Cirque du Soleil's 'Bazzar': Circus of the impossible

If Cirque du Soleil performers are told that something is impossible, chances are high that they would be doing exactly the same --summersaulting in the sky, dancing inside a spinning wheel and playing with fire and gravity.

Cirque du Soleil, which means 'circus of the sun' and had a modest beginning in 1984 with 20 street performers in Quebec city, and now the entertainment company is all set for its India debut in November this year.

Cirque, which can be credited with reinventing a dying art like circus, has its heart in the traditional circus but beats to the tunes of the modern world- replacing animals with dramatic performances, live music and acrobatic acts which demand the audience to fasten their seat-belts.

Cirque will bring 60 of its members to India for their show "Bazzar". Two of the artistes would be from India.

Mumbai based Rajesh Mudki will be performing with his partner friend, also named Rajesh, a Mallakhamb act.

During a practice session, however, Rajesh got injured and had to head home. So Mudki had less than two months to prepare for his solo act for "Bazzar", which opened to select shows in Montreal.

"I feel so proud to be performing with Cirque. I've been a huge fan of them and it was always my dream to be a part of their team. I had applied for Cirque close to a decade ago but then they found a project where I could use my Mallakhamb act," Mudki says.

"Bazzar", just like any other Cirque du Soleil show, isn't only about acrobats and performances, it is also about the colourful, almost surreal costumes.

James Lavoie, costume designer of "Bazzar", says he carefully designed the clothes to make them look "dreamy" and wasn't restricted to look for inspiration in a particular era or a country.

"We wanted the costumes to feel like a celebration of eclectic-ness, of diversity. Cirque du Soleil artistes are individual and eclectic people, coming from all over the world with different skills.

"We wanted to create that energy more than refer to one particular culture, country or fashion style in a time of history," James says.

The designer worked on the costumes with 35 people for nearly nine months, the "same amount of time it takes to make a baby, but we made 30!"
Marie Helene Delage, director of creation for "Bazzar", says, "We would be changing little elements. We are working on some choreography which will evolve. The storyline will remain the same, although we have some ideas and some tweaks here and there but the difference won't be too extravagant."