Dralion

Dralion
Performers balance on illuminated lightbulbs in a Vienna performance of Dralion.
Company	Cirque du Soleil
Genre	Contemporary circus
Show type	Touring arena show
Date of premiere	April 22, 1999
Creative team
Director	Guy Caron
Director of creation	Gilles Ste-Croix
Set designer	Stéphane Roy
Composer	Violaine Corradi
Costume designer	François Barbeau
Clown act designer	Michel Dallaire
Lighting designer	Luc Lafortune
Choreographer	Julie Lachance
Sound designer	Guy Desrochers
General artistic director	Sylvie Galarneau
Company founder and CEO	Guy Laliberté
Other information
Preceded by	La Nouba (1998)
Succeeded by	Varekai (2002)
Official website

Dralion (pronounced Drah-lee-on) is a touring production by the Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Soleil. The show combines elements of traditional Chinese circus with Western contemporary circus, complementing the "East-meets-West" theme implied in the title — the name is a portmanteau of "dragon" (representing the East) and "lion" (representing the West). It is Cirque du Soleil's 12th touring production and the first Cirque show since 1985 not to be directed by Franco Dragone.^[1]

Set and technical information

The backdrop for Dralion is a metallic structure 60 feet (18 m) in width and 26 feet (7.9 m) in height. It is covered in perforated aluminum tiles, giving it the appearance of medieval armor or a futuristic Chinese temple. Sitting atop the structure are six giant claws which allow performers to climb the wall and suspend in mid-air. Above the stage itself are three large concentric aluminum rings. The first is utilized as a catwalk; the second is used to support acrobatic equipment; and the third is used by performers to move up and down and suspend in the air.^[2]

Cast

Dralion features 50 members in its performance troupe, of which about 5 or 6 play principal characters.^[2]

• Azala (air): The goddess of air who is dressed in blue, keeper of the sun and the guardian of immortality.
• Gaya (earth): The goddess of earth, dressed in ochre.
• Océane (water): The goddess of water, dressed in green.
• Yao (fire): The god of fire, dressed in red, who is both good and evil.
• L'Âme Force: The show's singers who symbolize harmony between the four elements.
• Dralions: Mythical creatures inspired by the imagery of the Chinese lion dance and dragon dance.
• Clowns: The clowns manage to push this otherwise harmonious universe slightly off-kilter.
• Little Buddha: The chosen child who possesses powers that will eventually allow him to become an Âme-Force, but dreams of being a regular child.

Acts

The acts of Dralion combine unique western and eastern acrobatic skills.^[2][3]

• Single handbalancing: A single woman balances on one hand and accomplishes a variety of poses.
• Bamboo poles: Five acrobats twirl and throw 25-foot-long (7.6 m) bamboo poles while Yao waves a flag as the acrobats jump over it.
• Juggling: An artist performs juggling infused with breakdancing and acrobatics.
• Trampoline: A group of acrobats perform on trampolines using the set's futuristic backdrop both as a diving board and landing pad.
• Dralions: Three acrobats and three Dralions perform tumbling feats and Chinese lion dance-like dance.
• Medusa: A group of artists execute graceful and lithe movements, creating extraordinary and harmonious figures.
• Aerial hoop: A single artist performs choreography using a hoop suspended in mid-air.
• Spirits: Four couples perform a gravity-defying ballet.
• Aerial pas de deux: Azala and her male counterpart perform an aerial dance in silks.
• Hoop diving: Acrobats jump through a tower of hoops, which is sometimes spinning.
• Skipping ropes: A group of acrobats perform jump rope alone or together in pyramids and in towers.

Rotation acts

• Diabolo: Artists perform tricks with diabolos trying to outperform each other.
• Balancing on chairs: An artist stacks chairs on top of one another and performs various hand balancing maneuvers on top of them.

Retired acts

• Contortion with bowls
• Teeterboard
• Ballet on lightbulbs
• Duo trapeze
• Foot juggling

Costumes

Dralion's costumes are vibrant in color; inspired by clothing from India, China, and Africa; and are shaped according to the movements of each performer's choreography.^[4] In total there are around 1500 wardrobe pieces for the show, taking into account that some artists have up to four costume changes during a a single performance.^[5]

• Yao: As the symbol of fire, Yao is clad in red.
• Océane: As the goddess of water, Océane's costume is Indian inspired and green in color.
• Azala: As the goddess of air, Azala's primary color is blue. Her dress is fashioned with Asian crystal beads.
• Gaya: As the goddess of earth, Gaya's color is Ochre. Her costume is inspired by african designs.
• L'Âme Force: The texture on the front of their golden costumes is made by moulding small plastic soldiers.
• Dralions: The dralions are constructed from a mélange of items both natural and synthetic: lycra, leather, silk, mosquito netting, polystyrene foam, springs, raffia, horse hair, emu feathers, and other fabrics and decorations.

