Quidam

"Quidam" (pronounced "key-DAHM"; IPAEng|kiːˈdɑːm) means "a certain one/thing" or "anonymous passerby" in Classical Latin, and is the ninth show produced and performed by Cirque du Soleil.

The entire show is imagined by a young girl, named Zoe, a sad and forlorn girl who is alienated and ignored by her parents. She dreams up the whimsical world of Quidam in an attempt to escape her sadness.

The title refers to the feature character, a man without a head, carrying an umbrella and a bowler hat. Quidam is said to be the embodiment of both everyone and no one at the same time. Subtitles at the beginning of the official video state:"Quidam: a nameless passer-by, a solitary figure lingering on a street corner, a person rushing past. One who cries out, sings and dreams within us all."

According to Cirque's literature:"Quidam highlights our frailties and our anguish in the face of the new millennium that lies before us. It also underlines differences, conveying positive feelings and resentment and confronting our dreams with our nightmares. Quidam is more scripted than previous productions, integrating performance and theatricality to a greater degree, and draws on the emotional relationships between the performers in the troupe."

Characters

Listed here in order of appearance during the show:

* Zoé: An average little girl. She is bored yet curious, and she longs for the fun and excitement she believes lie just beyond her reach. When her parents ignore her, she suspends them "for a minute or two or three." She enters an imaginary world and discovers lots of weird and wonderful things.

* The Father: Completely, though unwittingly, self-absorbed. His white shoes are the only indication of a hidden personality.

* The Mother: Conveys an air of absence and alienation. Inside her lie fear, frustration, and desire.

* Quidam: The Quidam may have stepped out of a surrealist painting or been conjured up out of Zoé's imagination. He is anonymous; he is everyone, and, at the same time, he is no one.

* John: Part game-show host and part substitute teacher with his own renegade lesson plan, a ringmaster of sorts; an eerie but charming guide through the world of Quidam.

* The Target (La Cible): Originally known as Karl or Fritz (based on the actors' real names), a living, human bulls-eye (possibly the personification of the carpet on the family's floor, which has the same design), fired at by everyone, left vulnerable perhaps by a gentle nature and kindness, ironically remaining light-hearted and happy--answering to everything with a smile. "A sweet, but frantic romantic" who can "fly with ease from the highest trapeze." (Asexual; has been played by male and female actors.)

* Les Chiennes Blanches: The silent chorus, the nameless and the faceless; the dehumanized, mechanical crowd, simultaneously leading and following.

* Boum-Boum: Aggressive and physically fit, yet lifeless, struggling, as though the body lives on only because the soul refuses to leave it. From the darker side of human relationships--an evil seduction. Enjoys screaming at the audience and walking away proudly like a bully on the playground, but if an audience member screams back, will run away like a frightened child! (Asexual; has been played by male and female actors; a.k.a. La Mort.)

* Rabbit (originally Funny Bunny): Female looking for love all the time! Plays, and likes to tease. Never knows if the one she has is the good one, so she goes to someone else. Chases and gets chased by other characters. "A genius in ecology, lovey-dovey, and astrology." Has no tail, and each ear is twice the length of her head! Referred to as "Donkey Ears" by fans. The character's original French name on sketches was Peau d'Ane, which translates roughly as "ass/donkey skin".

* The Aviator: Has skeletal wings, but doesn't look quite ready to take off. Perhaps he doesn't know he has wings. Perhaps he knows, but can't fly. Perhaps, like Icarus, he has tried and failed. Or perhaps he simply wants to escape this world and its problems.

* Les Égarés: Lost individuals who gather together in the streets and abandoned buildings of Quidam. They sublimate their suffering, transforming it into something magical and inspiring.

