La Nouba facts for kids
Quick facts for kids La Nouba |
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Logo for Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba
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| Company | Cirque du Soleil |
| Genre | Contemporary circus |
| Show type | Resident show |
| Date of premiere | December 23, 1998 |
| Final show | December 31, 2017 |
| Location | Disney Springs, Orlando, Florida |
| Creative team | |
| Director | Franco Dragone |
| Creation director | Gilles Ste-Croix |
| Composer and musical director | Benoît Jutras |
| Costume designer | Dominique Lemieux |
| Set designer | Michel Crête |
| Choreographer | Debra Brown |
| Lighting designer | Luc Lafortune |
| Sound co-designers | Jonathan Deans, François Bergeron |
| Artistic guide | Guy Laliberté |
| Make-up designer | Nathalie Gagné |
| Other information | |
| Preceded by | O (1998) |
| Succeeded by | Dralion (1999) |
| Official website: https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/lanouba/default.aspx | |
La Nouba was an amazing show by Cirque du Soleil, a famous entertainment company. It ran for 19 years in its very own theater at Disney Springs in Orlando, Florida. This show was a type of contemporary circus performance. It featured incredible acrobats, gymnasts, and other super talented artists. The name La Nouba comes from a French phrase that means "to party" or "to live it up."
Contents
History of La Nouba
When Did La Nouba Start and End?
La Nouba first opened on December 23, 1998. It was performed in a special theater built just for Cirque du Soleil at Walt Disney World Resort. The show had 67 artists from all over the world. They performed for over 1,650 people ten times a week!
La Nouba was the third show that stayed in one place. Cirque du Soleil also had resident shows called Mystère and O in Las Vegas.
Special Performances and Milestones
In 2007, some performers from La Nouba showed off their skills. They did a routine during the pre-game show of Super Bowl XLI.
The show reached a big milestone on July 10, 2009. It was their 5,000th performance! On August 13, 2011, they celebrated their 6,000th show. The 7,000th performance happened on September 12, 2013.
La Nouba celebrated its 15th birthday on December 18, 2013. Even Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse made a special appearance! This was the first time Disney characters had ever been in the show.
The show ended its 19-year run on December 31, 2017. A new Cirque du Soleil show called Drawn to Life is set to open in its place.
The Theater and Stage Design
How Was the La Nouba Theater Built?
The theater where La Nouba was performed was the first building built specifically for Cirque du Soleil. It was designed to look like a circus tent. The theater could hold 1,671 people for each show.
The stage had five lifts that could move up and down. These lifts could carry heavy equipment and performers. The center lift could even go below the stage! There were also two special cables that moved equipment and props around.
Cool Stage Features for Acrobats
The stage also had four special power track floors. These floors weighed over 10,000 pounds each! They helped performers move quickly. The trampolines were very bouncy, letting artists jump higher and faster. The entire stage floor was covered with a special material to prevent injuries.
The theater was very tall, reaching 152 feet to the top of its masts. This height allowed all the acrobatic equipment to be stored in the ceiling. The trapeze net was even lowered automatically from the ceiling during the show.
Characters of La Nouba
In La Nouba, there were two main types of characters. The Cirques were like circus people, wearing bright, colorful costumes. The Urbains were like city people, dressed in dark or plain colors. Besides the amazing acts, these unique characters also took part in the show.
Here are some of the characters you might have seen:
- L'Oiseau (The Green Bird): This bird wanted to fly and moved like a marionette.
- Les Cons (The Nuts): These funny characters wore all white and were always causing mischief.
- Le Titan (The Titan): He was the show's "strong man" who could twist his body into strange poses.
- Le Promeneur (The Walker): Dressed in a pinstripe suit, he saw the world with happiness.
- Liama: A princess who sang about her joy and passion.
- The Peacock Singer: A mysterious character who watched the show from above and sang about what he saw.
- The Pierrot Acrobat: A nimble red acrobat who was the Titan's rival at first, but later became his friend.
