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Cirque du Soleil is a Canadian entertainment company based out of Montreal in Quebec, Canada. The show was founded by Guy Laliberte and Daniel Gauthier in 1984. The two were former street performers and their craft has reflected greatly on the aesthetic of Cirque du Soleil, which has been described as a “mix of circus arts and street entertainment”.

Cirque du Soleil, which translates into English as “Circus of the Sun”, was originally called Les Echassiers when it toured Quebec in the 1980s. In 1983, after a government grant relieved the show of its financial hardships, it was renamed Le Grand Tour du Cirque du Soleil. The troupe earned much success in 1984, which helped them earn further funding. Founder Laliberte hired Guy Caron to help the troupe become a ‘proper circus’.

Each Cirque du Soleil is characterized by a culmination of circus styles from all over the world melded with a storyline or storyline. The show is famed for its use of live music and for its exuberant use of color and light and performance styles.

The show gained much success in the 1980s. Some financial hardships in the later part of the decade, however, led to the creation of Nouvelle Experience, which was instrumental in making Cirque du Soleil profitable and which also allowed it to create new shows.