Koozå is a touring Cirque du Soleil production created and directed by David Shiner. Koozå premiered on April 19, 2007 in Montreal QC. Koozå's concept is a throwback to traditional circuses and the early years of Cirque du Soleil.
Koozå's name comes from the Sanskrit word "koza" which means "box", "chest", or "treasure". It was chosen due to the concept of the show being a "circus in a box".[1]
The show had to stop its tour for 669 days during the Covid-19 outbreak. The Covid-19 lockdowns happened during the transit of Koozå from Sevilla, ES to Lyon, FR making the crew and trucks that were on the road to Lyon, FR come back to Sevilla, ES before being sent home.
Premise[]
The story of Koozå is about a melancholy loner named The Innocent trying to find his place in the world. One day while flying his kite, he receives a mysterious package in the mail. When he unwraps it, turns out to be a giant Jack-In-The-Box known as containing a character known as The Trickster. The Trickster springs to life and fills The Innocent's world with color. He creates the world of Koozå and bringing The Innocent on a journey of fear, self-identity, recognition, and power.[2]
Set and Technical Information[]
One of the major elements of Koozå is the high two story tower known as "The Bataclan". The Bataclan and stage were designed by Stéphane Roy and developed by Scène Ethique Inc. The structure of the Bataclan were to reflect the interiors of the Bataclan Theatre in Paris, France. It is the tallest structure on a stage set in Cirque du Soleil containing a bandstand with two curved curtains underneath. The Bataclan can track up and down onstage with a winch mechanism.[3]
The decorations for the Bataclan were inspired by Hindu culture, Pakistani buses, and Indian jewelry. The curtains that surround and enclose the Bataclan are operated by two people using ropes and pulleys.[3]
The stage of Koozå is the highest stage ever designed by Cirque du Soleil. It stands at 39 ft (11.8 m) rather than the normal 36 ft (10.9 m). This is to account for the The Jack-In-The-Box hydraulics that are used at the beginning of the show. This will throw the performer 6 to 7 feet into the air.[4]
Costume Design[]
Koozå costume designer Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt was inspired by graphic novels, paintings by Gustav Klimt, the Mad Max movies, tin soldiers and marching band uniforms for the House Troupe costumes, children's books, and Indian and Eastern Europe designs.
The percussion instruments for the Skeleton costume were made out of molded carbon. They were modeled to look and sound like bones when the performers hit them against each other to create a musical rhythm during the Skeleton Dance.
The "Rat Cape" used at the beginning of the Skeleton Dance contains 150 fake-fur rats with crystal eyes that would run down the performer's body before exiting into a trap door. It was inspired by the mechanics of vertical blinds and several of the rats contain little wheels on them to give them a more live effect.
For the development of the hats used in Koozå, precise measurements of each of the artist’s heads are taken by a portable scanner and the milliners build the hats with the help of 3D prints obtained with these figures.[2]
All of the costumes, hats, and shoes for for Koozå were created at Cirque du Soleil's Costume Workshop and Shoe Workshop.
Characters[]
Current Characters
- The Trickster: Charming and sophisticated, The Trickster is the creator of the world of Koozå. Even though he teases and plays on The Innocent, he keeps a watchful eye out for him. [2]
- The Innocent: Outwardly childlike, ingenuous and simple, The Innocent is eager to get to know the new world he's in, but as soon as he uses The Trickster's powers he discovers an unexpected and jarring environment, a reflection of his soul.[2]
- The King: King of fools and ruler of Koozå. He tries to gain respect from those around them.
- The Royal Clowns: The Tourist and The Handyman are the semi-loyal footmen to The King.
- The Bad Dog: An untrained uncontrollable dog. He is playful to The Innocent and eventually becomes his companion.
- Heimlos: In charge of all the machinery in the world of Koozå, Heimlos spends most of his time beneath the stage.
- The Scalper: Discretely making his way around Koozå guests, The Scalper will try to make you buy the cheapest Koozå tickets on the market.
- The Cops: The authority of Koozå who try to stop The Scalper's business..
- The Obnoxious Tourist: An obnoxious guy who gets in people’s way; throws popcorn around; gives kids money to buy beer for him. He’s loud. He gets the show started, basically. He says, “C’mon, c’mon. What is this Cirque du So Late?” [1]
No Longer in the Show
- The Pickpocket: A mischievous clumsy clown who likes to pickpocket and taunts The Cops to catch him.
Acts[]
Act One
- Charivari (Opening)
- Contortion
- Aerial Straps
- Clown Act: Bad Dog
- Unicycle Duo
- Clown Act: "Magic!"
