Show type Touring show | Date of premiere April 23, 2009 Creation director Chantal Tremblay | |
Ovo is a touring circus production by Cirque du Soleil and premiered in Montréal, Canada, in 2009. Ovo's creator and director, Deborah Colker, took inspiration from the world of insects. The idea for Ovo was not to be about the acts, nor dancing, nor insects, but about movement. The movement of life permeates the entire show with creatures flying, leaping, bounding, and crawling. Composer Berna Ceppas brought additional life to Ovo with a score inspired by the music of Brazil. ovo means "egg" in Portuguese and represents the underlying thread through the show. Graphically, inside the logo of Ovo, is an insect. The two O's represent the eyes and the V forms the nose and antennas.
Contents
History
During late April 2011, Ovo had to cancel performances in Ohio due to flooding at Coney Island. The Ohio River began flooding due to heavy rains over the period of a few days. The team had been running pumps, adjusted parking, as well as the show's layout, but finally did have to cancel multiple performances (April 22 - May 1, 2011).
Set and technical information
The stage and set for Ovo were designed by Gringo Cardio and utilize irregular shapes throughout. The rear wall is 19 metres (62 ft) wide by 8 metres (26 ft) high and is only supported at the sides, thus allowing the trampolines for the final act to slide into place. During its arena tour, Ovo used the stage from the classic cirque show, Dralion. Ovo's big top stage would later be reused when Corteo premieres its arena tour in 2017. Inset in the wall are 24 "firefly eggs"; these are moulded fibreglass bulbs fitted with LED bulbs which can produce a full color spectrum of light. The "membranes" seen throughout the performance are quite large in scale, the largest being 24 metres (79 ft) wide by 17 metres (56 ft) high. The egg seen at the beginning of the show is inflated to the size of 8.5 metres (28 ft) wide by 7 metres (23 ft) high.
Ovo has the largest flying act yet undertaken by Cirque du Soleil, as of 2010. To support the act there are 80 cables which have to be installed during the performance; this requires the assistance of upwards of 40 performers and technicians. The trapeze net itself is 3 metres (9.8 ft) off the ground and spans 30 metres (98 ft) in length and 15 metres (49 ft) in width.
Cast
Many characters are seen throughout Ovo, three of which are the main characters. The cast of Ovo, as of its premiere, included 54 performing artists from 16 different countries.
Acts
Ovo has ten acrobatic-related acts, whereas the rest are dancing or supplemental to the storyline.
Retired acts
Costumes
The costumes of Ovo were designed by Liz Vandal and evoke the appearance of insects. The costumes were created to have areas that appear as sections to replicate the segmented bodies of insects; this was achieved by using permanent pleating, varying finishes, and coloring methods. To also provide the illusion of exoskeletons, a mixture of fabrics were used to create both hard and soft flexible fabrics, thus providing the look of a hard shell without inhibiting the artists' movements.
The crickets have detachable legs, which are removed for the powertrack act, to give the sense of an insect with six legs. The legs also provide the illusion the cricket is oversized, aiding the spectator's illusion of being the size of an insect in this world.
Due to the rigidity of some of the costumes, most characters have two versions of their costume. The first is more lightweight and functional for their acrobatic performance. The second, on the other hand, is more richly detailed and heavier, and worn while not performing their act.
Music
The show's musical influences stem primarily from Brazilian genres such as samba; both the creator and music director are Brazilian. Additional texture is added by the use of sounds of insects throughout the soundtrack. Below is a list of the tracks featured on the CD, which was released on April 13, 2010.
- Brisa Do Mar (Pre-show and opening)
- Foreigner (Cricket dance)
- Ants (Foot juggling and Icarian games)
- Cocoon (Interlude into Spanish Web Duo)
- Frevo Zumbido (Diabolos)
- Orvalho (Handbalancing)
- Carimbo da Creatura (Creatura dancing)
- Love Duet
- Spanish Web Duo (2009–2015)
- Aerial Straps (2016-present)
- Scarabee
- Volants (2009–2015)
- Aerial Cradle (2016–present)
- Sexy Web (Contortion)
- Legs (Interlude into Power Track, Trampoline, and Wall)
- Flea Girls
- Acrosport (2009-2015)
- Acro-trio (2016–present)
- Super Hero (Slackwire)
- Secret Samba Luv (Clown Act)
- Parede (Power track, trampoline, wall)
- Banquete (Banquet and Bows)
Vocalists
Tour
Ovo started touring in April 2009 in Montréal, Canada. They performed their 1000th show on January 29, 2012, while in Santa Monica, California. Now that the Japanese run of Ovo has ended, it has been confirmed that the show will no longer perform under the Grand Chapiteau, instead it will be converted into the arena format for its remaining tours.
On April 8, 2016, OVO began re-premiered in the arena format in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Just one week later, on April 15, Cirque du Soleil announced the cancellation of OVO in both Greensboro and Charlotte, North Carolina citing the recent signing of the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act by North Carolina governor Pat McCrory, the Company announced in a press release that "Cirque du Soleil strongly believes in diversity and equality for every individual and is opposed to discrimination in any form. The new HB2 legislation passed in North Carolina is an important regression to ensuring human rights for all."
The following colorboxes indicate the region of each performance:
EU Europe NA North America SA South and Central Americas AP Asia/Pacific OC Oceania AF Africa