Franco Dragone
Encyclopedia
Franco Dragone is a Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

-Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 theatre director. He is known for his work with Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...

.

Early life

Dragone was born in Cairano
Cairano
Cairano is a town in the province of Avellino, Campania, Italy....

, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, and moved to La Louvière
La Louvière
La Louvière is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. La Louvière's municipality includes the old communes of Haine-Saint-Paul, Haine-Saint-Pierre, Saint-Vaast, Trivières, Boussoit, Houdeng-Aimeries, Houdeng-Gœgnies, Maurage, and Strépy-Bracquegnies...

, Belgium at age seven. In the 1970s, he studied theatre at the Belgian Royal Conservatory of Mons
Mons
Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...

. His earliest theatrical work was explicitly political, working as a director of theatre and film in the mode of the commedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte is a form of theatre characterized by masked "types" which began in Italy in the 16th century, and was responsible for the advent of the actress and improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios. The closest translation of the name is "comedy of craft"; it is shortened...

dramatist Dario Fo
Dario Fo
Dario Fo is an Italian satirist, playwright, theater director, actor and composer. His dramatic work employs comedic methods of the ancient Italian commedia dell'arte, a theatrical style popular with the working classes. He currently owns and operates a theatre company with his wife, actress...

. The theatre works he helped create expressed social situations, interpreting true stories of the homeless, drug addicts and prison inmates, and casting the non-actors that shared their stories to perform in the shows. In the 1980s Dragone came to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, where Guy Caron
Guy Caron
Guy Caron is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 2011 election. He represents the electoral district of Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques as a member of the New Democratic Party...

, director of the National Circus School
École nationale de cirque
The National Circus School is a professional circus school located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is a school for higher education in arts; after the great schools of music, dance and theatre, the NCS also offers academic subjects at the secondary and college levels...

, invited him to conduct workshops with the students and teachers at his school. Later, Dragone created, directed and produced a show for the end of the school year. Guy Laliberté
Guy Laliberté
Guy Laliberté, OC, CQ is a Canadian entrepreneur, philanthropist, poker player, space tourist and the current CEO of Cirque du Soleil...

 saw one of these performances in 1984, the same year he formed Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...

. In 1985, Laliberté sought out Guy Caron to join Cirque du Soleil. Caron, in turn, asked Dragone to join as a creator.

Cirque du Soleil

From the years 1985 to 1998 Dragone would direct nearly all of Cirque du Soleil's most prestigious shows and played a significant role in developing Cirque du Soleil's distinctive merging of theater and circus performance. In the early 1990s Dragone's reputation grew with the production of Nouvelle Expérience
Nouvelle Experience
Nouvelle Expérience was Cirque du Soleil's fourth touring circus show, which premiered in 1990. The show's tour ended in 1993 in The Mirage parking lot in Las Vegas, Nevada. Over 1.3 million people saw the production during its 3½-year run.-Cast:...

and Saltimbanco
Saltimbanco
Saltimbanco is the oldest major touring show of Cirque du Soleil that remains active in some form. Saltimbanco ran from 1992 to 2006 in its original form, performed under a large circus tent called the Grand Chapiteau; its last performance in that form was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on December 10,...

, nontraditional circus productions in which postmodern dance, music, and circus acrobatics were interlaced with a dreamlike narrative.

His visibility greatly increased after he directed and introduced the cutting-edge Cirque du Soleil production Mystère
Mystère (Cirque du Soleil)
Mystère is a Cirque du Soleil show in permanent residence at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is one of seven resident Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas, the others being O, Zumanity, Kà, Love, Criss Angel: Believe, and Viva Elvis...

at the Treasure Island
Treasure Island Hotel and Casino
Treasure Island Hotel & Casino is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, USA with 2,664 rooms and 220 suites, and is connected by tram to The Mirage as well as pedestrian bridge to the Fashion Show Mall shopping center...

 hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

. Mystère helped to change the nature of production shows in Las Vegas. While Dragone would direct only one other show with the company in Las Vegas, O
O (Cirque du Soleil)
O is a water-themed stage production by Cirque du Soleil, a Canadian circus and entertainment company. The show has been in permanent residence at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, since October 1998...

in 1998, to many he was the face of Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas. The shows Dragone created with Cirque du Soleil had single-handedly brought the contemporary circus
Contemporary circus
Contemporary circus, or nouveau cirque , is a genre of performing art developed in the later 20th century in which a story or a theme is conveyed through traditional circus skills. Animals are rarely used in this type of circus, and traditional circus skills are blended with a more character-driven...

 movement into the mainstream of American entertainment. Around the world, more than 40 million people have now seen Dragone’s creations.

Franco also directed Cirque du Soleil's first motion picture, Alegría - An Enchanting Fable.

Post Cirque du Soleil

In 1999, Dragone directed the music video for Lara Fabian
Lara Fabian
Lara Fabian is a Belgian-Italian international singer who also holds Canadian citizenship. Multilingual, she sings in French, Italian and English....

