Quidam Fan

Greetings!

katie — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 02:19:02 +0000

I’m back for now! I am very excited to say I will be attending Quidam in Charlottesville on April 4th! The last time I attended the show was in 2006 in Philadelphia. I very much look forward to finally seeing the show in arena format. My seats are dead center and quite possibly first row! Expect updates on the experience here.

In the meantime, I came across this video today:

Normally when Quidam or any Cirque du Soleil show visits a location a few performers will visit a news station and perform part of their act. This might be the first time I have seen a musician feature their role with the show. Just to note, that is a carbon fiber cello. Enjoy!

Interview with the Artistic Director

katie — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 01:26:28 +0000

Cirque du Soleil posted this on their Youtube page. It has fantastic high quality footage of the show.

I haven’t disappeared!

katie — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 05:13:52 +0000

I am so sorry to those of you who frequent my site for my lack of updates. I wish I had a good excuse, but it is simply my busy life and putting my priorities in a different order. I did want to post something quick today. Which is the fact that the Diabolo act has changed costumes for the arena tour. I am assuming this is because it is now performed by adults than children (since arena shows can’t have schools). Here is a photo from a performance in Vancouver. What are your thoughts on the costume change? I personally am not the biggest fan. The old costumes portrayed the performers as tin men like characters..which helped the show portray the “Wizard of Oz” fantasy world impression. Also, the Diabolos are meant to follow the children’s games theme. i just wonder if they could have chosen something more youthful or a closer representation of the old costumes. Click the photo for more.

Statue as performed by La Vision

katie — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 17:57:35 +0000

With my other post about the statue act, I thought I would bring attention to this video posted by La Vision (Richard Jecsmen and Yana Semilet). If you compare the performances you will see quite a few differences (and similarities). This group, also seen on the DVD but with Carmita Lorador, uses full body makeup…which I think really enhances the effect of the act. They have some different moves, in particular I notice they do not do what I call the diamond pose where they are in the standing position with the woman upside down balancing on each other’s shoulders and symmetrically lift (or lower) one leg to create almost a diamond shape.

Another Arena Transition Article

katie — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 01:38:51 +0000

This article is from December 11th about the management that goes on behind the scenes of a cirque show. There is mention of Quidam’s transition:

Surprisingly, he said, except for redesigning a lighter, quick-to-assemble set, Quidam didn’t require major alterations for its arena shift.

The size of the cast remains the same, although the clown act has been pared down from three performers to one (Toto, doing numbers created by David Shiner).

Most of the changes were technical, he said. It was the five-rail ceiling track, or telepherique, that posed the biggest challenge. At the big top, it crossed the entire tent, which isn’t possible in an arena. “What we did is cut a section of the telepherique, and we raised it so that it’s more open, allowing a bigger view of the stage,” he said.

Maintaining sound quality for the multi-layered soundtrack was another challenge. In the tent, Quidam had surround sound. “We have to adapt in each arena because the acoustics will be different,” he said.

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Behind+scenes+symphony+management/3961603/story.html#ixzz19MlfUCHH

Recent Statue Performance

katie — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 00:20:23 +0000

Click here for a recent performance of the statue act by Jérôme Le Baut and Anna Vicente to promote the Arena tour.

Have you seen Quidam in Arena Format?

katie — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 22:58:12 +0000

Please comment here and share your thoughts!!

Quidam from a Distance

katie — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 21:50:03 +0000

Here’s a video that will give you an idea of the perspective of seeing Quidam from a distance in an arena. This was taken in the Bell Centre.

Quidam Arena

katie — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 21:43:46 +0000

I hope everyone is having or has had a great holiday! Hopefully I can use this time to make some much needed updates.

First I want to say that if you are or were a performer in Quidam and find any false information or photos that you would like taken down. Please contact me and let me know, I will gladly make necessary changes. I strive for accuracy with this website and only hope to promote your careers, not hinder.

Quidam has officially left the grand chapiteau and is now in stadium format only. There have so far been performances in Kingston, ON and Montreal, QC. I think the biggest question about this transition is what changes will we see to the show and how will it affect the overall experience? So far I have heard that images of clouds that were projected on to the big top, which contributed greatly to the setting and ambiance are no more.

Here is a great article from the Montreal Gazette prior to their premiere at the Bell Centre that brings attention to the question of the show’s intimacy.

[Photo Source: Montreal Gazette]

New Arena Tour Dates

katie — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 02:48:43 +0000

This is a bit of old news since I’ve been MIA, but loads of new Arena tour stops have been added! look after the jump, or just click on the Itinerary section at the top of the page to see the list.

Toronto, ON – From 20 December 2011

Worcester, MA – From 14 December 2011

Hampton, VA – From 7 December 2011

Greenville, SC – From 30 November 2011

Fayetteville, NC – From 23 November 2011

Washington, DC – From 16 November 2011

Milwaukee, WI – From 19 October 2011

Pittsburgh, PA – From 12 October 2011

Reading, PA – From 5 October 2011

Hartford, CT – From 28 September 2011

Fort Wayne, IN – From 21 September 2011

State College, PA – From 14 September 2011

Amherst, MA – From 7 September 2011

Baltimore, MD – From 31 August 2011

Hershey, PA – From 18 August 2011

Providence, RI – From 27 July 2011

Saint John, NB – From 13 July 2011

St. John, NL – From 6 July 2011

Ottawa, ON – From 22 June 2011

Wilkes-Barre, PA – From 15 June 2011

Hamilton, ON – From 8 June 2011

London, ON – From 2 June 2011

Sacramento, CA – From 11 May 2011

[Source: Cirquetribune.com]