- High Wire
Act Two
- The Skeleton Dance (Choreographed Dance)
- Wheel of Death
- Hula Hoops
- Clown Act: Missing Crown
- Balancing on Chairs
- Teeterboard
- Finale
Music[]
The music for Koozå is composed by Jean-François Côté. Inspired by pop music, 1970's funk, film scores from the 1940s and 1950s, and orchestral music. Koozå has two singers that sing for the two acts. Act One of the show is sung by the character The Indian Singer while Act Two is sung by The Soul Singer.
Vocalist[]
Indian Singer
- Tara Baswani - From April 2007 (Montreal) to January 2013 (London)
- Meetu Chilana - From 2009 to 2010
- Naomi Zaman - From January 2013 (London) to April 2013 (Madrid)
- Dorothée Doyer - From May 2013 (Bilbao) to June 2014 (Vienna)
- Mary-Pier Guilbault - From June 2014 (Vienna) to December 2015 (Vancouver), From August 2017 (Singapore) to March 2020 (Seville)
- Alessandra González - From March 2016 (Montevideo) to August 2017 (Singapore)
- Kathryn Holtkamp - From January 2022 (Punta Cana) to Present
Soul Singer
- Theresa Bailey - From April 2007 (Montreal) to October 2007 (Toronto)
- Cinda RamSeur - From November 2007 to January 2011 (Miami)
- Vedra Chandler - From February 2011 (Tokyo) to April 2015 (Bern)
- Nathaly Lopez - From June 2015 (Columbus) to April 2016 (Montevideo)
- Jennlee Shallow - From April 2016 (Buenos Aires) to July 2016 (Santiago)
- Lisa Ramey - From August 2016 (Sydney) to August 2017 (Singapore)
- Lyrika 'Erica' Ball-Holmes - From August 2017 (Singapore) to June 2018 (Hong Kong)
- Tymara Walker - From June 2018 (Changsha) to March 2019 (Auckland)
- Joanie Goyette - From May 2019 (Valencia) to Present
Filmography[]
A Thrilling Ride through Koozå is a documentary of the creation of Koozå.
A filmed performance of Koozå was filmed in Toronto, Canada on September 2008.
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
Grand Chapiteau Tour
2007 - 2018 Schedule
2007 Schedule
NA Montréal, QC - From April 19 to July 15, 2007 (show première)
NA Québec City, QC - From July 5 to July 29, 2007
NA Toronto, ON - From August 9 to October 21, 2007
NA San Francisco, CA - From November 16, 2007 to January 20, 2008
2008 Schedule
NA San Jose, CA - From January 31 to March 16, 2008
NA Hartford, CT - From April 1 to April 27, 2008
NA Philadelphia, PA - From May 8 to June 15, 2008
NA Chicago, IL - From June 26 to August 24, 2008
NA Boston, MA - From September 5 to October 19, 2008
NA Washington, DC - From October 30 to December 14, 2008
2009 Schedule
NA Atlanta, GA - From January 2 to March 1, 2009
NA Baltimore, MD - From March 12 to April 5, 2009
NA New York, NY - From April 16 to June 21, 2009
NA Minneapolis, MN - From July 3 to August 9, 2009
NA Denver, CO - From August 20 to October 4, 2009
NA Santa Monica, CA - From October 16 to December 20, 2009
2010 Schedule
NA Irvine, CA - From January 8 to February 14, 2011
NA San Diego, CA - From February 25 to March 28, 2011
NA Portland, OR - From April 9 to May 23, 2011
NA Seattle, WA - From June 3 to July 11, 2011
NA Vancouver, BC - From July 22 to September 5, 2011
NA Calgary, AB - From September 16 to October 24, 2011
NA Miami, FL - From November 12, 2010 to January 22, 2011
2011 Schedule
AP Tokyo, JP - From February 2 to April 8, 2011
AP Osaka, JP - From August 4 to November 6, 2011
AP Nagoya, JP - From November 23, 2011 to January 22, 2012
2012 Schedule
AP Fukuoka, JP - From February 9 to April 8, 2012
NA Phoenix, AZ - From June 8 to July 15, 2012
NA Houston, TX - From July 26 to September 28, 2012
NA Dallas, TX - From September 19 to October 28, 2012
NA St. Petersburg, FL - From November 8 to December 16, 2012
2013 Schedule
(Kooza played in the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK during this time)
EU Madrid, ES - From March 1 to April 28, 2013
EU Bilbao, ES - From May 15 to June 16, 2013
EU Knokke-Heist, BE - From July 18 to August 18, 2013
EU Moscow, RU - From September 7 to November 4, 2013
EU Paris, FR - From November 23, 2013 to January 19, 2014
2014 Schedule
EU Munich, DE - From January 31 to March 2, 2014
EU Amsterdam, NL - From March 13 to April 27, 2014
EU Vienna, AT - From May 9 to June 15, 2014
EU PortAventura World, ES - From July 9 to August 30, 2014
EU Warsaw, PL - From September 19 to October 19, 2014
