The greatest show on earth is coming to Alicante this week with the iconic and unmistakable white tent of Cirque du Soleil now being erected at the Rabasa fairgrounds where it will remain from July 20 to August 19.
The Cirque du Soleil has now been coming to Alicante for 7 years and the city on wheels is now back in the city once again with its new production TOTEM
TOTEM premieres next Friday, July 20 and will be in the city until August 19. Bringing to an end a tour of Spain that began last November in Madrid and that has also taken him to Seville, Barcelona and Malaga.
The company’s stay in Alicante cannot be extended beyond this date because it then has to move on with with its European commitments, its next destination being Zurich.
The Grand Tent has a capacity of more than 2,500 people and takes 60 people 8 days to erect, since not only the erection of the Grand Tent needs to go up but also the many other elements of the city on wheels: the artistic tent, the ticket office, the administrative offices and the kitchen must all be constructed.
The dimensions of the Grand Tent are 19 meters high and 51 meters in diameter with each of the 4 masts measuring 25 meters in height. 550 pegs (1.5 metres each) will secure it firmly to the ground. The Grand Tent, the VIP area, the entrance tent and the artistic tents are all air conditioned with the whole operating moved in 75 trucks, carrying around 2,000 tons of equipment.
The show itself, TOTEM, has a cast of 46 artists, actors, musicians and singers, and brings together a wide selection of spectacular acrobatic feats, comedy, daredevil acts that thrill and stunning special effects.
TOTEM stands out for the use of spectacular scenery and effects that change in real time with the rhythm of the artists’ movement. Even many of the photos taken by Guy Laliberté during his Poetic Social Mission aboard the International Space Station have been included into the show.
More than 4.8 million people have seen TOTEM since its world premiere in Montreal 2010. It is the 28th production of Cirque du Soleil and the fourteenth show performed in the massive white tented city.
Thirty years ago, Cirque du Soleil was a dream. The dream of a small community of street artists who would do anything to share their love for theatre and for circus. The family grew and is now made up of thousands of dreamers – creators, artists, technicians and mime artistes. The dream has become a symbol of pride for Quebec, an international company that has created 35 great shows, 20 of which are still being performed.
More than 150 million spectators from more than 400 cities on six continents have seen a Cirque du Soleil show since its founding in 1984. The company, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2014, currently employs more than 4,000 workers.
