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Cirque du Solei: the circus troupe that conjures up images of other-worldly performances which capture the imagination and feed the senses. The company is famous for its eye-popping acts, dramatic music and costumes and unique approach to story-telling; you would never know from its international success that it nearly didn’t make it passed its first season. Yet, here it is, about to celebrate its 25th anniversary with knock-out shows in London.

Varekai

Varekai opens in London on the 6th of January 2010 and will complete its London run in the Royal Albert Hall on the 24th of January. Tickets are already available so if you want to catch the Cirque’s latest offering you’ll have to hurry up.

Varekai means ‘wherever’ in Romany, spoken by the Gypsies. According to Cirque du Soleil’s official website, it pays tribute to ‘the nomadic soul, to the spirit and art of the circus tradition, and to the infinite passion of those whose quest takes them along the path that leads to Verekai’.  It follows the story of Icarus, who fell from the sky when he flew too close to the sun. But rather than relating the journey that leads to his dramatic fall, it focuses on his life after he lands in the middle of a jungle and tries to take to the sky again.

Of course there is more to it than that; there are creatures and magic, gravity defying acts and, perhaps, a hint of romance. All of which might never have been if not for the determination of the troupe’s founders and several healthy helpings of luck.

Laliberte and fellow performers and Cirque du Soleil co-founders, Daniel Gauthier and Gilles Ste-Croix, started off with a small touring group in Quebec in 1980 and from the beginning they were plagued by difficulties and challenges. They have teetered on the edge of bankruptcy several times over the years and each time managed to claw their way back from the brink. They were bailed out by the Canadian government twice and saved by sold-out shows in Vegas at least once. They also suffered from an exceptionally high turnover of artistic directors. The most common problem, as it to be expected in such a creative environment, was artistic difference. The troupe has also had its share of partners; St Croix left the group in 1985, but later came back as an artistic director. There was also a short failed partnership with Normand Latourelle.

Through it all, however, Cirque du Soleil has remained faithful to its unique approach to entertainment and credo to be a ‘proper circus’. It has even won a four Primetime Emmy Awards and two Gemini Awards – Canadian television awards.

If you’re lucky you might still be able to pick up a couple of tickets for Verekai, but if not, you can console yourself with reruns of past performances until the new television performance comes round.

Flight of Icarus

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