Cirque du Soleil returns to Vancouver with KOOZA

Premieres Thursday, July 22, 2010 at Concord Pacific Place

Specially-priced tickets available now exclusively to Cirque Club members Tickets available to the General Public on April 14, 2010

VANCOUVER , Feb. 3 /CNW Telbec/ - Cirque du Soleil is proud to return to Vancouver with its critically acclaimed big top production KOOZA. Proudly presented by Desjardins, KOOZA will premiere on July 22 , for a limited engagement under the trademark blue-and-yellow Grand Chapiteau at Concord Pacific Place.

Specially-priced tickets are now available to Cirque Club members for an exclusive period through April 13 at www.cirqueclub.com. Membership is free and registration is quick and simple. Cirque Club members receive advance access to the best seats under the Grand Chapiteau, ticket upgrades, partner promotions and insider information on the world of Cirque du Soleil. On April 14 tickets will be available to the General Public.

The Name

The name KOOZA is inspired by the Sanskrit word "koza," which means "box," "chest" or "treasure," and was chosen because one of the underlying concepts of the production is the idea of a "circus in a box."

The Show

KOOZA is a return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil that combines two circus traditions - acrobatic performance and the art of clowning. The show highlights the physical demands of human performance in all its splendor and fragility, presented in a colorful mélange that emphasizes bold slapstick humor.

"KOOZA is about human connection and the world of duality, good and bad", says the show's writer and director David Shiner . "The tone is fun and funny, light and open. The show doesn't take itself too seriously, but it's very much about ideas, too".

The show starts with The Trickster bursting onto the scene like a jack-in-a-box right in front of The Innocent, and that is just the first of many surprises to follow. The Innocent's journey brings him into contact with a panoply of comic characters such as the King, the Trickster, the Heimloss, the Pickpocket, the Obnoxious Tourist and his Bad Dog.

    
    Vancouver Performance Schedule
    - Tuesdays thru Thursdays at 8:00 p.m.
    - Fridays and Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
    - Sundays at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
    - No performances on Mondays

    Specially-Priced - Cirque Club Members Offer (Offer ends April 13, 2010)
    - Adults: starts at $50

    Regular Ticket Prices
    - Adults: starts at $60
    

A VIP Tapis Rouge (French for "red carpet") package is available and includes one of the best seats in the house, and access to the VIP suite one hour before the show and during intermission. Adults: starts at $255 . Prices include taxes.

Sponsors

Cirque du Soleil gratefully acknowledges Desjardins Presenting Sponsor of the Canadian Tour as well as CGI and Infiniti as the Official Sponsors.

Cirque du Soleil

From a group of 20 street performers at its beginnings in 1984, Cirque du Soleil is a major Québec-based organization providing high-quality artistic entertainment. The company has 5,000 employees, including more than 1,200 artists from close to 50 different countries.

Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to close to 100 million spectators in 300 cities on five continents. In 2010, Cirque du Soleil, will present 21 shows simultaneously throughout the world. The company has received such prestigious awards as the Emmy, Drama Desk, Bambi, ACE, Gémeaux, Félix, and Rose d'Or de Montreux. Cirque du Soleil International Headquarters are in Montreal , Canada . For more information about Cirque du Soleil, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com

Pressroom

For downloadable images and additional information, please visit the Cirque du Soleil on-line Press Room at www.cirquedusoleil.com. Scroll down and click on "Press Room" and then click on "KOOZA."

For further information: Press Contact: Émilie Nadeau, KOOZA Publicist, [phone] x7422, [email protected]