EU Dusseldorf, DE - From November 6 to December 14, 2014
2015 Schedule
(Koozå played in the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK during this time)
EU Bern, CH - From February 8 to April 4, 2015
NA Columbus, OH - From June 4 to July 5, 2015
NA Virginia Beach, VA - From July 16 to August 16, 2015
NA Austin, TX - From September 3 to October 8, 2015
NA Vancouver, BC - From October 29 to December 25, 2015
2016 Schedule
SA Montevideo, UR - From March 9 to April 3, 2016
SA Buenos Aires, AR - From April 21 to June 12, 2016
SA Santiago, CL - From June 29 to July 31, 2016
OC Sydney AU - From August 25 to November 13, 2016
OC Brisbane, AU - From November 24, 2016 to January 8, 2017
2017 Schedule
OC Melbourne, AU - From January 20 to March 26, 2017
OC Perth, AU - From April 13 to June 11, 2017
AP Singapore, SG - From July 12 to August 27, 2017
AP Shanghai, CN - From October 2 to December 3, 2017
AP Beijing, CN - From December 15, 2017 to February 11, 2018
2018 Schedule
AP Shenzhen, CN - From March 1 to April 1, 2018
AP Hong Kong, CN - From April 19 to June 3, 2018
AP Changsha, CN - From June 29 to August 19, 2018
AP Seoul, SK - From November 3, 2018 to January 6, 2019
OC Auckland, NZ - From February 15 to March 24, 2019
EU Valencia, ES - From May 30 to July 14, 2019
EU Gijon, ES - From July 31 to September 1, 2019
EU Málaga, ES - From September 13 to October 1, 2019
EU Madrid, ES - From October 24, 2019 to January 5, 2020
2020 Schedule
EU Sevilla, ES - From January 15 to March 8, 2020
EU Lyon, FR - From March 20 to April 26, 2020 - Cancelled
AP Tel Aviv, IS - From June 4 to June 30, 2020 - Cancelled
EU Zurich, CH - From September 4 to September 27, 2020 - Cancelled
EU Brussels, BE - From October 22 to November 27, 2020 - Cancelled
NA Washington DC, US - From July 21 to September 19, 2021 - Cancelled
NA Punta Cana, DR - From January 7 to April 10, 2022
NA Montréal, CA - From May 12 to August 14, 2022
NA Gatineau, CA - From August 25 to September 25, 2022
SA Guadalajara, MX - From October 14 to November 06, 2022
SA Mexico City, MX - From November 18 to January 01, 2023
2023 Schedule
NA Houston, TX - From January 25 to March 5, 2023
NA Toronto, ON - From April 7 to June 18, 2023
NA Denver, CO - From July 5 to August 13, 2023
NA Calgary, AB - From August 25 to October 8, 2023
NA Vancouver, BC - From October 21 to December 31, 2023
2013 & 2015 Schedule
2013 Schedule
EU Royal Albert Hall, London, UK - From January 5 to February 14, 2013
EU Royal Albert Hall, London, UK - From January 7 to February 19, 2015
Corte
Fun Facts[]
- Koozå had its world premiere in April 2007 in Montréal, Canada and has since played in over 56 cities in 18 countries, on four different continents.[5]
- The show celebrated its 1,000th performance in Santa Monica, California in 2009, its 1,500th performance in Tokyo, Japan in 2011, its 2,000th performance in Dallas, Texas in 2012, it’s 2500th performance in Vienna, Austria in 2014 and its 3000th performance in Montevideo, Uruguay in 2016.[6]
- Over 7.5 million people have seen KOOZA.[7]
- The cast and crew of Koozå represent 19 nationalities: Australia, Belarus, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, France, Italy, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Moldova, Mongolia, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, United Kingdom and the United States.[8]
Gallery[]
Characters
Koozå Stage
Performance
Videos[]
Trailers
Behind the Scenes
References[]
- ↑ https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/kooza/faq
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/press/kits/shows/kooza
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEvVoDODYAY&list=PL153F9E114BC5D8FB&index=12&t=0s
- ↑ https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/-/media/cds/images/pressroom/presskits/kooza/pdf/kooza_presskit.pdf
- ↑ https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/press/kits/shows/kooza
- ↑ https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/press/kits/shows/kooza
- ↑ https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/press/kits/shows/kooza
- ↑ https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/press/kits/shows/kooza
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