's song "Adagio".

In the following year he formed his own company called Dragone, based in his hometown of La Louvière
La Louvière
La Louvière is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. La Louvière's municipality includes the old communes of Haine-Saint-Paul, Haine-Saint-Pierre, Saint-Vaast, Trivières, Boussoit, Houdeng-Aimeries, Houdeng-Gœgnies, Maurage, and Strépy-Bracquegnies...

 in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

. During 2003, Dragone created a new live show, A New Day...
A New Day...
A New Day... was a Las Vegas residency show performed by Céline Dion at the 4000-seat Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. It was created and directed by Franco Dragone and premiered on March 25, 2003...

starring Céline Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...

, which opened at Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, an unincorporated township in Clark County, Nevada, United States in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Caesars Palace is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Corp....

, thus continuing his association with Las Vegas.

In 2005, Dragone debuted his fourth production on the Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...

 with the opening of Le Rêve
Le Rêve (show)
Le Rêve was the first production show to open in the Wynn Las Vegas casino resort. It is set in a one million-gallon capacity theater and features diving and feats of strength with state-of-the-art special effects, where no seat is more than 40 feet from the stage. The production was created by...

at the Wynn Las Vegas
Wynn Las Vegas
Wynn Las Vegas is a resort and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The US $2.7 billion resort is named after casino developer Steve Wynn and is the flagship property of Wynn Resorts Limited. The resort covers . It is located on Las Vegas Boulevard and Sands Avenue Wynn Las...

.

Franco Dragone was in charge of the opening ceremony show for the 2010 South American Games
2010 South American Games
The IX South American Games was a multi-sport event held between 19–30 March 2010 in Medellín, Colombia...

 that took place in Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...

, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

 on March 19, 2010. The main themes of the show were inspired by Medellin's culture, business and geography.

Dragone most recently directed a Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...

-based show entitled The House of Dancing Water, which bills itself as the world’s largest permanent water-based show. It includes over 70 artists from around the globe, including many who come from his previous creations with Cirque du Soleil. The artists in the show are well-rounded in dance, swimming and acrobats, as the 'House Troupe' performs many different acts. The House of Dancing Water is set in the 2000-seat Dancing Water Theater designed by Pei Partnership Architects
Pei Partnership Architects
Pei Partnership Architects is an architecture firm founded in 1992 by Chien Chung Pei and Li Chung Pei, sons of Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei....

; the theater is part of the City of Dreams
City of Dreams (casino)
City of Dreams is a property along the Cotai Strip in the Cotai reclamation area in Macau built, owned and managed by Melco Crown Entertainment, formerly known as Melco PBL Entertainment. City of Dreams is Melco's second mega-sized property in Macau...

 integrated entertainment resort in Macau. The 270-degree theater-in-the-round has a central stage with a diameter of approximately 25 meters (82 feet), surrounded by sloped seating on three sides. The theater arena boasts a 40-meter-high steel trussed space (30 meters clear) providing generous height to the show’s display of acrobatics. The show, which incorporates various design elements such as fire, water effects, and atmospheric effects, premiered on 17 September 2010. Dragone's style is very visible in this new production; the mood has similarities to his previous shows.

Cirque du Soleil

  • 1985: Cirque du Soleil
  • 1987: Le Cirque Réinventé
  • 1989: La Magie Continue
  • 1990: Nouvelle Expérience
    Nouvelle Experience
    Nouvelle Expérience was Cirque du Soleil's fourth touring circus show, which premiered in 1990. The show's tour ended in 1993 in The Mirage parking lot in Las Vegas, Nevada. Over 1.3 million people saw the production during its 3½-year run.-Cast:...

  • 1992: Saltimbanco
    Saltimbanco
    Saltimbanco is the oldest major touring show of Cirque du Soleil that remains active in some form. Saltimbanco ran from 1992 to 2006 in its original form, performed under a large circus tent called the Grand Chapiteau; its last performance in that form was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on December 10,...

  • 1993: Mystère
    Mystère (Cirque du Soleil)
    Mystère is a Cirque du Soleil show in permanent residence at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is one of seven resident Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas, the others being O, Zumanity, Kà, Love, Criss Angel: Believe, and Viva Elvis...

  • 1994: Alegría
  • 1996: Quidam
    Quidam
    Quidam is the ninth stage show produced by Cirque du Soleil. It premiered in April 1996 and has now been watched by millions of spectators around the world...

  • 1998: O
    O (Cirque du Soleil)
    O is a water-themed stage production by Cirque du Soleil, a Canadian circus and entertainment company. The show has been in permanent residence at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, since October 1998...

  • 1998: La Nouba
    La Nouba
    La Nouba is a Cirque du Soleil show, which, like most Cirque du Soleil shows, is a circus-like performance featuring acrobats, gymnasts, and other skilled performers. The show's creation was directed by Franco Dragone, who also directed most of Cirque du Soleil's earlier shows. Its title derives...

