Where it all began

It all started in Baie-Saint-Paul, a small town near Quebec City in Canada in the early 1980s. A band of colourful characters roamed the streets, striding on stilts, juggling, dancing, breathing fire, and playing music.

They were Les Échassiers de Baie Saint Paul (the Baie Saint Paul Stiltwalkers), a street theatre group founded by Gilles SteCroix.

Already, the townsfolk were impressed and intrigued by the young performers - including Guy Laliberté who founded Cirque du Soleil.

The troupe went on to found Le Club des talons hauts (the High Heels Club), and then, in 1982, organized La Fête foraine de Baie Saint Paul, a cultural event in which street performers from all over met to exchange ideas and enliven the streets of the town for a few days. La Fête foraine was repeated in 1983 and 1984. Le Club des talons hauts attracted notice, and Guy Laliberté, Gilles Ste?Croix and their cronies began to cherish a crazy dream: to create a Quebec circus and take the troupe travelling around the world.

Cirque du Soleil began in 1984

In 1984, Quebec City was celebrating the 450th anniversary of Canada’s discovery by Jacques Cartier, and they needed a show that would carry the festivities out across the province. Guy Laliberté presented a proposal for a show called Cirque du Soleil (Circus of the Sun), and succeeded in convincing the organizers.

And Cirque du Soleil hasn’t stopped since!

The mission of Cirque du Soleil is to invoke the imagination, provoke the senses and evoke the emotions of people around the world.

From a group of 20 street performers, Cirque du Soleil is a major Quebec-based organization providing high-quality artistic entertainment. The company has 5,000 employees, including more than 1,300 artists from close to 50 different countries. It has brought wonder and delight to more than 100 million spectators in nearly 300 cities on five continents.

For more information about Cirque du Soleil visit cirquedusoleil.com