Varekai

Varekai
Company	Cirque du Soleil
Genre	Contemporary circus
Show type	Touring show
Date of premiere	April 24, 2002 (Montreal)
Creative team
Director	Dominic Champagne
Director of creation	Andrew Watson
Set designer	Stéphane Roy
Composer	Violaine Corradi
Costume designer	Eiko Ishioka
Lighting designer	Nol van Genuchten
Choreographers	Michael Montanaro Bill Shannon
Sound designer	François Bergeron
Makeup designer	Nathalie Gagné
Aerial acts designer	André Simard
Rigging designer	Jaque Paquin
Clown act creator	Cahal McCrystal
Projections	Francis Laporte
Artistic director	Michael Smith
Other information
Preceded by	Dralion (1999)
Succeeded by	Zumanity (2003)
Official website

Varekai is a Cirque du Soleil touring production that premiered in Montréal in April 2002.^[1] Its title means "wherever" in the Romani language, and the show is an "acrobatic tribute to the nomadic soul".^[2]

The show begins with the Greek myth of Icarus, picking up where the myth leaves off, reimagining the story of what happened to Icarus after he flew too close to the sun and fell from the sky. In Varekai, rather than drowning in the sea below him, Icarus lands in a lush forest full of exotic creatures.

Set and technical information

The set, created by Stéphane Roy, includes four major components: the forest, stage, catwalk, and lookout. The forest consists of 330 "trees", of which around 20 are climbable. The trees range from 4.5 metres (15 ft) to 10.5 metres (34 ft) in height. The stage is 12.8 metres (42 ft) in diameter and has five trap doors, two turntables, and one elevating platform. The catwalk is 30 metres (98 ft) in length and allows performers to cross over the stage; it ends at a lookout which is 7 square metres (75 sq ft).^[1]

Cast and crew

Approximately 95 people travel with the Varekai tour; 50 are artists and the rest are crew. During each engagement in a city, anywhere from 80 - 100 people are hired locally for temporary jobs during the week but mainly for load-in and load-out. The cast and crew is an international one, representing 19 nationalities.^[1]

Acts

• Flight of Icarus: Icarus falls from the sky into the forest of Varekai. He rises up and performs an act in an Aerial Net.
• Synchronized Tumbling: Acrobatics jump, twist and turn on an inflatable mat often in perfect synchronization. This act replaced Icarian Games as of 2015.
• Dance Trapeze: Suspended high above the stage, a woman performs, dances and contorts in a solo trapeze.
• Georgian Dance: This act takes its inspiration from the national dance of the Georgia (საქართველო) and includes elements from several mountain dances of the country. Originally performed in the show by former soloists of Georgian State Dance Company; Badri Esatia, Temuri Koridze and Khvicha Tetvadze.
• Slippery Surface: Darting and sliding on a specially designed surface, the artists fling and catch each other, creating an illusion of skating.
• Solo on Crutches: Like a jointed puppet, the Limping Angel performs on crutches, sliding around the stage.

One of the characters in the show. Picture taken in Melbourne.

• Aerial Straps: Two performers fly above the stage, suspended by aerial straps.
• Juggling: A juggler handles and manipulates large juggling balls, clubs, light-up clubs and ping-pong balls, manipulating them using his hands, feet, head and even his mouth.
• Lightbulb: Always on the lookout for new inventive ways to mess or interfere in the life of the inhabitants of the forest, the Skywatcher helps the Guide in a dire situation.
• Handbalancing on Canes: La Promise performs an act contorting and spinning gracefully on canes.
• Russian Swing: Acrobatics fly up into the air and down onto a net, being propelled by two Russian Swings. The performers flip, jump and glide into the net, as well as jumping onto the performers shoulders, as well as jumping from one russian swing to another.

Rotational Acts

• Sticks: World Champion baton performer Arisa Tanaka performs this act. She throws, twirls and manipulates up to 3 batons at once while performing acrobatics.