  • 1999: Alegría (1999 film) (co-writer, director and producer)

Franco Dragone Entertainment Group

  • 2000:
    • Décrocher la lune, La Louvière
      La Louvière
      La Louvière is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. La Louvière's municipality includes the old communes of Haine-Saint-Paul, Haine-Saint-Pierre, Saint-Vaast, Trivières, Boussoit, Houdeng-Aimeries, Houdeng-Gœgnies, Maurage, and Strépy-Bracquegnies...

    • Opening ceremony of Euro 2000

  • 2001:
    • Chapeau Europa: Ceremony for the European Union Belgian Presidency in Brussels
      Brussels
      Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

  • 2002:
    • Disney Cinema Parade, for Disneyland Paris
    • Décrocher la lune 2, La Louvière
      La Louvière
      La Louvière is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. La Louvière's municipality includes the old communes of Haine-Saint-Paul, Haine-Saint-Pierre, Saint-Vaast, Trivières, Boussoit, Houdeng-Aimeries, Houdeng-Gœgnies, Maurage, and Strépy-Bracquegnies...

    • Au fil de l’homme
  • 2003:
    • A New Day...
      A New Day...
      A New Day... was a Las Vegas residency show performed by Céline Dion at the 4000-seat Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. It was created and directed by Franco Dragone and premiered on March 25, 2003...

      , for Céline Dion
      Celine Dion
      Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...

  • 2005:
    • Le Rêve
      Le Rêve (show)
      Le Rêve was the first production show to open in the Wynn Las Vegas casino resort. It is set in a one million-gallon capacity theater and features diving and feats of strength with state-of-the-art special effects, where no seat is more than 40 feet from the stage. The production was created by...

      , at the Wynn Las Vegas
      Wynn Las Vegas
      Wynn Las Vegas is a resort and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The US $2.7 billion resort is named after casino developer Steve Wynn and is the flagship property of Wynn Resorts Limited. The resort covers . It is located on Las Vegas Boulevard and Sands Avenue Wynn Las...

    • Ma tête est ailleurs, for Saule et les Pleureurs, Mons
      Mons
      Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...

      , Belgium
      Belgium
      Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

    • Zarabanda
  • 2006:
    • Décrocher la lune 3
  • 2007:
    • Carmen
      Carmen
      Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...

      , the Musical
      , San Diego
    • Othello
      Othello
      The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...

      , passeur
      , Mons
      Mons
      Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...

      , Belgium
      Belgium
      Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

    • Fortissim’O, Vienna
      Vienna
      Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

  • 2008:
    • Le Potager des visionnaires, Quebec
      Quebec
      Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

      , for the 400th birthday of Quebec City
  • 2009:
    • KDO, Brussels
      Brussels
      Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

    • Décrocher la lune 4, La Louvière
      La Louvière
      La Louvière is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. La Louvière's municipality includes the old communes of Haine-Saint-Paul, Haine-Saint-Pierre, Saint-Vaast, Trivières, Boussoit, Houdeng-Aimeries, Houdeng-Gœgnies, Maurage, and Strépy-Bracquegnies...

  • 2010:
    • 2010 South American Games
      2010 South American Games
      The IX South American Games was a multi-sport event held between 19–30 March 2010 in Medellín, Colombia...

       opening show in Medellín
      Medellín
      Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...

      , Colombia
      Colombia
      Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

    • The House of Dancing Water at City of Dreams
      City of Dreams (casino)
      City of Dreams is a property along the Cotai Strip in the Cotai reclamation area in Macau built, owned and managed by Melco Crown Entertainment, formerly known as Melco PBL Entertainment. City of Dreams is Melco's second mega-sized property in Macau...

      , Macau
      Macau
      Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...


Autre

  • 1985: La vente aux enchères, Cirque du Trottoir
  • 1986: Eldorado, Compagnie des Mutants
  • 1987: Les Communs des Mortels, a Compagnie du Campus and Collectif 1984 coproduction
  • 1987: Flic, Flac, Compagnie des Funambules (Belgique)
  • 1987: La tête dans le si bémol, with Michel Dallaire and Pierre Lafontaine
  • 1992: La ballade de l'homme gris, Compagnie du Campus
  • 1993: Pomp, Duck, Circumstance, Düsseldorf
    Düsseldorf
    Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...

  • 1996: Poussière du temps, Compagnie du Campus

Documentaries

Jacob Berger
Jacob Berger
Jacob Berger is a Swiss film director and screenwriter. His 1990 film Angels was entered into the 40th Berlin International Film Festival.-Biography:Jacob Berger is of English and Swiss descent, born in Lydney, England, in 1963...

, Le Rêve, 2005: série documentaire pour Arte autour du travail de Franco Dragone sur le spectacle Le Rêve Manu Bonmariage, Looking For Dragone, 2009

External links

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