Cirque du Soleil is set to eclipse Lord of the Dance, Chicago and Robbie Williams as the UAE’s biggest ever live entertainment event when it comes to town next year.
The French-Canadian acrobatic troupe yesterday announced that Dubai will be the venue for its first Middle East performances during the Dubai Shopping Festival.
More than 140,000 are expected to turn up for the 56 performances of Quidam at Ibn Battuta Mall between February 4 and 28.
That dwarfs the 14,000 people who saw Lord of the Dance in January 2004, the 20,000 crowd at the Robbie gig this year and the more than 28,000 who went to see Broadway hit Chicago in May.
Local promoters estimate that the market for live entertainment in the UAE is around 200,000, but organisers are counting on the high volume of tourists that flock to the Emirates every year to see the show.
“The readiness of the Middle East’s tourism infrastructure and the increasing appetite for culture and highvalue entertainment in the region, makes this an ideal time to bring Cirque du Soleil to Dubai,” said Marvin Shaire, chief operating officer of Retailcorp, the event’s organiser.
The sheer scale of the producton is also unprecedented. Quidam – one of a dozen different but unique Cirque de Soleil shows – travels with its own city, a big top with more than 2,500 seats, an artistic tent, a box office, kitchen, school, offices and warehouses.
Cirque du Soleil marketing director Milan Rokic said the production of Quidam was chosen because “it fitted in with our global plans”.
It will be on exclusively in Dubai, he added.
“We don’t duplicate our shows. We have 13 shows performing simultaneously and when Quidam plays in Dubai it is the only place in the world you will be able to see that specific show.” Quidam means “anonymous passer-by” in Latin and was inspired by New York. Cirque du Soleil was formed in 1984 by a group of young street performers. Since then, the business has expanded from 73 to 3,000 employees. Its artists and employees represent more than 40 nationalities and speak 25 languages.
Rokic said Cirque du Soleil had become so successful because it was cross-cultural and explored universal themes such as “happiness, sadness, joy, relationships”.
The performers do not speak in any particular language, “it’s a made-up language”, he explained.
Corporate packages are already available and tickets will be on sale to the general public from November 1. Prices are Dh200, Dh300 or Dh400 for premium nights (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) and Dh100 for children. On weeknights, prices range from Dh75 to Dh350.
People can book online at http://www.showbizme.com or can call 04 366 2277.
Retailcorp has appointed Australian company Showbiz as the exclusive agent for ticket distribution.
This decision was taken because an external ticket supplier can provide the high level of service people expect for such an event, the organiser said.