Ovo is a touring Cirque du Soleil production written and directed by Deborah Colker. It is the 25th Cirque du Soleil production since 1984 and was created to celebrate Cirque du Soleil's 25th Anniversary.[1] Ovo premiered on April 23, 2009, in Montréal, QC.
The name of Ovo means "egg" in Portuguese. This goes with the show's theme of the life cycle and birth of insects. It also represents the underlying threat of the show. The logo for Ovo is made to look like the head of an insect with the "O"s looking like eyes and the "V" looks like the head and antennas.[1]
History[]
In late April 2011, Ovo canceled performances from April 28th through May 1st in Coney Island, Cincinnati, Ohio. This was due to the Ohio River over flooding with heavy rains. Performances resumed on May 3rd to May 15th.[2]
On April 2015, Cirque du Soleil announced the cancellation of Ovo and Toruk: The First Flight's performances in North Carolina due to the passing of The Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act or HB2 by North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory.[3][4][5]
In a press release on Facebook, the company stated: "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... Cirque du Soleil believes in equality for all. It is a principle that guides us with both our employees and our customers. We behave as change agents to reach our ultimate goal of making a better world with our actions and our productions."[6]
In 2016 while converting to an arena format, Cirque du Soleil teamed up with their video and scenographic design subdivision 4U2C to improve on the show's design, lighting, technical aspects, special effects, and projections.[7]
Set and Technical Information[]
Set designer Gringo Cardia was inspired by the nests and colonies of various insects when designing the stage for Ovo. The stage floor contains 225 panels and with the exception of the Spider’s Web, there are no straight lines found anywhere on set. The middle of the stage is able to be raised and rotated. The acrobatic structure used during the Slackwire Act is at a 45° degree angle. The structure can be raised to 15 ft. and weighs over 22,000 Lbs.[8]
The giant egg at the beginning of Ovo is a symbol of fertility and is a nod to The Monolith in the Stanley Kubrick movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.[1] The egg measures 28 ft. x 22 ft. and is inflatable.
The largest set element for Ovo is the trampowall located at the back of the stage. The wall measures 30 ft x 60 ft. The performers can climb up the wall and bounce off of it. It is also used as a giant projection screen
Another large element used in Ovo is the large mechanical flowers that grow during the Legs Dance Interlude and the Finale. These flowers are 30 ft. tall.[8]
When adapting Ovo to the arena format in 2016, Cirque du Soleil partnered up with their subdivision 4U2C to make several changes to the show. 4U2C created a scale model of a miniature forest to create projections for the trampowall. The miniature forest is 24 ft. X 8 ft. and contains real and fake plants.[7] The photography of the forest was shot using macro photography to show details of the scale model. It took 40 days of shooting of the minute forest for the content for the projections. A completely new stage and acrobatic structure had been made for OVO arena tour.[8]
Characters[]
- The Foreigner: A fly from a faraway land who carries a strange egg on his back. He falls in love by The Ladybug.
- The Ladybug: A lonely ladybug waiting secretly waiting for something wonderful to happen in her life. When the Foreigner arrives, she is excited by what changes might bring to her life.
- Master Flipo: A smart and eccentric bug who is the leader of the insects.
Acts[]
Act One
- Opening: Master Flipo commands all the insects to get wake up.
- Ants (Risley / Icarian Games): A group of ants perform a combination of foot juggling and Icarian Games.
- Orvalho (Hand Balancing): A dragonfly handbalances on a rotating apparatis.
- Interlude (The Foreigner): Arriving from a far away place while and carrying a egg on his back, The Foreigner meets the insects.
- Cocoon (Aerial Silk): An artist emerges from an aerial silk cocoon and performs.
- Butterflies (Aerial Straps Duo): Two butterflies perform an aerial straps duo.
- Firefly (Diabolos): A firefly juggles multiple diabolos.
- Clown Act - Fighting: Master Flipo and The Foreigner get into a fight.
- Creatura (Human Slinky): A performer rolls out on stage and performs in a human slinky costume.
- Interlude: Rescue The Forigner is cornered by two tall insects while the Ladybug comes to save him.
- Interlude: Musical Duel: Mastero Flipo challenges the violinist to a musical duel, but keeps getting intrupted by the tamboriner.
- Scarabs (Suspended Cradle): A group of artists swing between four suspended cradles.
Act Two
- Singing: The second act is introduced by the singer.
- Web (Contortion): A spider bends and twist her body on a rock.
