Cirque du Soleil will return to Chicago with the revival of Alegría, its most iconic production. For three weeks only, from June 5-28, 2020, audiences are invited under the Big Top at Soldier Field South Lot (1410 Museum Campus Drive) to fall in love again with timeless Alegría; a true Cirque du Soleil classic reinterpreted through today's creative lens.
A production destined to change its history, Cirque du Soleil first presented Alegría in April 1994, launching an emblematic show that was to win over more than 14 million spectators in 255 cities in over 19 years of touring and earn a Grammy Award nomination for its title song. To mark the show's 25th anniversary, Cirque du Soleil is now revisiting its iconic Alegría through today's lens-including refreshed costumes and set design, a renewed acrobatic vocabulary, and modernized musical arrangements -to touch new generations of spectators.
With its signature songs, stunning acrobatics, memorable characters and enchanting artistry that have helped define the Cirque du Soleil aesthetic, Alegría is the reincarnation of a classic, reinterpreted for the age, and rekindled to inspire fans-old and new alike.
Alegría ('joy' in Spanish) takes audiences at the heart of a once glorious kingdom now in decay led by the king's fool and a dusty aristocracy. Carried by an intangible wind of change, an emerging movement from the streets strives to shake this established order, instilling hope and renewal to bring light and harmony to their world. With its joyful spirit, Alegría is a vital, energizing force driven by a thirst for a brighter tomorrow.
In true Cirque du Soleil fashion, Alegría unfolds soul-touching clown antics and remarkable acrobatic performances in a whimsical and immersive visual universe. Perched at the top of the Big Top, gymnasts fly from one High Bar to the next, and leap into the void to reach the hands of mighty catchers suspended on a cradle swing. Using all her limbs, an artist dazzles with her ability to spin and twirl a multitude of hoops while contorting her body with otherworldly ease. Other Jaw-dropping highlights include a daredevil Fire Knife Dancer eating, breathing, touching and juggling with flames; a sublime couple on Aerial Straps soaring through a delicate snowstorm; and fourteen tumblers bouncing off a Powertrack (trampoline tracks) embedded into the stage to perform criss-crossing series of daring somersaults.
For more information about Alegría, visit cirquedusoleil.com/alegria.
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