Retired Acts

• Icarian Games: Icarian Games is one of the oldest circus arts disciplines. One of the performer lies on his back and flips, twirls and spins another performer on his feet. This act was replaced by Synchronized Tumbling in 2015.
• Acrobatic Pas de Deux: Two lovers dance and perform acrobatic stunts, showing their love, trust, and respect for each other. This act was replaced by the rotational Aerial Hoop act.
• Water Meteors: Three young acrobatics perform an act using water meteors, spinning and juggling them. This act was replaced by Dance Trapeze.
• Triple Trapeze: Four young women perform an act on a suspended Triple Trapeze. This act was taken out when the Arena tour started.
• Aerial hoop: A solo artist flies over the stage on a hoop suspended in the air in an energetic feat of acrobatics. This was a backup act from 2004, and was taken out of the show in early 2013.

Costumes

Varekai's costume designer, Eiko Ishioka, set out to design the costumes to heighten the sense of risk and danger the artists face while performing their acts. The designs are an approach to give the traditional leotard a new shape. Eiko drew inspiration from the natural world: plant life, reptiles, land animals, marine life, wind, water, fire and wood.^[2] While there are over 130 costumes in the entire collection, over 600 elements combine to make the entire wardrobe of costumes, shoes, hats, and accessories. During the tour it takes a 250 hours a week to keep the costumes in a state usable for performance. This includes repairs, cleaning, pressing, repainting (shoes), ironing, and other related tasks.^[1]

One of the primary materials used throughout the wardrobe is lycra, primarily for its ease of care, suppleness, and elasticity. Other materials used throughout include titanium rods, nylon sponge and other types of fire-retardant materials. La Toupie's costume, for example, is made from lycra, and the tentacles are made from polystyrene foam. In addition to textures and structures being created for the costumes, digital screen-printing was utilized for some pieces. The costumes for the Russian swing act were inspired by volcanic eruptions. Pictures were taken, scanned, processed and then digitally screen-printed to give the characters their bright red, explosive appearance. The foliage seen on the heads and backs of some characters is made from crinyl and cristalette, which are both extremely light-weight materials. Some of the translucent carapaces seen on some performers, including La Promise, are made from stretch netting mounted on a structure made of boning.^[2]

Music

The live music is performed by seven musicians and two singers. Composed by Violaine Corradi and directed by the bandleader/keyboard player, the music features many different genres and energies. Violaine combined the sounds of Hawaiian rituals, 11th-century French troubadour songs, traditional Armenian melodies and gospel music with contemporary arrangements to create the sound of Varekai. While some songs are quiet and sorrowful, others are more upbeat and exciting.^[1][3]

The only remaining original cast/crew member, in addition to having performed in every one of Varekai's 4,500 shows without missing a single performance, is drummer Paul James Bannerman Drummer's Official Site.

Instruments used in the show include keyboards, bass, drums, percussion, violin, and various wind instruments. There are numerous instrumental solos, with the violin, flute, and accordion among the instruments heard. When these occur, the musician comes into view, still hidden in the trees but slightly visible to the audience.^[3]

There are two distinct voices in the musical score. Their role is to link the story together, sometimes predicting the future, at other times, propelling the story forward. The female singer called "The Muse " (currently played by Isabelle Corradi) and the male singer called the "Patriarch " (currently played by Craig Jennings) each share the songs alternating between solos with harmonies and duos. The Muse, dressed in white & purple and The Patriarch, dressed in purple and black emerge from the forest throughout the show.

Album

Returning from her work with Cirque du Soleil's Dralion, Violaine Corradi wrote the Varekai score, which was released as a CD album on January 7, 2003. Rather than creating a literal soundtrack, Cirque du Soleil collaborated with Nitin Sawhney to produce a CD with themes and sounds from Varekai but quite differently arranged. The CD features the vocals of the two original singers of Varekai, Zara Tellander and Mathieu Lavoie; the soundtrack also includes the vocals of world music artists Natacha Atlas and Tina Grace, who were not in the production, simply featured on the album. Many of the CD tracks are dramatically different from their live counterparts.

In late 2003 Cirque du Soleil created an 'Exclusive Premium Edition' CD, which featured the original CD as well as a bonus CD and DVD containing 6 live tracks, two remixes, and 2 music videos.

