Photo Flash: CIRQUE DU SOLEIL at the Academy Awards 2012

Cirque du Soleil presented an exclusive performance for the 84th Academy Awards on Oscar Sunday, February 26. The one-time-only event featured the largest Cirque cast ever assembled for a single act. Check out the photographs below of the performance, which feature acrobatics, light shows and more.

More than 50 International Artists from Cirque du Soleil productions around the world converged in Los Angeles to perform the showcase. The act featured aerialists, Icarian acrobats, hand balancers, dancers and characters from IRIS, A Journey through the World of Cinema along with the 15-member Banquine team from Viva ELVIS in Las Vegas and a hand balancer from Zarkana, direct from Moscow's Kremlin State Palace Theatre. The act was accompanied by music from Academy Award-nominated composer Danny Elfman, who scored the music for Cirque du Soleil's IRIS, A Journey through the World of Cinema.

Cirque du Soleil presented the performance as a tribute to the movie theatre experience incorporating signature Cirque acrobatic elements and imagery along with classic film clips.

The act marked the second time Cirque du Soleil performed during an Academy Awards telecast. The troupe's first appearance, at the 74th Academy Awards, sparked discussions about creating a permanent show at the theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center and resulted in the creation of IRIS.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 were presented on Sunday, February 26, at the theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network as well as being televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

Photo credit: A.M.P.A.S.