- Clown Act - Lovers: The Ladybug interacts with an audience member and The Foreigner becomes jealous. He tries to express his love for her.
- Fleas (Acrosport Trio): Two male fleas toss a female flea using acrosport techniques.
- Interlude (Flower): The Foreigner tries to impress The Ladybug with a flower.
- Spider (Slackwire): A spider performs on a slackwire and does various tricks including a unicycle.
- Clown Act - New Mate: Feeling rejected by The Ladybug, Master Flipo tries to help find The Foreigner somebody else from the audience.
- Interlude (Leg Dance): A contemporary dance of legs using the holes in the stage.
- Crickets (Trampowall): A group of crickets bounces on a trampoline-like wall.
- Finale: The cast of Ovo come out to celebrate The Ladybug and The Foreigner's love for each other. The show abruptly ends when the egg starts to hatch.
Costume Design[]
Costume designer Liz Vandal used her signature styles inspired by futuristic superheroes and by various suits of armor when creating the costumes for Ovo. She was also inspired, by fashion designer Pierre Cardin and slashed sleeves of Renaissance garments. Vandal wanted to focus on insect-like costumes rather than copy insect anatomy. Vandal used Japanese designer Issey Miyake's permanent pleating technique to develop certain rigidity to material and creates an organic effect.[1]
Most of the characters have two different versions of the same costume. One costume is more lightweight and functional. This costume is used by the actors for performances. The second costume is heavier and more detailed. This is for when the actors are on stage not performing.[1]
Music[]
Ovo's music is composed by Berna Ceppas. The music was influenced by the sounds of Bossa Nova, samba, funk, and electronic music. Ceppas sampled insect sounds to be mixed in the music.[1]
Vocalist[]
- Marie-Claude Marchand - From April 23, 2009 (Montreal) to June 27, 2014 (Tokyo)
- Alexandra Cabanilla - From June 28, 2014 (Tokyo) to June 7, 2015 (Sendai)
- Júlia Tázie - From April 8, 2016 (Lake Charles) to Jan 20, 2019 (Murcia)
- Lari Finocchiaro - From March 7, 2019 (Belo Horizonte) to Present
For more information on the songs featured in Ovo, please visit Ovo (Soundtrack).
Touring Schedule[]
The following color boxes indicate the region of each performance:
EU Europe NA North America SA South and Central America AP Asia/Pacific OC Oceania AF Africa
Arena Tour
2016 - 2018 Schedule
2016 Schedule
NA Lake Charles, LA - From April 8 to April 10, 2016
NA Baton Rouge, LA - From April 14 to April 17, 2016
NA Greensboro, NC - From April 20 to April 24, 2016 (Cancelled)
NA Cleveland, OH - From April 27 to May 1, 2016
NA Syracuse, NY - From May 4 to May 6, 2016
NA Philadelphia, PA - From May 11 to May 15, 2016
NA Bangor, ME - From June 2 to June 5, 2016
NA Bridgeport, CT - From June 8 to June 12, 2016
NA Hartford, CT - From June 15 to June 19, 2016
NA Atlantic City, NJ - From June 22 to June 16, 2016
NA Windsor, ON - From June 29 to July 3, 2016
NA Charlotte, NC - From July 6 to July 10, 2016 (Cancelled)
NA Memphis, TN - From July 8 to July 10, 2016
NA Greenville, SC - From July 13 to July 17, 2016
NA Chattanooga, TN - From July 20 to July 24, 2016
NA Huntsville, AL - From July 27 to July 31, 2016
NA St. Louis, MO - From August 3 to August 7, 2016
NA Manchester, NH - From August 25 to August 28, 2016
NA Hershey, PA - From August 31 to September 4, 2016
NA Hampton, VA - From September 7, 2015, to September 11, 2016
NA Roanoke, VA - From September 14 to September 18, 2016
NA Orlando, FL - From September 21 to September 25, 2016
NA Estero, FL - From September 28 to October 2, 2016
NA Jacksonville, FL - From October 5 to October 8, 2016 (Postponed due to Hurricane Matthew)
NA San Juan, PR - From October 20 to October 23, 2016
NA Santo Domingo, DO - From October 27 to October 30, 2016
NA Erie, PA - From November 17 to November 20, 2016
NA Quebec, QC - From November 23 to November 27, 2016