The revised album artwork of Varekai, 2013

Track listing:

1. Aureus (Spoken Word, 2002 - Present)
2. Rain One (Interlude, 2002 - Present)
3. Le Rêveur (Solo on Crutches, 2002 - Present)
4. Vocea (Flight of Icarus, 2002 - Present)
5. Moon Licht (Handbalancing on Canes, 2002 - Present)
6. Rubeus (Spoken Word, 2002 - Present)
7. Patzivota (Setup to Russian Swing, 2002 - Present)
8. El Péndulo (Aerial Straps, 2002 - Present)
9. Gitans (Opening, 2002 - Present)
10. Kèro Hiréyo
    • Triple Trapeze (2002 - 2013)
    • Aerial Hoop (2013)
    • Dance Trapeze (2014 - Present)
11. Infinitus (Spoken Word, 2002 - Present)
12. Lubia Dobarstan
    • Water Meteors (2002 - 2013)
    • Sticks (Rotation, 2014 - Present)
13. Emballa (Juggling, 2002 - Present)
14. Oscillum (Russian Swing, 2002 - Present)
15. Funambul (Cloud Interlude, 2002 - Present)
16. Resolution (Not in Show)

Below are the live tracks, in order as they appear on the Exclusive Premium Edition bonus CD. Listed after each track title is the act associated with the track.

1. Célébration de l'Errance (Opening Dance and Finale, 2002 - Present)
2. Trasparenza
   • Acrobatic Pas de Deux (2002 - 2003)
   • Aerial Hoop (Rotation, 2004 - 2013)
3. Euphoria (Icarian Games, 2002 -2015)
4. Sun Drum Fun (Body Skating, 2002 - Present)
5. Mutationis (Handbalancing on Canes, 2002 - Present)
6. Movimento (Georgian Dance, 2002 - Present)

The bonus CD also contains two tracks that are remixed versions of "El Péndulo" and "Emballa". In addition, the DVD features two videos with nature and recording footage, set to the CD version of "Patzivota" and "Moon Licht".

Vocalists

Here is a list of all of the singers in Varekai, since its premiere in 2002.

Female Singers

• Zara Tellander - From April 24, 2002 (Montréal) to July 11, 2004 (Denver)
• Isabelle Corradi - From July 25, 2004 (Boston) to Present

Male Singers

• Adrian Berinde - creation process only
• Mathieu Lavoie - From April 24, 2002 (Montréal) to November 23, 2003 (Los Angeles)
• Craig Jennings - From December 5, 2003 (Pomona) to Present
• Jaimeson Lindenburg - From Spring 2016

Filmography

The experiences of the initial cast during the creation of the show were portrayed in the television series Cirque du Soleil: Fire Within (featured on the Bravo Network). Fire Within won the 2003 Emmy Award in the "Outstanding Non-Fiction Program" (Alternative) category.^[1]

Cirque du Soleil released a film adaptation of Varekai on June 14, 2003, directed by Dominic Champagne and Nick Morris. The filming took place in Toronto during the show's tour and the vocalists in the filming were Zara Tellander and Mathieu Lavoie with Anton Tchelnokov as Icarus, Olga Pikhienko as La Promise/The Betrothed and John Gilkey as The Skywatcher.^[4]

Tour

Varekai completed its first North American tour in Vancouver, Canada on July 23, 2006. It debuted in Australia in August 2006 and arrived in New Zealand in early 2007. Later that year, Varekai finished its Australian tour in Perth, and moved on to its first European tour. At the end of 2007 the show had its European premiere in Antwerp, Belgium. It had its UK premiere in 2008 at London's Royal Albert Hall and again on 5 January 2010, marking the 25th anniversary of Cirque du Soleil.

Following the European tour that cumulated in Barcelona as 2010 came to a close, the show toured to Taipei, Taiwan; Seoul, South Korea and Manila, Philippines in 2011. The Manila run was exceptional in that the show endured the monsoon season and several typhoons.

In the later half of 2011 Varekai landed in Sao Paulo and spent twelve months in Brazil before continuing to Argentina and Chile in 2013, and then Peru, Colombia , Costa Rica and Mexico in 2013. Guadalajara, followed by Mexico City were the final destinations for the Grand Chapiteau. Varekai performed the last performance under the Grand Chapiteau on November 24, 2013.

The show then transferred to the Arena format in late 2013. The city that hosted the transformation was Bossier City, Louisiana, seen in public for the first time on December 12, 2013. After the transformation in Bossier City, Varekai played the Arena version at Centre Bell in Montreal just before Christmas in 2013, honouring the long standing Cirque tradition of a winter show at the Centre Bell.

