The Wall Street Journal published an amusing article describing the unusual problems faced by Cirque talent scouts:
… As Cirque du Soleil rolls through its 23rd year and prepares to expand to 22 shows by the end of 2010, from 14 today, it has become one of Canada’s marquee cultural exports and a $620 million-a-year business. Cirque du Soleil shows will appear in 24 countries this year, drawing nearly 10 million people.
Scouts like Ms. Giasson will travel the world, scour the Internet and vet thousands of unsolicited applications to fill 500 new roles. In their quest, they have created a database of 20,000 potential performers.
Among them: 24 giants (including a Ukrainian who is 8 foot 2), 23 whistlers, 466 contortionists, 14 pickpockets, 35 skateboarders, 1,278 clowns, eight dislocation artists and 73 people classified simply as small.
But a problem arises when talent is truly unique and either difficult or impossible to replace. If, for example, one enters the words “giant” and “opera” into the database, only one name pops up: Victorino Antonio Lujan, a 39-year-old Argentinian who stands just shy of seven feet and weighs about 400 pounds. …
25-year-old Alan J. Silva, the acrobat from Brazil, who stands 3-feet-10 inches tall. Mr. Silva first came to the attention of Cirque scouts in December 2000 at an audition in Saõ Paulo. “He walked as if he were a prime minister or the president of the United States,” Ms. Giasson said.
… read more – Talent Scouts For Cirque du Soleil Walk a Tightrope – WSJ.com
(Thanks Tom Mangan.)
Casting – Cirque du Soleil
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