Music

With the company's departure from its longtime creative team, Dralion features the work of a new Cirque composer, French-Canadian composer Violaine Corradi.^[6] The music of Dralion aims to be a fusion of sounds from East and West by the use of acoustic and electric instruments. Featuring rhythmic and lyrical motifs, the influences range from Indian melodies to sounds from Andalusia, Africa, Central Europe, and the West. Instruments used in the CD are drums, violin, winds, keyboards, guitar and percussion instructions. Released on November 9, 1999, Dralion’s soundtrack features the vocals of Basque counter-tenor Erik Karol, and Canadian female vocalist Agnès Sohier. The tracks for the CD are listed below, with their corresponding acts alongside in italics.^[7]

The original album artwork of Dralion, 1999

Track listing

1. Stella Errans (Single handbalancing)
2. Ombra
   • Originally was for foot juggling and contortion with bowls, but currently is played during balancing on chairs.
3. Spiritual Spiral '(Interlude)
4. Miracula Æternitatis (Spirits)
5. Bamboo (Bamboo poles)
6. Ballare (Aerial Pas De Deux)
7. Ravendhi (Teeterboard)
8. Ninkou Latora (Double trapeze)
9. Aborigenes Jam (Hoop diving)
10. Hinkò (Ballet on lightbulbs)
11. Kamandé (Skipping rope and finale)

Further information: Cirque du Soleil discography

Tour

Dralion started out as a touring show in 1999 traveling under the grand chapiteau, but was converted in 2010 to a format suitable for arenas.^[8][9]

The following colorboxes indicate the region of each performance:   EU   Europe   NA   North America   SA   South America   AP   Asia/Pacific   OC   Oceania

