Cirque du Soleil Brings Limited Engagement of A New Big Top Show to Tropicana Field – KOOZA

Cirque du Soleil is thrilled to return to St Petersburg with its big top production, KOOZA. The critically-acclaimed show opens Thursday, November 8 for a limited engagement under the white Big Top at Tropicana Field.

Since its premiere in April of 2007, KOOZA has charmed close to 4 million spectators in North America and Japan. KOOZA will be the 4^th big top production to visit the area since 2002.

Tickets are available online at cirquedusoleil.com/kooza.

About KOOZA

Written and directed by David Shiner, KOOZA is a return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil that combines two circus traditions – acrobatic performance and the art of clowning. The show highlights the physical demands of human performance in all its splendor and fragility, presented in a colorful mélange that emphasizes bold slapstick humor.

The name KOOZA is inspired by the Sanskrit word “koza,” which means “box,” “chest” or “treasure,” and was chosen because one of the underlying concepts of the production is the idea of a “circus in a box.”

“KOOZA is about human connection and the world of duality, good and bad,” Shiner said. “The tone is fun and funny, light and open. The show doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it’s very much about ideas, too. As it evolves we are exploring concepts such as fear, identity, recognition and power.”

The show starts with The Trickster bursting onto the scene like a jack-in-a-box right in front of The Innocent, and that is just the first of many surprises to follow. The Innocent’s journey brings him into contact with a panoply of comic characters such as the King, the Trickster, the Heimloss, the Pickpocket, the Obnoxious Tourist and his Bad Dog.

Between strength and fragility, laughter and smiles, turmoil and harmony, KOOZA is set in an electrifying and exotic visual world full of surprises, thrills, chills, audacity and total involvement.

Several of the 53 performing artists in the show have received awards from important circus arts competitions. The show presents an unprecedented approach to the High Wire and a breathtaking Wheel of Death – an act that Cirque du Soleil has never before presented under the big top.

The Creators

The show brings together the following team of 13 Creators, several of whom are working with Cirque for the first time: David Shiner, Writer and Director; Serge Roy, Director of Creation; Stéphane Roy, Set Designer; Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt, Costume Designer; Jean-François Côté, Composer; Clarence Ford, Choreographer; Martin Labrecque, Lighting Designer; Jonathan Deans, Co-Sound Designer; Leon Rothenberg, Co-Sound Designer; Rogé Francoeur, Props Designer; Danny Zen, Acrobatic Equipment and Rigging Designer; André Simard, Acrobatic Performance Designer; and Florence Cornet, Makeup Designer.

For more information about Cirque du Soleil, visit cirquedusoleil.com