Varekai has been seen by more than 6 million spectators around the world, and has reached many milestones to accomplish this.^[1]

• 1000th performance in Dallas, Texas, in 2004
• 1500th performance in Seattle, Washington, in 2006
• 2000th performance in Perth, Australia, in 2007
• 2500th performance in Seville, Spain, in February 2009
• 3000th performance in Ostend, Belgium, in August 2010
• 3500th performance in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, in February 2012
• 4000th performance in Mexico City, Mexico, in October 2013
• 4500th performance in Winnipeg, Canada, in June 2015

Varekai has been to many different regions, here is the list of all of them.

• North American Tour - [2002 - 2006]
• Australian Tour - [2006 - 2007]
• European Tour - [2007 - 2011]
• Asia & Pacific Tour - [2011]
• South American Tour - [2011 - 2013]
• North American Arena Tour - [2013 - 2015]
• European Arena Tour - [2015 - Present]

Since Varekai's premiere in 2002, it has had an extensive touring history, as detailed below.^[5][6]

The following colorboxes 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 2002 - 2013  2002 schedule  NA   Montréal, QC - From 24 Apr to 16 Jun 2002 (show première)  NA   Québec, QC - From 27 Jun to 21 Jul 2002  NA   Toronto, ON - From 1 Aug to 8 Sep 2002  NA   Philadelphia, PA - From 19 Sep to 20 Oct 2002  NA   San Francisco, CA - From 7 Nov to 29 Dec 2002 2003 schedule  NA   San Jose, CA - From 16 Jan to 23 Feb 2003  NA   Atlanta, GA - From 6 Mar to 13 Apr 2003  NA   New York, NY - From 24 Apr to 6 Jul 2003  NA   Chicago, IL - From 17 Jul to 31 Aug 2003  NA   Los Angeles, CA - From 12 Sep to 23 Nov 2003  NA   Pomona, CA - From 4 Dec to 28 Dec 2003 2004 schedule  NA   Costa Mesa, CA - From 16 Jan to 7 Mar 2004  NA   San Diego, CA - From 18 Mar to 18 Apr 2004  NA   Phoenix, AZ - From 29 Apr to 23 May 2004  NA   Denver, CO - From 3 Jun to 11 Jul 2004  NA   Boston, MA - From 25 Jul to 5 Sep 2004  NA   Washington, DC - From 16 Sep to 24 Oct 2004  NA   Dallas, TX - From 4 Nov to 12 Dec 2004 2005 schedule  NA   Houston, TX - From 6 Jan to 13 Feb 2005  NA   Austin, TX - From 24 Feb to 27 Mar 2005  NA   Pittsburgh, PA - From 9 Apr to 8 May 2005  NA   Baltimore, MD - From 19 May to 19 Jun 2005  NA   East Rutherford, NJ - From 30 Jun to 31 Jul 2005  NA   Columbus, OH - From 11 Aug to 11 Sep 2005  NA   Hartford, CT - From 22 Sep to 16 Oct 2005  NA   Charlotte, NC - From 27 Oct to 20 Nov 2005  NA   St. Petersburg, FL - From 1 Dec to 31 Dec 2005 2006 schedule  NA   Miami, FL - From 20 Jan to 26 Feb 2006  NA   Portland, OR - From 14 Mar to 23 Apr 2006  NA   Seattle, WA - From 4 May to 11 Jun 2006  NA   Vancouver, BC - From 22 Jun to 23 Jul 2006  OC   Sydney, AU - From 10 Aug to 29 Oct 2006  OC   Brisbane, AU - From 9 Nov to 16 Dec 2006 2007 schedule  OC   Auckland, NZ - From 5 Jan to 18 Feb 2007  OC   Canberra, AU - From 15 Mar to 8 Apr 2007  OC   Melbourne, AU - From 19 Apr to 24 Jun 2007  OC   