- Franco Dragone
Franco Dragone Birth year and age|1952 is a Belgian film and
theatre director . He is known for his work withCirque du Soleil . [http://www2.colum.edu/center_for_arts_policy/DV_profiles/franco_dragone.pdf Profile of Franco Dragone, "Franco Dragone at the Limits of Las Vegas"] , by Chris Jones, from "Democratic Vistas Profiles": Essays in the Arts and Democracy.]Early life
Dragone was born in
Cairano ,Italy , and moved to Belgium at age seven. In the 1970s, he studied acting at theBelgian Royal Conservatory . His earliest theatrical work was explicitly political, working as a director of theatre and film in the mode of the "commedia dell'arte " dramatistDario Fo . In the 1980s Dragone came toCanada where he directed a production for the National Circus School where he first came to the attention ofCirque du Soleil .Cirque du Soleil
From the years 1985 to 1998 Dragone would direct nearly all of Cirque du Soleil's most prestigious shows and played a significant role in developing Cirque du Soleil's distinctive merging of
theater and circus performance. In the early 1990s Dragone's reputation grew with the production of "Nouvelle Experience " and "Saltimbanco ", nontraditional circus productions in which postmodern dance, music, and circus acrobatics were interlaced with a dreamlike narrative.His visibility greatly increased after he directed and introduced the cutting-edge Cirque du Soleil production "Mystère" at the Treasure Island hotel in
Las Vegas, Nevada . "Mystère" helped to change the nature ofproduction show s in Las Vegas. While Dragone would direct only other show with the company in Las Vegas, "O" in1998 , to many he was the face of Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas.Franco also directed Cirque du Soleil's first motion picture, "Alegría - An Enchanting Fable", in 1997.
Post Cirque du Soleil
In
1999 , Dragone createdLara Fabian 's video clip "Adagio". In the following year he formed his own company called Dragone. During2003 , Dragone created a new live show "A New Day... " starring Céline Dion, which opened atCaesars Palace , thus continuing his association with Las Vegas.In
2005 , Dragone debuted his fourth production on theLas Vegas Strip with the opening of "Le Rêve" at theWynn Las Vegas .Dragone is currently in pre-production for a new show located at the City of Dreams in Macau, planned to open in late 2009.
References
External links
* [http://www.dragone.be Official site]
*imdb name|id=0236753|name=Franco Dragone
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