Arena tour 2010 schedule   NA   Trenton, NJ - From 21 October 2010 to 24 October 2010   NA   Buffalo, NY - From 27 October 2010 to 31 October 2010   NA   Reading, PA - From 3 November 2010 to 7 November 2010   NA   Youngstown, OH - From 10 November 2010 to 14 November 2010   NA   Windsor, ON - From 17 November 2010 to 21 November 2010   NA   Oshawa, ON - From 24 November 2010 to 28 November 2010   NA   Worcester, MA - From 16 December 2010 to 19 December 2010   NA   Philadelphia, PA - From 21 December 2010 to 2 January 2011 2011 schedule   NA   Boston, MA - From 5 January 2011 to 9 January 2011   NA   Grand Rapids, MI - From 12 January 2011 to 16 January 2011   NA   St. Louis, MO - From 19 January 2011 to 23 January 2011   NA   Chicago, IL - From 26 January 2011 to 30 January 2011   NA   Mobile, AL - From 2 February 2011 to 6 February 2011   NA   Columbus, OH - From 9 February 2011 to 13 February 2011   NA   Detroit, MI - From 16 February 2011 to 20 February 2011   NA   Austin, TX - From 10 March 2011 to 21 March 2011   NA   San Antonio, TX - From 23 March 2011 to 27 March 2011   NA   Des Moines, IA - From 30 March 2011 to 3 April 2011   NA   Fargo, ND - From 5 April 2011 to 7 April 2011   NA   Sioux City, IA - From 9 April 2011 to 10 April 2011   NA   Council Bluffs, IA - From 13 April 2011 to 17 April 2011   NA   Moline, IL - From 19 April 2011 to 20 April 2011   NA   Peoria, IL - From 22 April 2011 to 24 April 2011   NA   Madison, WI - From 26 April 2011 to 27 April 2011   NA   Green Bay, WI - From 29 April 2011 to 1 May 2011   NA   Rockford, IL - From 4 May 2011 to 8 May 2011   NA   Kansas City, MO - From 11 May 2011 to 15 May 2011   NA   Abbotsford, BC - From 2 June 2011 to 5 June 2011   NA   Eugene, OR - From 8 June 2011 to 12 June 2011   NA   Portland, OR - From 15 June 2011 to 19 June 2011   NA   Victoria, BC - From 22 June 2011 to 26 June 2011   NA   Penticton, BC - From 29 June 2011 to 3 July 2011   NA   Edmonton, AB - From 6 July 2011 to 10 July 2011   NA   Saskatoon, SK - From 13 July 2011 to 17 July 2011   NA   Winnipeg, MB - From 20 July 2011 to 24 July 2011   NA   Frisco, TX - From 27 July 2011 to 31 July 2011   NA   Indianapolis, IN - From 3 August 2011 to 7 August 2011   NA   Atlanta, GA - From 25 August 2011 to 28 August 2011   NA   Duluth, GA - From 31 August 2011 to 4 September 2011   NA   Tupelo, MS - From 6 September 2011 to 8 September 2011   NA   Huntsville, AL - From 10 September 2011 to 11 September 2011   NA   New Orleans, LA - From 14 September 2011 to 17 September 2011   NA   Orlando, FL - From 21 September 2011 to 25 September 2011   NA   Tallahassee, FL - From 28 September 2011 to 2 October 2011   NA   Birmingham, AL - From 5 October 2011 to 9 October 2011   NA   Gainesville, FL - From 11 October 2011 to 13 October 2011   NA   San Juan, PR - From 19 October 2011 to 23 October 2011   NA   Santo Domingo, DR - From 27 October 2011 to 30 October 2011   NA   Cypress, TX - From 17 November 2011 to 20 November 2011   NA   Beaumont, TX - From 23 November 2011 to 27 November 2011   NA   Houston, TX - From 30 November 2011 to 4 December 2011   NA   Lafayette, LA - From 6 December 2011 to 8 December 2011   NA   Bossier City, LA - From 10 December 2011 to 11 December 2011   NA   Little Rock, AR - From 13 December 2011 to 14 December 2011   NA   Montréal, QC - From 18 December 2011 to 30 December 2011 2012 schedule   NA   Quebec, QC - From 3 January 2012 to 8 January 2012   NA   Kingston, ON - From 11 January 2012 to 15 January 2012   NA   Loveland, CO - From 2 February 2012 to 5 February 2012   NA   Broomfield, CO - From 8 February 2012 to 12 February 2012   NA   El Paso, TX - Coming soon   NA   Colorado Springs, CO - Coming soon   NA   Río Rancho, NM - From 29 February 2012 to 4 March 2012   NA   Highland Heights, KY - From 28 March 2012 to 1 April 2012