- Les Danseurs (The Dancers): They were like the Romeo and Juliet of the show. The Lost Ballerina found love with the Pierrot Clown.
- Clowns:
- Balto and Sergey (1998–2013): This clown duo would direct people to their seats.
- The Pablos (2014–2017): These clowns joined the show later.
- The Prince: A noble prince who was turned into a frog.
- The Rag Doll: A doll that flew away with The Walker through her imagination.
- Virginia, the Cleaning Lady: She was surprised by everything happening around her but kept sweeping.
Amazing Acts in La Nouba
The show featured many exciting acts. Here are some of them:
- Breakdancing: Performers did amazing spins, flips, and tricks that mixed dance and acrobatics.
- Aerial bamboo: Artists hung from a pole-shaped apparatus high above the stage, doing incredible tricks.
- Diabolos: Four talented girls threw giant yo-yos (called diabolos) into the air using strings and sticks. They could even skip with the string!
- Cycles: A BMX rider and a mountain biker performed cool tricks on their bikes.
- Aerial cradle: Artists showed off their strength and agility while hanging from a special cradle that looked like a door.
- Aerial ballet in silk: A solo male performer and four female artists used long silk fabrics to create beautiful poses and spins high above the stage. This act was very dangerous because it used no safety wires.
- Rola bola: A performer balanced on a board on top of many cylinders and pipes, building a tall, shaky tower while juggling.
- Flying trapeze: A team of aerialists swung high above the stage, performing perfectly timed tricks.
- Power track and trampoline: Performers bounced off walls, through windows, and even through the roof of a building! This act was full of energy, with hundreds of flips and twists.
Acts That Were Sometimes Performed
- Cyr wheel: This act was a backup for aerial bamboo and was not always part of the show.
Acts That Were Retired
Over the years, some acts were replaced with new ones:
- Balancing on chairs: A performer balanced on a stack of eight chairs, rising high into the air.
- German wheel: Two performers rolled around inside large double-hoops, doing tricks.
- Juggling: A performer juggled clubs, rings, and balls.
- Jump rope: Two expert soloists performed fast and exciting jump rope routines.
- High wire: Performers walked on a thin steel wire 34 feet above the stage.
Costumes of La Nouba
Dominique Lemieux designed all the amazing costumes for La Nouba. She created many different looks, mixing old circus styles with modern fashion. Special technicians dyed fabrics, hair, feathers, and leather to get the perfect colors.
The costumes showed the difference between the "urban" people and the "circus" people. The circus characters wore bright, neon colors. The urban characters wore dark, plain colors like black and gray. Many performers' costumes changed during the show, showing a transformation. For example, the urban characters' outfits started dark and ended up looking like white, fairy-like costumes.
For every Cirque du Soleil show, molds of the performers' heads were made. This ensured that all wigs, masks, and headpieces fit perfectly. Each wig took about seventy hours to make!
Music of La Nouba
The music for La Nouba was composed by Benoît Jutras. It was played live by six musicians and two singers. A CD album of the show's music was released in 1999 and again in 2005. It includes most of the songs from the show.
Here are some of the songs from the album and the acts they were used for:
- Once Upon a Time (Used for German wheel, Jump rope, and Breakdancing)
- A Tale (Used for Aerial ballet in silk)
- Porte (Used for Aerial cradle)
- La Nouba (Used for Parade, Curtain Call)
- Distorted (Used for Diabolo exit, BMX, Bows)
- Liama (Used for High wire and Aerial bamboo)
- Queens (Used for Flying trapeze)
- À la Lune (Used for Balancing on Chairs, Intro to Jongleur, and Rola Bola)
- Rêve Rouge (Used for Aerial ballet in silk)
- Urban (Used for Power track, trampolines)
- Propel (Used for Interlude)
- Jardin Chinois (Used for Diabolos)
There were also other songs in the show that were not on the album.
See also