Music

Quidam's soundtrack was composed by Benoît Jutrás, and has been released in three editions featuring additional songs, alternative new cover designs, and higher quality sounds. The soundtrack was released on 14 January 1997. Below are the tracks, in order as they appear on the CD. Listed after each track title is the performance associated with the track. The soundtrack features the voices of Audrey Brisson-Jutrás and Mathieu Lavoie, with the exception of two bonus tracks sung by Audrey Brisson-Jutrás and Richard Price on the extended CD released in 2001 (recorded live in Amsterdam, 1999). [From CD cover/insert; see [http://www.allcdcovers.com/download/ad4bd64978e0998b3e5082701634f450/12524/694ed1375317e3979a21edcbb1fc5c19/48b24947/cirque_du_soleil_quidam_2006_retail_cd-front] and [http://www.allcdcovers.com/download/9aa1e0cb30fb5ff5d01f0f1fc63e149c/12524/e0d030c0cb29ade55aeed20b0648a9ae/48b248e7/cirque_du_soleil_quidam_2006_retail_cd-back] ] [http://www.cirquetribune.com/music/quidam.html] [http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/6853093/a/Quidam.htm#] [http://www.amazon.com/Quidam-Cirque-du-Soleil/dp/B000003G5M] [http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/Music/Soundtracks/quidam.htm] [http://www.soundtrackcollector.com/catalog/soundtrackdetail.php?movieid=73032] [http://www.thesoundtracktoyourlife.co.uk/product,5425,Quidam,_Circque_Du_Soleil.html]

# Atmadja (Opening)
# Incantation (Foot Juggling / Contortion with Bowls, acts in rotation)
# Marelle (Interlude)
# Rivage (Manipulation/Juggling)
# Zydeko (Skipping Ropes)
# Let Me Fall (Aerial Contortion in Silk)
# Innocence (Skipping Ropes)
# Carrousel (Double Trapeze)
# Steel Dream (Spanish Webs)
# Séisouso (Aerial Hoops)
# Réveil (Statue – Vis Versa)
# Quidam (Finale)
#* Additional Tracks (Performed by Audrey Brisson-Jutras and Richard Price, Amsterdam, 1999):
## Misère (Banquine)
## Enfants d'Acier (Diabolos)

Feature Acts

* German Wheel (Roue Allemande): An acrobat becomes master of his own domain from within a giant, 100-pound wheel, which consists of two metal hoops joined at six points, and measures about six feet in diameter (1 revolution covers about 20 linear feet). In a display of strength and agility, he rolls, turns, and spins while nonchalantly performing somersaults and twists, sometimes handsfree.

* Diabolos: Four young ladies clad in futuristic, silver-metallic, "tin-man" dresses work two sticks linked by a string on which a musical wooden spool (similar to a Chinese yo-yo). It twirls and flies through the air while the acrobats themselves perform flips and build human pyramids. In the show, Chinese yo-yo are used instead of Diabolo

* Aerial Contortion in Silk (Contorsion Air et Soie): A woman becomes one with columns of red fabric which support and cradle her high in the air. In harmony with the haunting music, contortionist and cloth intertwine, separate, and embrace again.

* Skipping Ropes (Cordes a Sauter): Drawing inspiration from dance, acrobatics, and the art of manipulation, a colorful group of 20 acrobats endowed with coordination and rhythm performs this familiar child's game in a steady stream of solo, duo, and group jumps and figures.

* Aerial Hoops (Cerceaux Aeriens): Whirling above the stage, sometimes together, sometimes alone on a hoop, three performers pivot and twirl through the air, performing stunning feats of grace and dexterity, sometimes dangling upside-down by a single foot or right-side-up by only their skulls.

* Handbalancing (Equilibre) (Contortion on Canes): Perched on balancing canes, a seductive performer moves elegantly through a series of precarious positions of ever-increasing intricacy.

* Spanish Webs (Cordes Lisses): Artists fly over the stage, attached to trolleys on the overhead tracks. In turn or as a group, they occasionally perform a sudden drop, stopped only by the ropes looped around their waists or ankles.

* Ball Juggling (Jonglerie): Up to 5 balls fly through the air, with additional manipulation of a briefcase, umbrella, and bowler hat.

* Statue - Vis Versa: Never losing contact, two strong, flexible performers move almost imperceptibly, assuming positions with an impeccable sense of balance.

