Cirque du Soleil's Quidam is currently touring the US, and the timing with the political climate could not be more perfect.

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Cirque du Soleil's Quidam is currently touring the US, and the timing with the political climate could not be more perfect.

The title of the show, which premiered in 1996, refers to everyone, yet no one in particular, and could be an anonymous passer-by, or   "a solitary figure lingering on a street corner, a person rushing past ... One who cries out, sings and dreams within us all," according to Cirque du Soleil.

Quidam sounds suspiciously like the 99 percent.

And in the surreal, dream-like world that Quidam spins, viewers are treated to a banquet of symbolism that would make Freud sit up and take notice: death to the old and birth of the new, imprisonment and release, the balance of the masculine and feminine, the yearning for creative excitement, the quest for meaning, empowering self.

Cirque du Soleil says, " This is the "quidam' whom this show allows to speak. This is the place that beckons--a place for dreaming and genuine relations where all quidams, by proclaiming their individuality, can finally emerge from anonymity."

The international cast of Quidam features 52 artists: acrobats, musicians, singers, and characters. Ten semis filled with equipment take the crew only 12 hours to unload and set up, ready to rehearse.

The exotic music, composed by Canada's Benoit Jutras, is surreal and evocative, infusing the atmosphere of the show with its pungent flavor.

Dominique Lemieux designed the dreamlike costumes for Quidam, inspired by surrealists Rene Magritte and Paul Delvaux.

There are 2500 costumes in the show, including triplicates of each performer's main costume pieces: two are in their dressing room, in case of a rip or other costume malfunction, and in dire emergencies a third is waiting in the costume department.

Shoes need to be repainted after each performance, and all wigs must be cleaned and re-styled.

The skilled performing artists offer a combination of acrobatic skills and traditional circus acts.

German Wheel performance.

German wheel rehearsal.

The aerial contortionist performs on a vast length of red silk hanging from the top of the venue, evoking symbolism of the Greek goddess Ariadne's red thread, and seemed emblematic of the cycles of life and birth.

Aerial hoops, red silk, and other equipment were suspended from an intricate lace-like apparatus that arched above the stage

The aerial hoops in rehearsal:

The aerial hoops in performance:

In an astounding performance entitled "Statues," two acrobats move slowly and intently from one powerful position of masculine/feminine balance to another, awakening the sense of spiritual beauty that creating that kind of balance within can produce.

Quidam, like the Occupy movement, stirs and inspires the onlooker while showcasing the essence of being human on the eternal quest for excellence. Watching these extraordinary activities engages the whole being and makes one proud to be a part of humanity.

Quidam is playing at the Hampton Coliseum (VA) through Sunday Dec. 11. 

It will open in Wooster, MA, on Dec. 14.

Preview the show:

RESOURCES

Cirque Du Soleil's Quidam Site: http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/quidam Accessed Dec. 8, 2011

The Wiki:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quidam Accessed Dec. 8, 2011

Authors Website: http://www.OceanViewArts.com

Authors Bio:

Meryl Ann Butler is an artist, author, educator and OpedNews Managing Editor who has been actively engaged in utilizing the arts as stepping-stones toward joy-filled wellbeing since she was a hippie. She began writing for OpEdNews in Feb, 2004. She became a Senior Editor in August 2012 and Managing Editor in January, 2013. In June, 2015, the combined views on her articles, diaries and quick link contributions topped one million. She was particularly happy that her article about Bree Newsome removing the Confederate flag was the one that put her past the million mark.

Her art in a wide variety of media can be seen on her YouTube video, "Visionary Artist Meryl Ann Butler on Creativity and Joy" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcGs2r_66QE

A NYC native, her response to 9-11 was to pen an invitation to healing through creativity, entitled, "90-Minute Quilts: 15+ Projects You Can Stitch in an Afternoon" (Krause 2006), which is a bestseller in the craft field. The sequel, MORE 90-Minute Quilts: 20+ Quick and Easy Projects With Triangles and Squares was released in April, 2011. Her popular video, How to Stitch a Quilt in 90 Minutes with Meryl Ann Butler can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrShGOQaJQ8

She has been active in a number of international, arts-related projects as a citizen diplomat, and was arts advisor to Baltimore's CIUSSR (Center for Improving US-Soviet Relations), 1987-89. She made two trips to the former USSR in 1987 and 1988 to speak to artists, craftpeople and fashion designers on the topic of utilizing the arts as a tool for global wellbeing. She created the historical "First US-Soviet Children's Peace Quilt Exchange Project" in 1987-88, which was the first time a reciprocal quilt was given to the US from the former USSR.

Her artwork is in collections across the globe.

Meryl Ann is a founding member of The Labyrinth Society and has been building labyrinths since 1992. She publishes an annual article about the topic on OpEdNews on World Labyrinth Day, the first Saturday in May.

OpEdNews Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in "Beyond Surviving: How to Thrive in Challenging Times" at https://www.opednews.com/articles/Beyond-Surviving--How-to-by-Joan-Brunwasser-Anxiety_Appreciation_Coronavirus_Creativity-200318-988.html

Find out more about Meryl Ann's artistic life in "OEN Managing Ed, Meryl Ann Butler, Featured on the Other Side of the Byline" at https://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/OEN-Managing-Ed-Meryl-Ann-in-Life_Arts-Artistic_Artists_Quilt-170917-615.html

On Feb 11, 2017, Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in Pink Power: Sister March, Norfolk, VA at http://www.opednews.com/articles/Pink-Power-Sister-March--by-Joan-Brunwasser-Pussy-Hats-170212-681.html

"Creativity and Healing: The Work of Meryl Ann Butler" by Burl Hall is at
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Creativity-and-Healing--T-by-Burl-Hall-130414-18.html

Burl and Merry Hall interviewed Meryl Ann on their BlogTalk radio show, "Envision This," at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/envision-this/2013/04/11/meryl-ann-butler-art-as-a-medicine-for-the-soul

Archived articles www.opednews.com/author/author1820.html
Older archived articles, from before May 2005 are here.