“When the Cirque du Soleil approaches creators it asks them to venture into new scenographic and narrative territories. (…) We started from stereotypes… in order to overturn them. Ubiquitous slowness? We replaced it with speed – that of the Tarahumara, a Mexican people who live in the mountains and can run up to 200 kilometres non-stop, barefoot or wearing light sandals. Speed thus becomes an interesting element in circus language too, with its quest for extreme performance, thanks to magnificent acrobats and gymnasts drawn from around the world. For us, then, Mexican people display a great physical and spiritual capacity to go beyond incredible limits.” Daniele Finzi Pasca

“I dedicated this dream to the angels, who come and visit me at night. To the world of clowns, to which I belong, to the Cathedral of Chartres, which after my mother’s womb, is the second place where I was nurtured. To the pictures that my parents stole to reality, and which I put into movement, to the circuses and to their artists. What I meant to bring forth under the big top is theatre and its peculiar perspective made of overlapping images. I thus asked the acrobats to think as actors would, and to be beautiful and honest, just as beautiful love stories are. I was lucky enough to be surrounded by brilliant creators, with whom I immersed in a common world and a bonding adventure, receiving the full support of a production crew who allowed us to carry on with our dream. I also kept close to the friends from my troupe, Teatro Sunil, with whom I have been seeking beauty and honesty on stage for more than twenty years. To make one’s own funeral does feel good. For a moment, one feels necessary and motivated to keep going on this journey, which is in fact but a […]

“I come from a mountainous land. Where I am from, we escape by taking risks. Mountains will await you throughout your entire life. They define the vertical horizon of the child’s imagination before becoming engraved in memory. Where I am from, there are people who climb their mountain every year so as to renew their ties with that which does not change." Daniele Finzi Pasca

"To some extent we are all acrobats, and we know that all the time life is moving to a point where there is no balance. I have always tried to find a language that coincides with the souls of today’s audiences. This story is told in the modern day and using modern language that was born from the old habit of abstractions, hints and images that are close to dreams. It helps us understand who we are, in an open circle going from the dancers to the singers, from the acrobats to the musicians. Like children: children ask to be told a fairytale at night time so that they can dream and conquer their fears. The abstraction leads to dialogue with the unconscious from which the power of Leoncavallo’s music emerges along with his short and simple story." Daniele Finzi Pasca

“I dedicated this dream to the angels, who come and visit me at night. To the world of clowns, to which I belong, to the Cathedral of Chartres, which after my mother’s womb, is the second place where I was nurtured. To the pictures that my parents stole to reality, and which I put into movement, to the circuses and to their artists. What I meant to bring forth under the big top is theatre and its peculiar perspective made of overlapping images. I thus asked the acrobats to think as actors would, and to be beautiful and honest, just as beautiful love stories are. I was lucky enough to be surrounded by brilliant creators, with whom I immersed in a common world and a bonding adventure, receiving the full support of a production crew who allowed us to carry on with our dream. I also kept close to the friends from my troupe, Teatro Sunil, with whom I have been seeking beauty and honesty on stage for more than twenty years. To make one’s own funeral does feel good. For a moment, one feels necessary and motivated to keep going on this journey, which is in fact but a […]

“I dedicated this dream to the angels, who come and visit me at night. To the world of clowns, to which I belong, to the Cathedral of Chartres, which after my mother’s womb, is the second place where I was nurtured. To the pictures that my parents stole to reality, and which I put into movement, to the circuses and to their artists. What I meant to bring forth under the big top is theatre and its peculiar perspective made of overlapping images. I thus asked the acrobats to think as actors would, and to be beautiful and honest, just as beautiful love stories are. I was lucky enough to be surrounded by brilliant creators, with whom I immersed in a common world and a bonding adventure, receiving the full support of a production crew who allowed us to carry on with our dream. I also kept close to the friends from my troupe, Teatro Sunil, with whom I have been seeking beauty and honesty on stage for more than twenty years. To make one’s own funeral does feel good. For a moment, one feels necessary and motivated to keep going on this journey, which is in fact but a […]

"I decided to discover Chekhov looking for particulars and details, both in his life and in the pages of his writings, and not only that. I thought of giving shape to the silences contained in the notes of his diaries and of creating images from his annotations. I come from a theatre deeply impregnated with the language of clowns, of jugglers, of the delicate and magical world of acrobats. That is how I will recall Chekhov and to do it I will surround myself with the same accomplices as always, creators with whom I have worked for years and with whom I share not only the same sense of aesthetics and way of thinking of the theatre, but also the passionate way of defending our imaginary world." Daniele Finzi Pasca

“I dedicated this dream to the angels, who come and visit me at night. To the world of clowns, to which I belong, to the Cathedral of Chartres, which after my mother’s womb, is the second place where I was nurtured. To the pictures that my parents stole to reality, and which I put into movement, to the circuses and to their artists. What I meant to bring forth under the big top is theatre and its peculiar perspective made of overlapping images. I thus asked the acrobats to think as actors would, and to be beautiful and honest, just as beautiful love stories are. I was lucky enough to be surrounded by brilliant creators, with whom I immersed in a common world and a bonding adventure, receiving the full support of a production crew who allowed us to carry on with our dream. I also kept close to the friends from my troupe, Teatro Sunil, with whom I have been seeking beauty and honesty on stage for more than twenty years. To make one’s own funeral does feel good. For a moment, one feels necessary and motivated to keep going on this journey, which is in fact but a […]

“I decided to discover Chekhov looking for particulars and details, both in his life and in the pages of his writings, and not only that. I thought of giving shape to the silences contained in the notes of his diaries and of creating images from his annotations. I come from a theatre deeply impregnated with the language of clowns, of jugglers, of the delicate and magical world of acrobats. That is how I will recall Chekhov and to do it I will surround myself with the same accomplices as always, creators with whom I have worked for years and with whom I share not only the same sense of aesthetics and way of thinking of the theatre, but also the passionate way of defending our imaginary world.” Daniele Finzi Pasca

“We were having dinner with Maestro Gergiev on the opening night of Aida last year, when Julie came up with this idea that we are now bringing to life a year later: to tell a story of lightness while navigating the emotion-filled waters of this extraordinary score, and to have a blindfolded choir and a child suspended to a myriad of light bulbs, flying high above the heads of the soloists, over the orchestra pit, and into the dreams of the spectators.” Daniele Finzi Pasca

“When the Cirque du Soleil approaches creators it asks them to venture into new scenographic and narrative territories. (…) We started from stereotypes… in order to overturn them. Ubiquitous slowness? We replaced it with speed – that of the Tarahumara, a Mexican people who live in the mountains and can run up to 200 kilometres non-stop, barefoot or wearing light sandals. Speed thus becomes an interesting element in circus language too, with its quest for extreme performance, thanks to magnificent acrobats and gymnasts drawn from around the world. For us, then, Mexican people display a great physical and spiritual capacity to go beyond incredible limits.” Daniele Finzi Pasca