Did you know about the maze-like pattern that is painted on the Corteo stage floor?
This is a reference to the same pattern found on the floor of the Chartres Cathedral, located in Chartres, France. Tidbits of background information like this are what made our find feel like an archaeological dig.
What was even more interesting was the wealth of personal anecdotes directed at the performers, the staff, and the audience at large, explaining the vision, motivation, and goal for what was to become Corteo. The following is the very first paragraph ever produced regarding Corteo for Cirque du Soleil’s team all the way back in 2004, which would eventually become the sensational, colorful, and emotional show that we have come to know and love:
“We start from the idea that acrobats are to humans what angels are to gods. From that idea, we divide the space between the ground and the air, and then we invent a middle point which we will call the space of dreams. The artists on the ground will be looking up towards the mystery, the unknown, the depths of the sky, of the heavens. The artists will dance the three eternal questions: Where do we come from? Where are we going? What’s for dinner tonight?”
It's incredibly fulfilling to see the end result of all the hard work that goes into these monumental performances. Sitting in the seats next to our fans on premiere night and watching the fruits of our labor alongside you is an indescribable feeling. Having the opportunity to read through Cirque du Soleil’s history and understanding how these shows started out is almost unbelievable. We hope you’ll embark on that journey for yourselves and learn a little something about Cirque du Soleil’s history, it’s a remarkable one to say the least.