CIRQUE DU SOLEIL'S FOUNDER, CARMEN RUEST, JETTING TO THE UK TO PROMOTE CIRQUE'S UK TOUR, 'SALTIMBANCO'

CARMEN RUEST, WHO FOUNDED CIRQUE DU SOLEIL 25 YEARS AGO WITH GUY LALIBERTE, IS JETTING INTO THE UK THIS JUNE TO DO A SERIES OF EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS ABOUT CIRQUE AND IT’S UK TOUR, ‘SALTIMBANCO’. CARMEN IS AVAILABLE FOR STUDIO BASED INTERVIEWS ON A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE BASIS. IF YOU WOUD LIKE TO INTERVIEW CARMEN, PLEASE CONTACT MARGARET MURRAY: margaret@fmguk.com / 0121 224 7453 OR EMMA KING / 0121 224 7456: assistant@fmguk.com

CARMEN RUEST Saltimbanco Director of Creation Carmen Ruest is one of a handful of kindred spirits Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté calls the pioneers—“the people who put their shoulders to the grindstone when we were starting out and made the dream a reality.” Back in the 1970s in Montreal, Carmen Ruest was taking and giving dance classes during the winter and dancing on stilts as a street performer in the summer. During this period, she became versed in various circus arts including acrobatics, trapeze and tight rope - and honed her skills as a stiltwalker. In the early 1980s, she met Gilles Ste-Croix and became his stiltwalking partner. Ste-Croix, teaming up with Carmen Ruest and others, founded the Club des talons hauts (High Heels Club), which would become Cirque du Soleil in 1984 under Laliberté’s leadership. During her first ten years at Cirque du Soleil, Carmen Ruest spent her time performing as a stiltwalker and assisting Gilles Ste-Croix in art direction. After a short stint away from Cirque as a production director and a costume designer, she came back to join Cirque’s casting department, scouting the world for artistic talent. Since returning to her “roots” at Cirque du Soleil, Carmen Ruest has made great strides. In addition to her work as a stiltwalking coach on Alegría (Touring Show) and Mystère (Permanent show in Las Vegas, NV), she was the creative and artistic coordinator on La Nouba (Permanent show in Orlando, FL) and became later the assistant to the casting director, where she saw the casting department grow from 5 to over 30 people. In 2005 she accepted the new challenges of becoming the director of creation for DELIRIUM (A Cirque du Soleil live music event in arenas). Since 2006, Carmen took on the position of Director of Creation for Saltimbanco. “We want to bring Cirque du Soleil to new audiences. My role is to create a synergy between the creative team members and to make their job easier so that the vision shines through brightly in the end.” Carmen Ruest was born in Rimouski, Quebec. CIRQUE DU SOLEIL BRINGS SENSATIONAL SALTIMBANCO TO UK ARENAS Between whirlwind and lull, prowess and poetry, Saltimbanco takes spectators on an allegorical and acrobatic journey into the heart of the city. Following the critically acclaimed UK tour of Quidam , Cirque Du Soleil, is to return to the UK with an arena tour of its vibrant signature production SALTIMBANCO, created by Franco Dragone. This timeless Cirque opus hits the UK Arenas for the first time with a series of exclusive shows in Sheffield, Liverpool, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Dublin, Nottingham and London. Tickets for the tour go on sale from Friday 11th December 2009 via the Live Nation website www.livenation.co.uk. Saltimbanco is Cirque du Soleil’s longest running major touring show which has toured the world since 1992 to wide-spread acclaim and has enjoyed sell-out success across the world in Europe, North and South America, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand performing to over 11 million fans. In the UK, The Times hailed the show “Gracefully athletic theatre” , America’s Variety Magazine added “Human exuberance and physicality, the performers enthrall with one act after another””, whilst the New York Times was equal in its praise stating “Myth meets magic...... An unearthly mixture of commedia dell'arte and rock-concert razzle....” Classic Cirque at its best, Saltimbanco is a thrilling and kaleidoscopic celebration