Cirque du Soleil has filed for bankruptcy.  A circus that  ditched the tired concept of elephants on their hindlegs… and instead… reimagined the circus.   We gaped at elaborate costumes and elegant theatrics performed by nimble gymnasts flying, twisting and splashing.

Along the way… Cirque du Soleil… reinvented the price tag for a circus ticket.   Under the bigtop in a shopping center parking lot you’d part with a couple of bucks to see a guy in sequeins  wiggle along a tightrope.  But when you take the circus to Vegas and add next level thrills… the tickets are $275…. until the pandemic.  

Every Cirque performance cancelled for months. 3500 workers jobless.  Workers who give everything for their jobs… a few times… their lives.   There are no safety nets.

With Chapter 11… New investors will pare back the number of shows… and eventually hire back some of their performers…

But for the rest… what kind of work is out there for a jobless contortionist who’s only skill is  dancing with a chainsaw …atop a flagpole?

The future looks bleak… for the very performers who’ve reinvented the circus.   Cirque du Soleil was so original … they even invented their own language.  

The exotic soundtracks at their shows…. its a made up language… they could bring this ishkabibble to any country and it would seem equally exotic.

For 22 years … the “O” must go on.   But now.  The curtain has fallen ..and the only safety net at Cirque du Soleil …  is bankruptcy protection.  

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