cirque du Soleil

The International Kitchen That Fuels Breathtaking Amaluna Cirque du Soleil

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(Gerry Furth-Sides) “The Cirque kitchen and adjoining canteen tents are the first to go up when we arrive and the last to go down when the troupe leaves,” one chefs explained. “It remains the central meeting place, the gathering place for most meetings.”   And the dining room is the hub of it all. The kitchen is open all hours of the day for healthy snacks, salads, juices, smoothies, coffee and tea as if the performers were at home.

The Cirque kitchen is open all day for snacks

Nutella, still the all time favorite of the performers

Meals have  evolved from huge family style serving platters to more ethnic fare that rotated on a weekly basic.  Still, with more and more international performers in the current number of traveling shows than the original French-Canadian ones, artists from more countries than ever share their individual ethnic recipes. This year the Russian performers contributed their family recipes.  Please see //(//localfoodeater.com/the-amaluna-show-that-international-cirque-du-soleil-kitchen-fuels/ for details.

The Cirque du Soleil Kitchen, under the direction of Executive Chef, Abdel Soriano, and kitchen manager, Julie Gauthier feels more like a restaurant than an entertainment commissary these days.   “Unlike a restaurant, we offer something different daily so that the performers do not become bored,” explains Chef Soriano, who for one dinner had sophisticated  salmon and turkey on the menu, along with many vegetarian options.  Each dinner offers two protein options, two veggies and one starch.  Chef Soriano told us about other considerations, such as  “who is eating early, who is eating late and who is hanging upside down in the show and needs a light meal!”

A platter of beautiful prepared shrimp ready for performers to help themselves individually, along with side dishes – not like the huge platters of pasta we saw tiny acrobats devouring in the past

“And it is super easy to find fresh produce and lots of interesting bakeries here in California,” he and Julie agreed. “We also have a standing list of suppliers both in the US and in Canada.  But it is more of a challenge when we travel to Asia and South America.  Even in Spain, we have a team that acts as interpreters for us, and that connect with individual suppliers there.

The menus are done casually as idea come up from a structured nutritional base

Soriano was raised in Mexico and hired on for one of the shows there.  “I loved it from the minute I started, and just stayed on,” he recalls with a smile.  The menus are planned fairly spontaneously but each dish follows a structured weekly nutritional base for the daily rotating menus geared toward the health of his 119 worldly performer guests. Still, international spicing is also important to Chef Abdel, who thinks nothing of adding a Thai lemongrass dish or an Indian one with sambal to the mix. “They can choose whatever they like on the tables,” he explained, but this is also why we limit sugar, and always have fresh fruit out on the tables.

A wide variety of light, nutritional side dishes are available lunch and dinner

Luscious, colorful egg salad is another performer favorite always on the table

Grill marks as perfect as any TV competition show or restaurant

The “portable” kitchen is actually comprised of three sections that are in the form of train cars that can be transported on trucks. The sides fold down to make the floors of adjoining sections: the main kitchen, a walk-in refrigerator and a pastry and pantry section in the back with a baking oven. The tent is located close to the show tent so performers can eat during the show.  Below you see the end section; the floor becomes the side of the van. The wall to the right fronts the kitchen and the storage sections.

The kitchen continers (left) for “Amaluna” and the “tent” kitchen (right) where Cirque Du Soleil sits in the invigorating fresh air on the waterfront in San Pedro, feeling very much like “out-of- town” fun.

Ritual is important to make the tent into a home.  BBQ is the first and last meal in town.  Breakfast is served at 7:00 AM, which starts the daily continual flow in the canteen.  “The fixings” for sandwiches and salads are always available both when the kitchen is open in and between meals, from nine in the morning to nine at night.

The Cirque du Soleil canteen tent (right)

Dinner choices are more like individual restaurants plates rather than the former family style platters

The most sublime color Squash, Sweet Potato and Carrot soup that works for a snack or a meal course

Jennifer is in charge of creating “new dishes” from ingredients not used for meals, something like “Chopped” and dishes have to fit into the nutritional plan for the week (bottom right)

We were quite taken aback by the such a poised,  muscular young lady, with a lovely face and very posed movements.  Our Asian friend from the kitchen is unmistakable to spot in an aerial straps routine that follows three fierce women soaring above the audience and flying close to the very top of the tent.  This requires almost inhuman strength and we saw unclose how this happens.

“Amaluna,” which originally premiered in 2012,  is in its first LA appearance at the San Pedro LA Waterfront through May 26. It is one of the best Cirque du Soleil productions to date, unabashedly parading feat after impossible feat that borders on the surreal and unreal throughout the show with top international stars.

For more information about “Amaluna,” please visit cirquedusoleil.com/amaluna and apply promo code 15CONCIERGE for 15% off tickets

Cirque du Soleil Meets Fellini in “Corteo” (without their kitchen!)

