Like a magical cauldron bubbling, with scenes from the story of human
evolution linked together in a chain, Cirque du Soleil's TOTEM
(pronounced Toe-TEM) traces the fantastic journey of the human species
from the beginnings of organic life, to its original amphibian state
in Earth's primordial soup, to the foundations of science, to the
realization of Man's dream of defying Earth's gravity and taking
flight.
The themes of evolution and the search for balance are closely woven
together throughout the show and illustrate - in a multidimensional
visual and acrobatic language - the evolutionary journey of species,
encompassing all of the potential we carry within ourselves.
Creation myths from all walks of life act as a springboard for
exploring the birth and evolution of Man - like an echo of the great
questions of life - through various esoteric interpretations.
Somewhere between science and legend, they say, TOTEM is about life,
exploring the ties that bind Man to other species, his dreams and his
infinite potential. Thus, this show pays tribute to the infinite
imagination of Man and the beauty of the world in balance between
reason and excess.
TOTEM depicts a world peopled by archetypal characters, all of who
witness and act out in their own way the perennial existential
questions of life. Neanderthals, Cro-Magnons, primates and men in
suits set out on their evolutional quest for knowledge. This
interpretation of evolution is the line that runs through the show. In
the course of his journey, Man aspires to reach the stars.
Closely related to the notions of lineage and belonging to a group,
the word TOTEM suggests that we all share the same roots, the idea of
the order of species. We carry within our bodies the potential of all
species, all the way to our desire to fly - like the thunderbird at
the top of the totem pole. And in that way "Totemism" refers to the
animal in Man. It contains the very idea of evolution; our bodies are
living exemplars of it, because our species carry traces of all
species. Is it coincidence that this word, with the same spelling in
many languages, sounds exactly like the Latin "Totum", which means
"all" or "the whole?"
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Premiere: | April 22, 2010 |
Type: | Touring / Big Top |
Finale: | March 12, 2020 |
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Creative Team
Guide
Guy Laliberté
Guide
Gilles Ste-Croix
Director
Robert Lepage
Creation
Nelson Vignola
Costume Designer
Kym Barrett
Composer
Bob & Bill
Set & Props
Carl Fillion
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Chorepgrapher
Jeff Hall
Lighting Designer
Étienne Boucher
Image Content
Pedro Piresr
Sound Designer
Jacques Boucher
Equipment & Rigging
Pierre Masse
Acrobatics
Florence Pot
Makeup Designer
Nathalie J. Simard
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Audio/Visual
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Interviews
ALAIN VINET Director of Musique
"Directing Cirque's Musique"
Keith Johnson, 2009
BOB & BILL Album Producers
"Believing & Dreaming"
Keith Johnson, 2011
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