Adelaide, AU - From 5 Jul to 4 Aug 2007  OC   Perth, AU - From 17 Aug to 7 Oct 2007  EU   Antwerp, BE - From 25 Oct to 16 Dec 2007 2008 schedule (Varekai played in the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK during this time)  EU   Amsterdam, NL - From 29 Feb to 25 May 2008  EU   Berlin, DE - From 6 Jun to 20 Jul 2008  EU   Oberhausen, DE - From 31 Jul to 7 Sep 2008  EU   Vienna, AT - From 18 Sep to 26 Oct 2008  EU   Madrid, ES - From 13 Nov 2008 to 4 Jan 2009 2009 schedule  EU   Seville, ES - From 29 Jan to 15 Mar 2009  EU   Bilbao, ES - From 26 Mar to 3 May 2009  EU   Lisbon, PT - From 15 May to 28 Jun 2009  EU   Gijon, ES - From 9 Jul to 16 Aug 2009  EU   Hamburg, DE - From 28 Aug to 4 Oct 2009  EU   Moscow, RU - From 23 Oct to 13 Dec 2009 2010 schedule (Varekai played in the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK during this time)  EU   Manchester, UK - From 25 Feb to 21 Mar 2010  EU   Munich, DE - From 1 Apr to 2 May 2010  EU   Cologne, DE - From 13 May to 6 Jun 2010  EU   Frankfurt, DE - From 17 Jun to 18 Jul 2010  EU   Oostende, BE - From 29 Jul to 29 Aug 2010  EU   Zurich, CH - From 17 Sep to 24 Oct 2010  EU   Barcelona, ES - From 5 Nov 2010 to 2 Jan 2011 2011 schedule  AP   Taipei, TW - From 20 Jan to 6 Mar 2011  AP   Seoul, KR - From 6 Apr to 29 May 2011  AP   Manila, PH - From 22 Jun to 24 Jul 2011  SA   São Paulo, BR - From 15 Sep to 27 Nov 2011  SA   Rio de Janeiro, BR - From 8 Dec 2011 to 8 Jan 2012 2012 schedule  SA   Belo Horizonte, BR - From 19 Jan to 12 Feb 2012  SA   Brasília, BR - From 23 Feb to 18 Mar 2012  SA   Recife, BR - From 30 Mar to 22 Apr 2012  SA   Salvador, BR - From 3 May to 3 Jun 2012  SA   Curitiba, BR - From 15 Jun to 15 Jul 2012  SA   Porto Alegre, BR - From 26 Jul to 26 Aug 2012  SA   Buenos Aires, AR - From 7 Sep to 21 Oct 2012  SA   Santiago, CL - From 13 Nov to 28 Dec 2012 2013 schedule  SA   Lima, PE - From 17 Jan to 24 Feb 2013  SA   Bogota, CO - From 21 Mar to 5 May 2013  SA   San José, CR - From 31 May to 30 Jun 2013  NA   Guadalajara, MX - From 14 Aug to 8 Sep 2013  NA   Mexico City, MX - From 19 Sep to 24 Nov 2013 (Final show under Big Top) Arena Tour 2008, 2010, 2013-2015  2008 schedule  EU   Royal Albert Hall, London, UK - From 5 Jan to 17 Feb 2008 2010 schedule  EU   Royal Albert Hall, London, UK - From 6 Jan to 14 Feb 2010 2013 schedule  NA   Bossier City, LA - From 13 Dec to 14 Dec 2013  NA   Montréal, QC - From 20 Dec to 30 Dec 2013 2014 schedule  NA   Kingston, ON - From 16 Jan 2014 to 19 Jan 2014  NA   Windsor, ON - From 23 Jan 2014 to 26 Jan 2014  NA   Hamilton, ON - From 29 Jan 2014 to 2 Feb 2014  NA   Detroit, MI - From 5 Feb 2014 to 9 Feb 2014  NA   Youngstown, OH - From 12 Feb 2014 to 16 Feb 2014  NA   Frisco, TX - From 19 Feb 2014 to 23 Feb 2014  NA   Cedar Park, TX - From 26 Feb 2014 to 2 Mar 2014  NA   Beaumont, TX - From 5 Mar 2014 to 9 Mar 2014  NA   Baton Rouge, LA - From 12 Mar 2014 to 16 Mar 2014  NA   Pensacola, FL - From 19 