NA Montreal, QC - From November 29 to December 4, 2016
NA Kingston, ON - From December 7 to December 11, 2016
NA Grand Rapids, MI - From December 14 to December 18, 2016
NA Detroit, MI - From December 22 to December 25, 2016
NA Kansas City, MO - From December 28, 2016, to January 1, 2017
2017 Schedule
NA Sioux Falls, SD - From January 4 to January 8, 2017
NA Loveland, CO - From January 11 to January 15, 2017
NA Colorado Springs, CO - From January 18 to January 22, 2017
NA Tulsa, OK - From January 25 to January 29, 2017
NA Spokane, WA - From February 16 to February 19, 2017
NA West Valley City, UT - From February 22 to February 26, 2017
NA Rio Rancho, NM - From March 1 to March 5, 2017
NA Lubbock, TX - From March 8 to March 12, 2017
NA Cedar Park, TX - From March 15 to March 19, 2017
NA Laredo, TX - From March 22 to March 26, 2017
NA Corpus Christi, TX - From March 29 to April 2, 2017
NA Oklahoma City, OK - From April 6 to April 9, 2017
NA El Paso, TX - From April 12 to April 16, 2017
NA Tucson, AZ - From April 19 to April 23, 2017
NA Cincinnati, OH - From May 11 to May 14, 2017
NA Columbus, OH - From May 17 to May 21, 2017
NA Pittsburgh, PA - From May 24 to May 28, 2017
NA Toledo, OH - From May 31 to June 4, 2017
NA Hamilton, ON - From June 7 to June 11, 2017
NA London, ON - From June 14 to June 18, 2017
NA Brooklyn, NY - From July 5 to July 9, 2017
NA Sunrise, FL - From July 13 to July 23, 2017
NA Miami, FL - From July 28 to July 30, 2017
NA Jacksonville, FL - From August 2 to August 6, 2017
NA North Charleston, SC - From August 9 to August 13, 2017
NA Fairfax, VA - From August 16 to August 20, 2017
NA Baltimore, MD - From August 23 to August 27, 2017
NA Uniondale, NY - From August 30 to September 3, 2017
NA Boston, MA - From September 6 to September 10, 2017
NA Laval, QC - From September 13 to September 17, 2017
EU Zurich, CH - From October 5 to October 8, 2017
EU Geneva, CH - From October 11 to October 15, 2017
EU Salzburg, AT - From October 18 to October 22, 2017
EU Leipzig, DE - From October 25 to October 29, 2017
EU Hamburg, DE - From November 1 to November 5, 2017
EU Berlin, DE - From November 8 to November 12, 2017
EU Mannheim, DE - From November 15 to November 19, 2017
EU Cologne, DE - From November 22 to November 26, 2017
EU Stuttgart, DE - From November 29 to December 3, 2017
EU Nuremberg, DE - From December 6 to December 10, 2017
EU Munich, DE - From December 13 to December 17, 2017
2018 Schedule
EU London, UK - From January 7 to March 4, 2018
EU Antwerp, BE - From March 8 to Mar 11, 2018
EU Hanover, DE - From March 14 to March 18, 2018
EU Oberhausen, DE - From March 2 to April 8, 2018
EU Kraków, PL - From April 5 to April 8, 2018
EU Gdansk, PL - From April 13 to April 15, 2018
EU Saint-Petersburg, RU - From April 28 to May 5, 2018
EU Moscow, RU - From May 8 to May 20, 2018
EU Kazan, RU - From May 23 to May 27, 2018
EU Tolyatti, RU - From May 30 to June 3, 2018
EU Ekaterinburg, RU - From June 6 to June 10, 2018
EU Sochi, RU - From July 10 to July 29, 2018
EU Liverpool, UK - From August 16 to August 19, 2018
EU Sheffield, UK - From August 22 to August 26, 2018
EU Newcastle, UK - From August 29 to September 2, 2018
EU Glasgow, UK - From September 5 to September 9, 2018
EU Nottingham, UK - From September 12 to September 16, 2018
EU Leeds, UK - From September 19 to September 23, 2018
EU Manchester, UK - From September 26 to September 30, 2018
EU Birmingham, UK - From October 3 to October 7, 2018
EU Dublin, IR - From October 10 to October 14, 2018
EU Belfast, UK - From October 17 to October 21, 2018
EU Lille, FR - From November 8 to November 11, 2018
EU Bordeaux, FR - From November 14 to November 18, 2018
EU Toulouse, FR - From November 21 to November 25, 2018
EU Montpellier, FR - From November 28 to December 2, 2018
EU Strasbourg, FR - From December 5 to December 9, 2018
EU Nantes, FR - From December 12 to December 16, 2018
EU A Coruña, ES - From December 21 to December 30, 2018
2019 Schedule
