Artists – Conrad Askland

Cirque Performer Dies of Injuries

askland — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:34:06 +0000

A sad day today for our Cirque family. This is the first time a Cirque artist has died while rehearsing/performing their discipline. Here in Macau at the ZAIA show it’s very quiet today. Artists are thinking of the family and their pain, as I’m sure artists in other Cirque shows worldwide are also doing today.

The Canadian Press
Date: Saturday Oct. 17, 2009 8:18 PM ET

MONTREAL — A Cirque du Soleil performer, who fell off a trampoline during a training session Friday, has died of his injuries. The company said Oleksandr Zhurov (Sacha) died in a Montreal hospital Saturday.

The 24-year-old Ukrainian performer was doing general training exercises for the world-famous circus when the incident happened.

Cirque founder Guy Laliberte said he was deeply saddened by the death of the artist.

“Today, it is all of Cirque that is in mourning,” Laliberte said.

“Sacha was part of the extended Cirque family for the few months he was among us. An incident like this reminds us of the courage and determination displayed by our artists each and every day.”

An investigation on the circumstances of the accident is underway. Cirque said it will co-operate fully with the investigation.

“Bollywood Awards” at Venetian Macau June 11-13 2009

askland — Sat, 30 May 2009 16:38:27 +0000

The Videocon IIFA 2009 awards will be televised from the Venetian Macau June 11-13, 2009. This award for the Indian film industry is popularly called the “Bollywood Awards”. Artists from Cirque Du Soleil’s ZAIA show will perform during the ceremony. I am told these awards are televised to 300-500 million people worldwide.

Yes, this is a pretty big deal. I don’t know when the ceremonies are aired in the USA but I’ll add info to this post if I find out before the airing. We’ll have extra shows of Cirque Du Soleil’s ZAIA for attendees of the event – and you can bet that the artists are working VERY hard right now to prepare for this presentation, in addition to their regular show schedule.

And did you know Cirque Du Soleil’s 25th Anniversary is the middle of June 2009? Things are jumping at the Venetian Macau in June!

Indian superstar Amitabh Bachchan visits Macau to announce that the Indian film industry’s leading global awards will be held at The Venetian this year.

The superstar of Indian cinema Amitabh Bachchan led a contingent which on Friday announced that the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) will hold its annual awards ceremony at The Venetian in Macau in June.

Cirque ZAIA Helps Macau Children

askland — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 14:55:08 +0000

For Christmas 2008 the cast of Cirque Du Soleil’s ZAIA show, along with matching funds from Cirque, have raised over 45,000 MOP ($5,500 USD) to buy Christmas clothing packages for the babies and children of CRADLE OF HOPE and the FOUNTAIN OF HOPE groups in Macau (SAR) China.

ZAIA artists and staff helped wrap the gifts and even took the older children on shopping trips in Macau to pick out their own clothes. A couple days before Christmas the older children will get to see the ZAIA show live and meet Cirque artists in person. Merry Christmas Macau!

A Tribute to Zaia

askland — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:21:47 +0000

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrfLl2z2w54

A film by Davy McGuire 2008 showing the cast of Zaia from training in Montreal to opening in Macau at the Venetian Casino. The Zaia artists saw this for the first time in the green room at the Cirque Du Soleil Zaia Theater in Macau in October 2008.

At 1:19 there’s a photo of me outside in the snow in Montreal with other band members. I like this video a lot – it captures a little of the crazy energy and personalities working on our show.

Thanks for making the video Davy!