Mar 2014 to 23 Mar 2014  NA   Pittsburgh, PA - From 27 Mar 2014 to 30 Mar 2014  NA   East Lansing, MI - From 2 Apr 2014 to 6 Apr 2014  NA   Knoxville, TN - From 9 Apr 2014 to 13 Apr 2014  NA   Loveland, CO - From 1 May to 4 May 2014  NA   Broomfield, CO - From 7 May to 11 May 2014  NA   Kansas City, MO - From 14 May to 18 May 2014  NA   Oshawa, ON - From 21 May 2014 to 25 May 2014  NA   London, ON - From 28 May 2014 to 1 Jun 2014  NA   Bridgeport, CT - From 4 Jun 2014 to 8 Jun 2014  NA   Hartford, CT - From 11 Jun 2014 to 15 Jun 2014  NA   Bangor, ME - From 18 Jun to 22 Jun 2014  NA   Manchester, NH - From 25 Jun to 29 Jun 2014  NA   Providence, RI - From 1 Jul 2014 to 6 Jul 2014  NA   Indianapolis, IN - From 24 Jul to 27 Jul 2014  NA   Brooklyn, NY - From 30 Jul to 3 Aug 2014  NA   Cleveland, OH - From 6 Aug to 10 Aug 2014  NA   Erie, PA - From 13 Aug to 17 Aug 2014  NA   Atlantic City, NJ - From 20 Aug to 24 Aug 2014  NA   Newark, NJ - From 27 Aug to 31 Aug 2014  NA   Portland, ME - From 3 Sep to 7 Sep 2014  NA   Philadelphia, PA - From 10 Sep to 14 Sep 2014  NA   Orlando, FL - From 17 Sep to 21 Sep 2014  NA   Estero, FL - From 24 Sep to 28 Sep 2014  NA   Highland Heights, KY - From 16 Oct to 19 Oct 2014  NA   Roanoke, VA - From 22 Oct to 26 Oct 2014  NA   Hershey, PA - From 29 Oct to 2 Nov 2014  NA   Columbia, SC - From 5 Nov to 9 Nov 2014  NA   Hampton, VA - From 12 Nov to 16 Nov 2014  NA   New Orleans, LA - From 19 Nov to 23 Nov 2014  NA   Sioux Falls, SD - From 11 Dec to 14 Dec 2014  NA   Milwaukee, WI - From 18 Dec to 21 Dec 2014  NA   Minneapolis, MN - From 25 Dec to 28 Dec 2014  NA   Colorado Springs, CO - From 31 Dec 2014 to 4 Jan 2015 2015 schedule  NA   St. Louis, MO - From 7 Jan to 11 Jan 2015  NA   Wichita, KS - From 14 Jan to 18 Jan 2015  NA   Tulsa, OK - From 21 Jan to 25 Jan 2015  NA   Oklahoma City, OK - From 28 Jan to 1 Feb 2015  NA   San Antonio, TX - From 4 Feb to 8 Febr 2015  NA   Rio Rancho, NM - From 11 Feb to 15 Feb 2015  NA   Phoenix, AZ - From 18 Feb to 22 Feb 2015  NA   San Diego, CA - From 25 Feb to 1 Mar 2015  NA   El Paso, TX - From 18 Mar to 22 Mar 2015  NA   Fresno, CA - From 25 Mar to 29 Mar 2015  NA   Bakersfield, CA - From 1 Apr to 5 Apr 2015  NA   Sacramento, CA - From 8 Apr to 12 Apr 2015  NA   Stockton, CA - From 15 Apr to 19 Apr 2015  NA   West Valley City, UT - From 22 Apr to 26 Apr 2015  NA   Spokane, WA - From 29 Apr to 3 May 2015  NA   Portland, OR - From 6 May to 10 May 2015  NA   Penticton, BC - From 13 May to 17 May 2015  NA   Vancouver, BC - From 20 May to 24 May 2015  NA   Victoria, BC - From 27 May to 31 May 2015  NA   Edmonton, AB - From 18 Jun to 21 Jun 2015  NA   Winnipeg, MB - From 24 Jun to 28 Jun 2015  NA   Ottawa, ON - From 2 Jul to 5 Jul 2015  NA   Baltimore, MD - From 8 Jul to 12 Jul 2015  NA   Boston, MA - From 15 Jul to 19 Jul 2015  NA   Fairfax, VA - From 22 Jul to 26 Jul 2015  NA   Duluth, GA - From 29 Jul to 2 Aug 2015  NA   Tampa, FL - From 5 Aug to 9 Aug 