Lion Dance Opportunity with Cirque du Soleil!

Cirque du Soleil opportunity – you read that correctly!

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Especially after a World Cup year, many dream about becoming a soccer legend like Lionel Messi, who rose from humble beginnings to become possibly the greatest player of all time. If you’re a dancer, acrobat, or gymnast, you may dream, instead, of being picked to perform in a Cirque du Soleil show. For those who are skilled at lion dance on jongs, the USDLDF is excited to announce that we can at least help you with the second dream, and maybe even give you a taste of what the first one feels like! The world-renowned circus production company, Cirque du Soleil, is putting together a new show themed on FC Barcelona’s superstar Lionel Messi, and they wish to incorporate a routine based on jong (high pole) lion dance into the production.

For those of you who are not familiar with the internationally-renowned Cirque du Soleil, it is a Montréal, Canada-based “new circus” entertainment group, featuring daredevil acrobatics, astonishing set design, whimsical narratives and beautiful music. It has been in existence for nearly 35 years, and is to many the last word in circus arts. “New circus” acts do not feature animals, but this is a chance to be one of their “lions”!

For those of you who are not familiar with Lionel Messi, just click here!

We are looking for a minimum of 4 teams of two lions, male only, for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Candidates must have the highest possible artistic and physical ability on jongs, and knowledge of their art form. They must be open-minded, as they may be asked to do something else in the show in addition to lion dancing, such as playing a character. It is also important to note that the “lion” costume for this show may not be a traditional lion – eg it could be some other mythical creature – so the performers would have to be comfortable with stretching the concept beyond tradition. Candidates also must have a working knowledge of English and be willing to travel (as this is a touring show). Please contact USDLDF Vice-President Mai Du and USDLDF Director of Marketing Mark Vuong, for further details.

Contract basics:

Interested? Each performer must submit:

– Your height, weight and contact information.

– A CV (resumé) or biography of your Lion Dance history (competitions, performances, etc). If you don’t have one, then submit a short list of the most important events/competitions/ performances you have done.

– A clear photo of your face, and one full body photo

– A clear video of your Lion Dance performance on jongs, and an indication of whether you are the front or the back of the lion.

– A presentation of yourself talking to the camera in which you state your name, speak a couple of minutes in English about your background in Lion Dancing, and say why you are interested in being considered for Cirque du Soleil (or for this touring project, if you are unfamiliar with Cirque du Soleil).

– Video footage, if you have it, of yourself doing other things (acting, dancing, martial arts, acrobatics, etc.) This is not required, however.

After all of the candidates have been reviewed, Cirque du Soleil may ask for more video doing specific exercises that are not related to Lion Dancing, for, as mentioned above, performers may be asked to perform additional tasks in the show.

Please submit this information to Sifu Mai Du (maidu8@gmail.com) and Coach Mark Vuong (wavuong@usdldf.org) by November 20th, 2018. Please send all information requested as a complete submission. Don’t wait, contact us now!

Best of luck to all applicants!