* Cloud Swing (Corde Volante): A unique and dangerous combination of Trapeze and Spanish web techniques, diving and twisting far above the stage.

* Banquine: An Italian acrobatic tradition going back to the Middle Ages that combines gymnastics and ballet. Showcasing the agility of the human body, up to 15 artists perform sequences of feats and human pyramids with their perfectly synchronized movements. Several versions of the act exist and may be performed at any show depending on various factors. The main difference usually involves the "Flight-Exchange" (a.k.a., "cross-jump") maneuver; it is usually performed with 2 men (as seen on the video), but is occasionally omitted, or can be performed with 2 men and 1 lady (as seen in the 2002 Oscar performance), or with 3 men and 1 lady--the most spectacular version where all four must carefully avoid each other in mid-air.

* Clowns: Acts featuring audience participation, expressing themselves via mime:

:* Attempting to coordinate the playing of a violin and cymbals and balloons, the clown recruits an unsuspecting audience member to help.:* Driving an imaginary car, a beautiful young lady from the audience is chosen for a ride-along, with the clown does his utmost to get a kiss from her.:* Directing a silent film involving 4 members from the audience: a stud-type, a floozy-type, a jealous, broken-hearted loser-type, & a fat/itchy director-type, the clown does his utmost to get them to remember their simple roles in as few takes as possible without having to "fire" any of them.

"In Rotation"
* Hoops (Manipulation and Contortion): A sensational routine involving up to 20 spinning hoops that a seductive performer manipulates all over her body, combining the agility and skill of a gymnast with the flexibility of a contortionist, the dexterity of a juggler, and the grace of a ballerina.

"Past Acts"
* Aerial Straps: Two artists grasp cords that dangle from the overhead rails, sometimes performing on the ground, sometimes in the air.

* Ball Manipulation: Jugglers use giant wave-like metal forms and multiple rhythmic gymnastic balls for a highly abstract effect.

how

Since the show's inception, the acts and sequences have varied slightly, and still change on occasion based on a variety of unpredictable factors. The list shown below primarily represents the official video filmed in Amsterdam, 1999, with modifications based on performances during the North American tour, 2006. Times listed are approximate, and may lengthen or shorten in extremely rare situations when a malfunction occurs onstage. The first half (including pre-show audience interaction) runs for about 65 minutes; then following a 30-minute intermission, the second half runs for about 65 minutes for a total of 2 1/2 hours. (The abridged video runtime is 90 minutes.)

Grounds

* Main tent (Grand Chapiteau) is 61 feet high, 167 feet in diameter, and covers about 29,000 square-feet of ground which seats 2,545 people.
* Five generators supply 2,425 kilowatts of power.
* 45 trucks carry more than 750 tons of equipment.

Production Credits

* Guy Laliberté, Founder and Chief Executive Officer
* Franco Dragone, Writer and Director
* Luc Lafortune, Lighting Designer

References

ee also

* Full Circle (film): The Making of Quidam
* Solstrom

External links

* [http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/showstickets/quidam/intro/intro.htm Cirque du Soleil's Official Quidam site]
* [http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/spectaculera/quidam/quidam_home.htm Cirque du Soleil's Quidam Spectaculera site]
* [http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/multimedia/tv/episode5.htm "Fire Within Episode 5" featuring Olga Pikhienko's Handbalancing during London 2001 Quidam show prior to leaving for Varekai]
* [http://www.juggling.org/people/interviews/gilkey.html John Gilkey's 1995 Audition]
* [http://www.pdxentertainment.com/05/Html/ArtistPages/patrick.html Patrick McGuire's Quidam Manipulation]
* [http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/magazine/daily/15121970.htm Quidam Lyrics and music]
* [http://www.vso.fr/en/BIG%20TOPS/2/ Tent Manufacturer for Quidam's 2003 NAT]
* [http://www.cirquetribune.com/music/quidam.html The Cirque Tribune - History of Quidam Music and Vocalists]
* [http://www.agirlsworld.com/amy/pajama/wmhistory/girlsworld/cirque Zoe Actress Interviews by A Girl's World]