2015  NA   Sunrise, FL - From 12 Aug to 23 Aug 2015  NA   Nashville, TN - From 26 Aug to 30 Aug 2015  NA   Toronto, ON - From 2 Sep to 6 Sep 2015  EU   Berlin, DE - From 8 Oct to 11 Oct 2015  EU   Leipzig, DE - From 14 Oct to 18 Oct 2015  EU   Stuttgart, DE - From 21 Oct to 25 Oct 2015  EU   Mannheim, DE - From 28 Oct to 1 Nov 2015  EU   Vienna, AT - From 4 Nov to 8 Nov 2015  EU   Dortmund, DE - From 11 Nov to 15 Nov 2015  EU   Cologne, DE - From 19 Nov to 22 Nov 2015  EU   Innsbruck, AT - From 25 Nov to 29 Nov 2015  EU   Munich, DE - From 2 Dec to 6 Dec 2015  EU   A Coruña, ES - From 22 Dec to 28 Dec 2015 2016 schedule  EU   Barcelona, ES - From 1 Jan to 10 Jan 2016  EU   Valencia, ES - From 14 Jan to 17 Jan 2016  EU   Malaga, ES - From 21 Jan to 24 Jan 2016  EU   Vitoria-Gasteiz, ES - From 27 Jan to 31 Jan 2016  EU   Lyon, FR - From 3 Feb to 7 Feb 2016  EU   Hamburg, DE - From 10 Feb to 14 Feb 2016  EU   Luxembourg, LU - From 17 Feb to 21 Feb 2016  EU   Hanover, DE - From 24 Feb to 28 Feb 2016  EU   Antwerp, BE - From 2 Mar to 6 Mar 2016  EU   Bordeaux, FR - From 10 Mar to 13 Mar 2016  EU   Montpellier, FR - From 17 Mar to 20 Mar 2016  EU   Nice, FR - From 23 Mar to 27 Mar 2016  EU   Moscow, RU - From 14 Apr to 24 Apr 2016  EU   St-Petersburg, RU - From 27 Apr to 8 May 2016  EU   Kazan, RU - From 11 May to 15 May 2016  EU   Chelyabinsk, RU - From 18 May to 22 May 2016  EU   Togliatti, RU - From 25 May to 29 May 2016  EU   Sochi, RU - From 2 Jun to 5 Jun 2016  EU   Zaragoza, ES - From 29 Jun to 3 Jul 2016  EU   Santander, ES - From 6 Jul to 10 Jul 2016  EU   Granada, ES - From 13 Jul to 17 Jul 2016  EU   Murcia, ES - From 20 Jul to 24 Jul 2016  AP   Dubai, UAE – From 16 Sep to 24 Sep 2016  AP   Istanbul, TR – From 5 Oct to 9 Oct 2016  EU   Milan, IT - From 20 Oct to 23 Oct 2016  EU   Florence, IT - From 27 Oct to 30 Oct 2016  EU   Bologna, IT - From 4 Nov to 6 Nov 2016  EU   Turin, IT - From 10 Nov to 13 Nov 2016  EU   Nantes, FR - From 16 Nov to 20 Nov 2016  EU   Toulouse, FR - From 23 Nov to 27 Nov 2016  EU   Strasbourg, FR - From 23 Nov to 4 Dec 2016  EU   Paris, FR - From 7 Dec to 11 Dec 2016  EU   Lille, FR - From 14 Nov to 18 Dec 2016 2017 schedule  EU   Lisbon, PT - From 5 Jan to 15 Jan 2017  EU   Lyon, FR - From 13 Apr to 16 Apr 2017 References "Varekai: Press Kit" (PDF). Cirque du Soleil (Press Kit). Retrieved 2012-12-06. Clément, Ronald (2009). Cirque du Soleil 25 Years of Costumes (in Chinese, English, French, and Japanese). Canada: Dépôt légal, Bibliothèque et Archives Canada. pp. 68–73. ISBN 978-2-9803493-4-8. "Varekai Music" (PDF). Cirque du Soleil. Retrieved 2011-02-19. "Cirque du Soleil: Varekai". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2011-02-21. "Varekai: Tickets". Cirque du Soleil. Retrieved 2011-02-19. "Varekai (Tour Schedule)". Cirque Tribune. Archived from the original on 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2012-12-06. External links Official site Varekai soundtrack