VAREKAI by Cirque du Soleil
on tour fall 2007 - fall 2008: next destinations opens on: 6 Jan 2008 London, UK; 29 Feb 2008 Amsterdam, NL; 5 June 2008 Berlin, DE; 26 Sept 2008 Vienna, AT;... > tickets online www.cirquedusoleil.com

The story: "Varekai" means "wherever" in the Romany language of the gypsies. This production pays tribute to the nomadic soul, to the spirit and art of the circus tradition, and to the infinite passion of those whose quest takes them along the path that leads to Varekai. Varekai premiered in April, 2002 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Costume designer of Varekai is Eiko Ishioka (born in Tokyo, living in New York City). It's her debut in the world of the circus arts: "One of my objectives at Cirque du Soleil is to design costumes that will accentuate and even reinforce the visual and emotional impact of the risks taken by the artists, while ensuring their complete safety."

Eiko Ishioka received an Academy Award, a Cannes Film Festival award, a Grammy Award and a Tony nomination, after having won some of the most prestigious art direction and graphic design awards in her native Japan. In 1999, she designed the costumes for the film The Cell, starring Jennifer Lopez, as well as publishing the book Eiko on Stage, which focuses on her stage and screen work. Eiko Ishioka designed for Bram Stoker's Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola the Oscar-winning costumes. "Like all great artists in the world, Eiko understands what's going on in other cultures besides her own, and by immersing herself in them, she is able to create works that are unique blends. Her work transcends boundaries on many levels, since she refuses to stick to one particular medium or set convention," attests Francis Ford Coppola.

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Cirque du Soleil's Costume workshop: all Cirque du Soleil costumes are custom-made and the majority are produced from beginning to end at Cirque du Soleil's Costume workshop. The workshop, the only one of its kind in North America, employs specialists in fields as varied as shoemaking, textile design, lace-making, wig-making, patternmaking, costume-making and millinery. In total, the Costume Workshop has over 300 full-time employees.

fig.: "The Betrothed" (Irina Naumenko) is an exotic creature who enraptures Icarus with her sensual beauty. Costume: Eiko Ishioka. Photo: Eric Piché. Copyright: Cirque du Soleil
View the trailer www.cirquedusoleil.com