Grand Chapiteau tour 1999 schedule   NA   Montréal, QC - From 22 April 1999 (show première)   NA   Québec, QC - From 24 June 1999   NA   Toronto, ON - From 29 July 1999 to 5 September 1999   NA   Santa Monica, CA - From 23 September 1999 to 21 November 1999   NA   Irvine, CA - From 2 December 1999 2000 schedule   NA   San Francisco, CA - From 3 February 2000   NA   San Jose, CA - From 6 April 2000   NA   Denver, CO - From 6 June 2000   NA   Minneapolis, MN - From 17 August 2000   NA   Washington, DC - From 11 October 2000 to 19 November 2000   NA   Atlanta, GA - From 30 November 2000 to 28 January 2001 2001 schedule   NA   Miami, FL - From 14 February 2001 to 18 March 2001   NA   New York, NY - From 4 April 2001 to 20 May 2001   NA   Chicago, IL - From 22 June 2001 to 15 July 2001   NA   Boston, MA - From 15 August 2001 to 16 September 2001   NA   Philadelphia, PA - From 27 September 2001 to 4 November 2001   NA   Dallas, TX - From 16 November 2001 to 9 December 2001 2002 schedule   NA   Houston, TX - From 17 January 2002 to 17 February 2002   NA   Santa Monica, CA - From 6 March 2002 to 24 March 2002   NA   San Diego, CA - From 18 April 2002 to 12 May 2002   NA   Portland, OR - From 12 June 2002 to 21 July 2002   NA   Seattle, WA - From 1 August 2002 to 15 September 2002   NA   Sacramento, CA - From 4 October 2002 to 20 October 2002   NA   Phoenix, AZ - From 13 November 2002 to 8 December 2002 2003 schedule   NA   New Orleans, LA - From 6 February 2003 to 2 March 2003   NA   Raleigh, NC - From 13 March 2003 to 5 April 2003   NA   Baltimore, MD - From 11 April 2003 to 4 May 2003   NA   Montréal, QC - From 15 May 2003 to 15 June 2003   NA   Hartford, CT - From 24 June 2003 to 13 July 2003   NA   Columbus, OH - From 24 July 2003 to 10 August 2003   NA   St. Louis, MO - From 23 August 2003 to 14 September 2003   NA   Mexico City, MX - From 2 October 2003 to 14 December 2003 2004 schedule   EU   London, UK - From 9 January 2004 to 15 February 2004   EU   Amsterdam, NL - From 27 February 2004 to 23 May 2004   EU   Vienna, AT - From 3 June 2004 to 1 August 2004   EU   Antwerp, BE - From 12 August 2004 to 3 October 2004   EU   Madrid, ES - From 15 October 2004 to 21 December 2004 2005 schedule   EU   London, UK - From 6 January 2005 to 6 February 2005   EU   Barcelona, ES - From 17 March 2005 to 24 April 2005   EU   Rotterdam, NL - From 3 June 2005 to 19 June 2005   EU   Oostende, CH - From 21 July 2005 to 28 August 2005   EU   Zurich, CH - From 8 September 2005 to 6 November 2005   EU   Bilbao, ES - From 18 November 2005 to 8 January 2006 2006 schedule   EU   Seville, ES - From 19 January 2006 to 26 February 2006   EU   Geneva, CH - From 10 March 2006 to 16 April 2006   EU   Valencia, ES - From 4 May 2006 to 11 June 2006   EU   Málaga, ES - From 22 June 2006 to 30 July 2006   EU   Berlin, DE - From 30 August 2006 to 5 October 2006   EU   Frankfurt, DE - From 19 October 2006 to 26 November 2006   EU   Düsseldorf, DE - From 7 December 2006 to 7 January 2007 2007 schedule   AP   Tokyo, JP - From 7 February 2007 to 6 May 2007   AP   Sendai, JP - From 23 May 2007 to 8 July 2007   AP   Osaka, JP - From 25 July 2007 to 14 October 2007   AP   Nagoya, JP - From 31 October 2007 to 6 January 2008 2008 schedule   AP   Tokyo, JP - From 25 January 2008 to 6 April 2008   AP   Fukuoka, JP - From 23 April 2008 to 15 June 2008   OC   Sydney, AU - From 16 July 2008 to 12 October 2008   OC   Canberra, AU - From 23 October 2008 to 16 November 2008   OC   Brisbane, AU - From 27 November 2008 to 11 January 2009 2009 schedule   OC   Perth, AU - From 29 January 2009 to 25 March 2009   OC   Melbourne, AU - From 10 April 2009 to 14 June 2009   OC   Auckland, NZ - From 9 July 2009 to 24 August 2009   NA   Monterrey, MX - From 17 September 2009 to 11 October 2009   NA   Guadalajara, MX - From 22 October 2009 to 15 November 2009   NA   Mexico City, MX - From 26 November 2009 to 17 January 2010

References

1. ^ Cirque du Soleil - About Dralion
2. ^ ^{a b c} "Presskit Dralion Sept 2010" (PDF). Cirque du Soleil (Press Kit). http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/~/media/press/PDF/dralion/presskit-dralion-sept-2010.pdf. Retrieved 2011-03-01. 
3. ^ "Dralion - Acts". Cirque du Soleil (Press Material). http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/press/kits/shows/dralion/resources/acts.aspx. Retrieved 2011-03-27. 
4. ^ Clément, Ronald (2009) (in CN, EN, FR, JP). Cirque du Soleil 25 Years of Costumes. Canada: Dépôt légal, Bibliothèque et Archives Canada. pp. 62–67. ISBN 978-2-9803493-4-8. 
5. ^ "Acrobats defy gravity in Cirque du Soleil's 'Dralion'". Des Moines Register. 2011-03-28. http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20110329/LIFE/103290340/1015/Iowa-Energy-fall-behind-early-loss-Erie/. Retrieved 2011-03-29. 
6. ^ Cirque du Soleil - Creators of Dralion
7. ^ "Music - Dralion". Cirque Tribune. http://www.cirquetribune.com/music/dralion.html. Retrieved 2011-03-27. 
8. ^ "Dralion Schedule". Cirque Tribune. http://www.cirquetribune.com/database/show.php?show=Dralion&mode=schedule. Retrieved 2011-04-14. 
9. ^ "Dralion Tickets and Info". Cirque du Soleil. http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/dralion/tickets.aspx. Retrieved 2011-04-14. 

External links

• Official website