Interview: TORUK Artistic Director, Fabrice Lemire, On Breaking New Ground with Cirque du Soleil

Undoubtedly, Cirque du Soleil's new touring arena show, TORUK - THE FIRST FLIGHT, is outside of the box. The main characters are 10-feet-tall extraterrestrials with striped skin and feline features.

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"We know what works, but why not break away from the model?" asks TORUK's artistic director, Fabrice Lemire. It seems like the Canadian performing arts company, despite being in its early thirties, isn't interested in settling down.

TORUK is a departure in more ways than one. The events of TORUK predate those in AVATAR by thousands of years. And whereas AVATAR is centered around the human characters saving the Na'vi's homeland, Pandora, TORUK spotlights the Na'vi. The story, narrated by a member of the Na'vi species, follows two Na'vi teens in their quest for Toruk, a flying creature that looms in the Pandora skies and the Na'vi consciousness.

Though inspired by James Cameron's AVATAR, the show will retain what Lemire calls the acrobatic wow-factor Cirque du Soleil is known for but, this time, large-scale puppetry, high flying circus style stunts, and elaborate stage makeup will support a storyline. "The company is taking this opportunity to grow and expand-to collaborate."

TORUK is written and directed by long-term collaborators: Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon. Both Lemieux and Pilon have ties to filmmaking and set design. Additionally, Lemieux is a composer and performer while Pilon is a photographer and visual designer.

Taking cues from the 2009 film, the multidisciplinary artists use immersive multimedia technology to involve the audience in the story. Lemire raves over the projections."They completely submerge [the audience] in each geographic location throughout the two-hour show."

Conversely, the classic puppetry and acrobatics will supercede the motion capture of the film. "It's a beautiful marriage between the new technology [and] tradition."

Lemire's job is to maintain this marriage. As artistic director, he ensures the each performance of the touring production is high-quality and remains loyal to the original artistic vision. This requires he take good care of the TORUK touring team. "I want to make sure my cast is motivated and challenged in the right way so that they go onstage with such a passion and desire to show the artform as well as [discover] something new about themselves."

It is a challenge to maintain the artistic integrity of a show with 13 creators, let alone a newly premiered show based on a record-breaking billion-dollar film. But Lemire has plenty of experience. Before he became Artistic Director for the production, Lemire was assistant to the writers and stage directors of TORUK -- Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon. "I was the right-hand of these two directors and I got all the information from the root, the foundation," says Lemire. "I know clearly what they want to accomplish with the production."

Furthermore, Lemire's list of occupational title includes dance instructor, choreographer, ballet master, stage director, and principal dancer. So he knows what it takes to motivate his cast. "My role is figuring [out] a way to make [the performer] comfortable so they can go onstage and give a great show."

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Cirque du Soleil's TORUK - THE FIRST FLIGHT. February 11 - 14. Performance times are 7:30 p.m., February 11 - 13; 4 p.m., February 12 and 13; and 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m., February 14. February 11 - 14. Toyota Center, 1510 Polk Street. 713-758-7200. cirquedusoleil.com/toruk. $45-$115.

Photos courtesy of Cirque du Soleil

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