THE BALLOON MAN

Cirque Eloize brings music, athleticism to Merriam Theatre

By DENNY DYROFF
For the Journal Register News Service
Posted: 12/28/12
Because of Cirque Eloize’s circus style of putting emphasis on choreography, music, athleticism, and theatrics -- and the fact that there are no animals in the production -- people might think that Cirque Eloize is a copy of a similar French-Canadian circus -- Cirque du Soleil.

Actually, Cirque Éloize, which is visiting the Merriam Theatre in Philadelphia through Dec. 30 as part of the Kimmel Center’s “Broadway Series,” came first. It was formed in 1993 in Quebec by Jeannot Pinchaud.

In May 2010, Cirque Éloize announced the signing of a strategic partnership with Cirque du Soleil. The “family connection” between the two cirques has had many positive results -- even down to the casting of shows. The production that is playing Philadelphia -- “iD” -- has a feature dancer who came from Cirque du Soleil -- in a roundabout way

“I’ve been with Cirque Éloize since February,” said dancer Nadia Lumley, during a phone interview last week. “A little while before that, I was contacted by Cirque du Soleil for my act. But, I was unavailable at that time because I was in a stunt show in Abu Dhabi.

“I became available in January and notified Cirque du Soleil. They put me in touch with Cirque Éloize and the casting director contacted me. I had heard of the company and had previously worked with two of the people in the cast of ‘iD.’ The show itself had already been running since 2009.”
read more:
http://www.dailylocal.com/article/20121228/ENTERTAINMENT01/121229699/cirque-eloize-brings-music-athleticism-to-merriam-theatre