Cirque du Soleil returns to London's Royal Albert Hall with AMALUNA in January 2016

Directed by Tony Award Winning Director Diane Paulus

Cirque du Soleil RETURNS TO THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL WITH AMALUNA

· Premieres 15 January – Sunday 14 February 2016
· A new show, never before seen in the UK
· Starring two British cast members
· Stars all female band, with 70% of the cast also women
· Show marks 20^th year of Cirque du Soleil at the Royal Albert Hall

TICKETS ONSALE THURSDAY 18 JUNE

@Cirque #Amaluna

London, 18 June: After the remarkable success of Kooza in 2014, Cirque du Soleil returns to London with one of its newest touring shows, Amaluna, which will premiere on Friday 15 January running until Sunday 14 February 2016 at the iconic Royal Albert Hall. The show has never before been seen in the UK and will mark Cirque du Soleil’s 20^th year at the stunning, world-famous venue. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, Tuesday 18 June at www.cirquedusoleil.com/amaluna or by calling 0845 401 5045 or 020 7589 8212.

Written and directed by Tony Award-winning director, Diane Paulus, Cirque du Soleil’s 33^rd production Amaluna is a celebration of love and a tribute to the work and voice of women. This is reflected in the show as female performers make up the majority of the cast, with all eight members of the band also women.

Amaluna also has two British cast members. Both incredibly talented acrobatic performers, they star in two of the shows most exhilarating acts.

The New York Times urges; “The display of female strength is a lovely thing”. The New York Post boasts; “gorgeous visuals and dazzling circus acts”, and San Francisco Chronicle described Amaluna as; “sumptuously designed and invigoratingly female-powered”.

AMALUNA

Amaluna invites the audience to a mysterious island governed by Goddesses and guided by the cycles of the moon. Their queen, Prospera, directs her daughter’s coming-of-age ceremony in a rite that honours femininity, renewal, rebirth and balance which marks the passing of these insights and values from one generation to the next.

In the wake of a storm caused by Prospera, a group of young men lands on the island, triggering an epic, emotional story of love between Prospera’s daughter and a brave young suitor. But theirs is a love that will be put to the test. The couple must face numerous demanding trials and overcome daunting setbacks before they can achieve mutual trust, faith and harmony.

Amaluna is a fusion of the words ama, which refers to “mother” in many languages, and luna, which means “moon”; a symbol of femininity that evokes both the mother-daughter relationship and the idea of goddess and protector of the planet. Amaluna is also the name of the mysterious island where this magical story unfolds.

A TRIBUTE TO THE WORK AND VOICE OF WOMEN

For the first time in Cirque du Soleil’s history, Amaluna features a cast that comprises a majority of women, with a 100% female band. “Amaluna is a tribute to the work and voice of women”, explains Director of Creation Fernand Rainville. “The show is a reflection on balance from a women’s perspective”, he adds. Director Diane Paulus, winner of a 2013 Tony Award (Pippin) and recently named as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2014, says: “I didn’t want to build a ‘women’s agenda’ show. I wanted to create a show with women at the center of it, something that had a hidden story that featured women as the heroines.” Paulus drew from a series of classical influences when creating the concept of the show; including tales from Greek and Norse mythology, Mozart’s The Magic Flute and Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL

Some 30 years ago, Cirque du Soleil was but a dream. It was the dream of a small community of travelling performers who would do anything to share their love of the stage, of circus and of the world. The family has grown since then and now includes thousands of dreamers—creators, artists, technicians and workers who toil in the shadows. The dream has become a symbol of Québec pride, an international entertainment company that has brought 35 large-scale shows to life—20 of which are still in operation. The company, which celebrates its 30^th anniversary in June 2014, has brought wonder and delight to close to 150 million spectators in more than 300 cities on six continents. Cirque du Soleil has close to 4,000 employees, including 1,300 performing artists from close to 50 different countries.