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CORTEO, which means cortege in Italian, is a joyous procession, a festive parade imagined by a clown. The show brings together the passion of the actor with the grace and power of the acrobat to plunge the audience into a theatrical world of fun, comedy and spontaneity situated in a mysterious space between heaven and earth.

The clown pictures his own funeral taking place in a carnival atmosphere, watched over by quietly caring angels. Juxtaposing the large with the small, the ridiculous with the tragic and the magic of perfection with the charm of imperfection, the show highlights the strength and fragility of the clown, as well as his wisdom and kindness, to illustrate the portion of humanity that is within each of us. The music turns lyrical and playful carrying CORTEO through a timeless celebration in which illusion teases reality.  The cast of CORTEO includes 51 acrobats, musicians, singers and actors from all around the world.

It was a visit to the exhibition “The Great Parade: Portrait of the Artist as Clown” at the National Gallery of Canada that inspired Jean Rabasse to paint the Corteo Procession on the curtains. His design was influenced by the work of such painters as Willette, Picasso, Tiepolo, Pelez and Knight.   The inspiration for the show’s curtains was an 1885 painting by the Parisian artist Adolphe Willette.

Originally composed of 20 street performers in 1984, Cirque du Soleil completely reinvented circus arts and went on to become a world leader in artistic entertainment. Established in Montreal, the Canadian organization has brought wonder and delight to over 180 million spectators with 42 productions that have taken place in close to 450 cities in 60 countries. Cirque du Soleil currently has over 4,000 employees, including 1,300 artists, from nearly 50 countries. In 2017 alone, 19 shows are being presented simultaneously throughout the world.

For more information about Cirque du Soleil, please go to www.cirquedusoleil.com

This is one of the rare appearances that the troupe makes outside of their tent, where they carry a full kitchen with them because they are an indoor building. The sets are still massive and mind boggling.

This time the  set and décor of Corteo plunge the audience into a lyrical world, a strange area between heaven and earth.  Set Designer Jean Rabasse has divided the Arena and its rotating stage in two, with each half of the audience facing the other half, so they see not only the performance, but also have a performer’s eye view of the audience. This is  a first for Cirque du Soleil.   There is one turntable built into the stage, which is about 41 feet long, and the track is almost 120 feet long.  More than 9,000 images were used in the R&D phase of the set design to blend many visual styles and influences, from the baroque to the modern.  A completely new stage and acrobatic structure have been fabricated for Corteo arena tour. A good portion of the original design had to be adapted for that matter.

The “Patience” is a massive technical structure made of steel suspended 4o feet above the stage. It is one of the most complex set elements in the show and is used to transport various scenic elements and pieces of acrobatic equipment on and off stage from above.  It has three rails that traverse the stage, each rail fitted with two platform-like carts to carry the scenic and acrobatic elements.  The six carts have a lifting capacity of 500 lbs and a top speed of four feet per second.

The two enormous baroque-style “Roll Drop” curtains (58 feet wide and almost 40 feet high), and the four sideways- opening Italian-style curtains are among the most striking scenic elements in the show. They were sewn in Canada and sent to France to be painted.   It took more than two weeks to paint each of the central curtains in watercolors.   The central curtains are attached to huge supports which contain winding motors to roll them.

In the center of the circular stage is a labyrinth which exactly reproduces the proportions and size of the classic design on the floor of the aisle in Chartres cathedral.   The labyrinth incorporates an eight-inch Moebius strip painted at its center as a symbol of infinity and continuity.

Sublime Cirque du Soleil LUZIA Show’s Chef Honors International Cuisines

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Performers in the spectacular LUZIA show of the Cirque du Soleil in Los Angeles this year represent over 15 different countries, and a total of 26 with the entire staff, including Canada, the United States, Russia, Mexico, France, Poland, Czech Republic, Belarus, and Ukraine.  Jovial Executive chef Regis Gagnon honors as many as he can with daily rotating ethnic menus.

To get an idea of the show, which runs through March 25, 2018, in Costa Mesa, please see: //www.cirquedusoleil.com/luzia

Aerialist and Renaissance performer Kelly easily fits into the cosmopolitan company.  An enthusiastic and open world traveler, Kelly has so accomplished a cook and informed about nutrition that she even makes her own protein “balls” (instead of bars).

act

Aerialist Kelly in her Cirque du Soleil act

As a one-time competitive athletic, earning a scholarship at the University of Washington in Seattle, she focuses on “turning sports into something creative,” in the most superlative manner ever.  Effervescent Kelly is a performer in three acts plus a  swing back up and coach, and she accomplishes it all effortless.

So it comes as no surprise that Kelly represents the spectacular showmanship and creativity of LUZIA Cirque du Soleil show.  //www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzWuB84Ym5s&index=6&list=PL9RDgPtBc9amc81RM6gBo2b7GVC6Wcmym

Kelly spent a year in Spain and is familiar with the Latin cuisine and culture.  At the same time, she checks out all the local ethnic eateries and markets in the towns where Cirque du Soleil performs.

