of surprises, thrills, chills, audacity and total involvement.

Cast and acts

Several of the 53 performing artists in the show have received awards from important circus arts competitions, notably in juggling and trapeze.

The show presents an unprecedented approach to the High Wire and a breathtaking Wheel of Death - an act that Cirque du Soleil has never before presented under the big top.

The Creators

The show brings together the following team of 13 Creators, several of whom are working with Cirque for the first time.

David Shiner Writer and Director
Serge Roy Director of Creation
Stéphane Roy Set Designer

Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt Costume Designer
Jean-François Côté Composer
Clarence Ford Choreographer

Martin Labrecque Lighting Designer
Jonathan Deans Co-Sound Designer
Leon Rothenberg Co-Sound Designer

Rogé Francoeur Props Designer

Danny Zen Acrobatic Equipment and Rigging Designer
André Simard Acrobatic Performance Designer
Florence Cornet Makeup Designer

Sponsors

iShares is the presenting sponsor of the U.S. tour of KOOZA. CGI, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, American Express, Panasonic and Delta are the official sponsors.

Cirque du Soleil

From a group of 20 street performers at its beginnings in 1984, Cirque du Soleil is a major Quebec-based organization providing high-quality artistic entertainment. The company has more than 4,000 employees from over 40 different countries, including more than a 1,000 artists.

Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to close to 90 million spectators in over 200 cities on five continents. In 2009, Cirque du Soleil will present 19 shows simultaneously throughout the world. The company has received such prestigious awards as the Emmy, Drama Desk, Bambi, ACE, Gémeaux, Félix, and Rose d'Or de Montreux. Cirque du Soleil International Headquarters are in Montreal, Canada.

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