EU Lisbon, PT - From January 3 to January 13, 2019
EU Murcia, ES - From January 16 to January 20, 2019
SA Belo Horizonte, BR - From March 7 to March 17, 2019
SA Rio de Janeiro, BR - From March 21 to March 31, 2019
SA Brasília, BR - From April 5 to April 13, 2019
SA São Paulo, BR - From April 19 to May 12, 2019
SA Asuncion, PY - From May 31 to June 8, 2019
SA Buenos Aires, AR - From June 15 to June 30, 2019
SA Montevideo, UY - From July 4 to July 14, 2019
SA Buenos Aires, AR - From July 17 to July 21, 2019
SA Cordoba, AR - From July 25 to July 28, 2019
SA Mendoza, AR - From August 1 to August 10, 2019
SA Santiago, CL - From August 22 to September 1, 2019
SA Medellin, CO - From October 9 to October 26, 2019
NA Norfolk, PA - From December 27 to December 29, 2019
2020 Schedule
NA Augusta, GA - From January 2 to January 5, 2020
NA Charlotte, NC - From January 8 to January 12, 2020
NA Tallahassee, FL - From January 17 to January 19, 2020
NA Pittsburgh, PA - From January 23 to January 26, 2020
NA Albany, NY - From January 29, 2020 to February 2, 2020
NA Phoenix, AZ - From February 20 to February 23, 2020
NA Boise, ID - From February 27, 2020 to March 1, 2020
NA San Diego, CA - From March 5 to March 8, 2020
NA El Paso, TX - From March 12 to March 15, 2020
NA Edinburg, TX - From March 19 to March 22, 2020- Cancelled due to Covid-19 outbreak
NA Lafayette, LA - From March 25 to March 29, 2020- Cancelled due to Covid-19 outbreak
NA Greensboro, NC - From April 2 to April 5, 2020- Cancelled due to Covid-19 outbreak
NA Savannah, GA - From April 8 to April 12, 2020- Cancelled due to Covid-19 outbreak
NA Knoxville, TN - From April 15 to April 19, 2020- Cancelled due to Covid-19 outbreak
NA Frisco, TX - From April 23 to April 26, 2020- Cancelled due to Covid-19 outbreak
NA Fort Worth, TX - From April 30, 2020 - May 3, 2020- Cancelled due to Covid-19 outbreak
NA Bloomington, IL - From May 7 to May 10, 2020- Cancelled due to Covid-19 outbreak
NA Louisville, KY - From May 13 to May 17, 2020- Cancelled due to Covid-19 outbreak
Gallery[]
Promotional
Performance
Videos[]
Trailers
Behind the Scenes
Make Up Videos
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 OVO. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/press/kits/shows/ovo
- ↑ Osborne, E. (2011, April 27). UPDATE: Cirque du Soleil cancels performances until May 1st. Retrieved from https://www.fox19.com/story/14517191/cirque-du-soleil-cancels-performances-until-may-1st/
- ↑ Cox, G. (2016, April 15). Cirque du Soleil Cancels North Carolina Stops for 'Ovo' and 'Toruk'. Retrieved from https://variety.com/2016/legit/news/cirque-du-soleil-north-carolina-anti-gay-law-1201754708/
- ↑ Puente, M. (2016, April 16). Cirque du Soleil cancels multiple shows in N.C. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2016/04/15/cirque-du-soleil-cancels-multiple-shows-nc/83090122/
- ↑ Collins, E. (2016, April 15). Cirque du Soleil cancels shows in North Carolina. Retrieved from https://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/cirque-du-soleil-north-carolina-cancel-lgbt-222028
- ↑ Soleil, C. du. (2016, April 15). CIRQUE DU SOLEIL WILL NOT PERFORM IN NORTH CAROLINA. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/notes/cirque-du-soleil/cirque-du-soleil-will-not-perform-in-north-carolina/10153690474037675/
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Soleil, C. du. (2016, May 26). OVO by Cirque du Soleil - What's new and improved? Video Projections. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi699d_muKY&list=PL4969A03BAF57F95C&index=15&t=0s
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Retrieved from https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/-/media/cds/images/pressroom/presskits/ovo/pdf/ovo_presskit_en.pdf
External Links[]
| Touring & Resident Shows | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Touring Shows | |||||||||||||||||||
| Resident Shows |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Upcoming Shows | |||||||||||||||||||