The choice was happily a Greek menu when we were honored with a visit backstage at the Cirque du Soleil show this year.

Chef Régis Gagnon

Chef Régis Gagnon in front of the Greek dinner in the Cirque du Soleil LUZIA kitchen

The mood in the open kitchen dining room was friendly and filled with laughter.  It’s not surprising to learn that the same local kitchen staff hired for the Los Angeles run at Dodger Stadium come from near and far to return year after year to work in the Cirque du Soleil kitchen because they love it so much.

dishes

The authentic dishes in the Cirque du Soleil Greek menu of the day

The ethnic menu in honor of Greek cuisine day included dolmas (stuffed grape leaves), Tzatziki (cucumber-yogurt salad); lamb and blue cheese patties, herbed Pita Breads, Greek Salad (feta, tomato, lettuce_, Chickpea Salad with Tahini Dressing and homemade grilled pita chips.

 

Greek plate

My Greek plate at the LUZIA performance of Cirque du Soleil

vegetarians dishes

Another plate from the same menu shows the versatility and range of the dishes that also suit vegetarians and vegans.

The chefs were kidding around when I remarked how wonderful it was to have the housemade Halloumi cheese for the Greek food meal.   They almost said in a chorus (and they are right),  “no, it is from Cypress.”  They know!

Régis Gagnon

Executive chef Régis Gagnon in front of the Halloumi cheese made in-house

Executive Chef Régis Gagnon’s housemade Halloumi cheese is indeed the best of the Cypriot white cheese, firm, brined for a strong, salty flavor and just slightly springy.  

It was delicious.  The chef added marinated and dried citrus peel for an interesting, contrasting flavor and texture.

The kitchen is open all hours of the day for healthy snacks, salads, juices, coffee and a special program for real espresso.

IMG_3965

“The Cirque kitchen and adjoining canteen tents are the first to go up when we arrive and the last to go down when the troupe leaves,” the chef explained. “It remains the central meeting place, the gathering place for most meetings.”   And the dining room is the hub of it all.

And to make a home, a ritual is important.   It was confirmed that one ritual remains.  “No one could ever imagine the chef serving anything but BBQ for the first meal in the canteen after the set up, which takes a week, and for the ‘teardown’ or ‘demontage,’ which takes three days,”  Chef Paola told us on a past visit,  “We leave out two barbeques and two burners for this special occasion. Everyone loves it.”

barbequesThe “portable” kitchen is actually comprised of three sections that are in the form of train cars that can be transported on trucks. The sides fold down to make the floors of adjoining sections: the main kitchen, a walk-in refrigerator and a pastry and pantry section in the back with a baking oven. The tent is located close to the show tent so performers can eat during the show.  Below you see the end section; the floor becomes the side of the van. The wall to the right fronts the kitchen and the storage sections.

storage sections.

Breakfast is served at 7:00 AM, which starts the daily continual flow in the canteen. “We count on three meals per person even though 0ne of the long-standing habits, confirmed by a former chef is that “people grab dishes for two meals at the same time.”  “The fixings” for sandwiches and salads are always available both when the kitchen is open in and between meals. Salad bar and a sandwich counter.  Hours are from 9:00 AM to 9:30 PM.

 

LUZIA  tribute to Mexico’s rich culture, colors and style are apparent even in the colorful outdoor decorations.  But not this nor the write-ups filled with superlatives match the splendor of this Cirque du Soleil.

From a garden of marigolds on the stage when the show opens, our guide in the form of a clown sets off on a voyage that takes him through the country’s history,  and geography.

The technical complexity alone is literally breath-taking, starting with the 40-foot-wide rotating rain machine that digitally created images out of the 6,000 liters of raindrops.

It was truly the best Cirque du Soleil to date with every act more breathtaking than the next.  We are showing Ugo Laffolay of France practice backstage and from the back of the stage in the afternoon!

Lifeguard

“Lifeguard” Ugo Laffolay of France limbers up in the room behind the stage

“Lifeguard” Ugo Laffolay of France goes through an afternoon practice

“Lifeguard” Ugo Laffolay of France defies gravity on his “watchtower” in the faux film act.

“Lifeguard” Ugo Laffolay of France defies gravity on his “watchtower” in the faux film act.   

 “Lifeguard” Ugo Laffolay of France

The acts seemed to spring up one after the another in mind-boggling fashion.  And then all of a sudden, the show was over!  We did not want to leave.  In the parking lot, attendees who had set up their own “tailgating parties” continued the party into the night.  Great idea!

The show is perfect for families of all ages.  Luzia will be performed in Costa Mesa through March 25, 2018.  //www.cirquedusoleil.com/luzia

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