"Under the Bigtop"
Special Chicago Exhibit

During the Summer of 2001, Dralion continued to take the United States by storm, but in a little corner of the country (Chicago), Cirque du Soleil took an exhibit of the Circus by storm as well. The exhibit, entitled "Under the Big Top" ran from April 6th to September 9th and was a big success. "Under the Big Top expses what it takes to give the circus its magical ambiance," writes the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. Featured are "costumes, programs, staging and equipment for the tresses, trapezes, tighropes and lighting." At the exhibit, you will "discover the ingenuity and artistry involved in the creation and evolution of the circus. From collections in Europe, the United States, and Canada, more than 200 artifacts, photographs and videos highlighting past circus shows give you a rare glimpse into the magic."

The exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago caught me by surprise as I thought that circuses like Barnum and Ringling would dominate, but the majority of artifacts came from Cirque du Soleil! For instance, the balancing mouthpiece of Angela Laurier's and Vasily Dementchoukov's balancing chairs! They even had a Floune costume, Madame Corporation's cosutme and some items from Alegría: one of the musician's outfits (complete with hair) and a bird mask! Not only were there artifacts, but much, much more! Including: video interviews, performance clips and musique. A wonderful collection of Cirque artifacts indeed.

Thanks to a couple of Cirque du Soleil fans who visited the Museum, they have provided us a glipmse into what of Cirque was represented there in pictures...

(From Left to Right: Bird Mask from Alegría, Floune costume from Nouvelle Expérience, Chinese Poles costume from Saltimbanco, Madame Corporation's costume from Nouvelle Expérience and one of the musician's outfits from Alegría.)

Photos are property of Erika at www.redjeans.com. Used with Permission.