| Variations of Name | Circus of the Sun | Sun Circus |
| Biography | Cirque du Soleil is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 7 July 1984, by two former street performers, Guy Laliberté and Gilles Ste-Croix.
Initially named Les Échassiers, they toured Quebec in 1980 as a performing troupe. Their initial financial hardship was relieved in 1983 by a government grant from the Canada Council for the Arts, as part of the 450th anniversary celebrations of Jacques Cartier's voyage to Canada. Le Grand Tour du Cirque du Soleil was a success in 1984, and after securing a second year of funding, Laliberté hired Guy Caron from the National Circus School to recreate it as a "proper circus". Its theatrical, character-driven approach and the absence of performing animals helped define Cirque du Soleil as the contemporary circus that it remains today.
Cirque du Soleil expanded rapidly through the 1990s and 2000s, going from one show to 19 shows in over 271 cities on every continent except Antarctica. The shows employ approximately 4,000 people from over 40 countries and generate an estimated annual revenue exceeding US$810 million. The multiple permanent Las Vegas shows alone play to more than 9,000 people a night.
The company's creations have received numerous prizes and distinctions, including a Bambi Award in 1997; a Rose d'Or in 1989; three Drama Desk Awards in 1991, 1998 and 2013; three Gemini Awards; four Primetime Emmy Awards; and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2000, Cirque du Soleil was awarded the National Arts Centre Award, a companion award of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards; and in 2002 was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. |