Written and Directed by David Shiner

Cirque du Soleil’s famous blue-and-yellow Big Top is now up at Flemington Racecourse and ready for an all-new, heart-stopping production!

KOOZA PREMIERES IN MELBOURNE ON JANUARY 20, 2017

Melbourne, VIC – January 16, 2017 – Cirque du Soleil’s trademark blue-and-yellow Big Top has been raised in Melbourne in preparation for the January 20 opening night of KOOZA, a sparkling, colourful homage to the traditions of circus.

More than 60 men and women worked for several hours pounding pegs, unfurling the canvas, and pushing up more than 100 supporting poles to raise the roof of the much loved Big Top. To see a video of the Big Top being raised, please click here.

One of the most acrobatically breathtaking shows in the Cirque du Soleil stable, KOOZA will be presented at Flemington Racecourse from Friday January 20 to Sunday 26 March 2017. For show and ticket information, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com/kooza

About the Big Top and the Cirque du Soleil village:

• The Big Top seats approximately 2,600 people.

• On average, the site takes nine days to set up. This includes installation of entrance and rehearsal tents, administrative offices and the on-site kitchen. It usually only requires three days to take it all down again.

• The Big Top stands 20 metres high and is 51 metres in diameter.

• The canvas for the tent and its 11 tunnels weighs approximately 5000 kilograms.

• The artistic tent includes a wardrobe area, dressing rooms, a fully equipped training area and a physiotherapy room.

• The kitchen is the heart of the village. It serves three meals a day to 300 people six days a week and serves as a meeting place for cast and crew.

About KOOZA

Cirque du Soleil rediscovers its origins with the company’s eighth Big Top show to tour Australia. A return to the intimate and fundamental human elements of circus, KOOZA combines thrilling acrobatic performance with the art of clowning. The international cast of 50 acrobats, musicians, singers and actors present heart-stopping feats and laugh-out loud antics to a live soundtrack fusion of jazz, funk and Bollywood beats. With nods to vintage children’s storybooks, Mexico’s Day of the Dead, opulent Indian designs and Las Vegas showgirl glamour, KOOZA is a visual feast. We follow The Innocent as he takes a journey of self-discovery through a comic kingdom of eccentric characters, electrifying thrills and out-of-the-box surprises.

For more information, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com/kooza

Stay connected with KOOZA on Twitter: @Cirque #KOOZA

Follow KOOZA and Cirque du Soleil on: Facebook / Instagram / YouTube / Tumblr / Google +

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL – KOOZA – AUSTRALIAN TOUR

Melbourne – From January 20 to March 26 2017, Flemington Racecourse

Perth – From April 13 2017, Belmont Park Racecourse, Victoria Park Drive (off Farmer Freeway), Burswood Tickets at www.cirquedusoleil.com/kooza

MAKE THE NIGHT VIP ROUGE

The ultimate Cirque du Soleil experience with the best seats and access to the intimate VIP suite one hour before the show and at intermission, including delectable wines and hors d’oeuvres.

Sponsors

Cirque du Soleil gratefully acknowledges Kirin as the official sponsor of the KOOZA Australian tour. About Cirque du Soleil From a group of 20 street performers at its beginnings in 1984, Cirque du Soleil is a major Québec-based organization providing high-quality artistic entertainment.

The company has close to 4,000 employees, including 1,300 artists from more than 50 different countries. Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to more than 160 million spectators in more than 400 cities in over sixty countries on six continents. For more information about Cirque du Soleil, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com

To find out more about the ONE DROP Foundation, visit www.onedrop.org KOOZA