of awe inspiring artistry and agility. It features breathtaking acrobatics and unbelievable athleticism during solo spotlights and epic ensembles. With a cast of over 50 high-caliber artists hailing from 20 countries Saltimbanco is set to enthrall. From the seemingly impossible balancing, jumping and spinning during the Chinese Poles or the Russian Swing to the gravity-defying Bungees and Trapeze, the crowd pleasing Juggling and Acrobatic Bicycle, to the celebrated and very unique Clowns. Technical expertise and extravagant design are woven together by uplifting spectacular costumes, amazing lighting, humour and enchanting music and magic. Full of colour, amusement and amazement, Saltimbanco is a fun show for the whole family to enjoy. Saltimbanco —from the Italian “saltare in banco,” which literally means “to jump on a bench”—explores the urban experience in all its myriad forms: the people who live there, their idiosyncrasies and likenesses, families and groups, the hustle and bustle of the street and the towering heights of skyscrapers. A signature show, it is inspired by the urban fabric of the metropolis and its colourful inhabitants. Decidedly baroque in its visual vocabulary, the show’s eclectic cast of characters draws spectators into a fanciful, dreamlike world, an imaginary city where diversity is a cause for hope. Phil Bowdery, President Of Touring at Live Nation, promoters of the show commented: “We are thrilled to be bringing Saltimbanco to cities across the UK. The show is a signature Cirque du Soleil sensation, it’s a vibrant, uplifting, colorful show, one of the most prolific in Cirque's repertoire. Created as an antidote to the violence and despair, this phantasmagorical show proposes a new vision of urbanity, overflowing with optimism and happiness.” The world premiere of Saltimbanco was held in Montreal on April 23, 1992 and featured a cast of 36 performers. During its 14-year tour under the big top, the show visited some 75 cities on five continents, for a total of more than 4,000 performances given before a combined audience of over 11 million people worldwide. In 2007, Saltimbanco has been reconfigured for a new venue—large arenas. Over a period of 21 weeks, the show was restaged to adapt to the new venue size: the stage on which the artists perform was raised and the sound and lighting was adjusted to the new environment. The Saltimbanco tour will stop in about 40 cities each year, with a message that is as relevant and powerful today as it was when the show was created. Saltimbanco can now be presented to 4,000 to 5,000 spectators every night with the same feeling of intimacy as it had under the big top. Ends – For further press information please contact Margaret Murray or Emma King at FMG on 0121 224 7453/0121 224 7456 or email : margaret@fmguk.com / assistant@fmguk.com About Cirque du Soleil : The company is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2009. From the 20 or so performers the company featured when it all began in 1984, Quebec-based Cirque du Soleil has become a leading provider of quality entertainment with more than 4,000 employees, including 1,200 artists who hail from some 40 different countries. Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to close to 100 million spectators in over 200 cities on five continents. In 2009, Cirque du Soleil will be presenting 20 shows simultaneously throughout the world. Cirque du Soleil International Headquarters are based in Montreal, Canada. ON SALE: TICKETS ONSALE FROM 11th DECEMBER 2009 PRICED £50.00 / £40 plus Booking Fee MANCHESTER TICKETS ONSALE NOW. Ticket Line 0844 576 5483 Website www.livenation.co.uk/ www.cirquedusoleil.com DATES LIVERPOOL ECHO ARENA – 26th – 30th May 2010 GLASGOW SECC – 2nd – 6th June 2010 MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS ARENA – 9th – 14th June 2010 BIRMINGHAM NIA – 17th – 27th June 2010 NEWCASTLE METRO RADIO ARENA – 30th June – 4th July 2010 DUBLIN 02 – 7th July – 11th July 2010 & 13th – 18th July 2010 NOTTINGHAM TRENT FM ARENA – 21st – 25th July 2010 LONDON WEMBLEY ARENA– 28th July – 1st August 2010