A ZAIA fan has recorded their own rendition of the song NOI from the show, complete with photos from the Zaia theater performances and pics of the band. (Hey, I’m in those pics!). Chicago Rose who performs this song in the show with the cast says “I love it”. And I think it’s pretty darn cool too.

Zaia is a resident Cirque Du Soleil show performing at the Venetian casino in Macau, China which opened in July 2008.

Video Description:

This is a recording of me singing Noi by Violaine Corradi. the piece is from show Zaia of cirque du soleil.

Date: Tuesday Apr. 20, 2010 1:33 PM ET

LOS ANGELES — First the Beatles and Elvis, now Michael Jackson.

The acrobatic troupe Cirque du Soleil announced Tuesday that it will put on a live touring show featuring the songs of the King of Pop starting late next year.

That will be followed by a permanent production in Las Vegas in 2012 at a property owned by casino operator MGM Mirage.

The casino company did not say which venue will host the show.

Cirque and Jackson’s estate will each own 50 percent of the project and share equally in the cost of putting it on. The estate will also receive royalties from the use of Jackson’s music and other property.

And CNN.com:
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/04/20/michael.jackson.cirque/index.html?eref=edition

Los Angeles, California (CNN) — Cirque du Soleil and Michael Jackson’s estate have struck a deal to bring the late pop star’s music to the big tent starting next year.

The show will go on tour near the end of 2011, and a Las Vegas, Nevada, show will debut the following year, according to Cirque du Soleil President and CEO Daniel Lamarre.

The circus company first talked to Jackson six years ago about the possibility of a Jackson-themed show, Lamarre said Tuesday.

“Having attended Cirque du Soleil performances with Michael, I know he was a huge fan,” Jackson estate administrator John Branca said.

The shows will be based on Jackson’s music and dance, Lamarre said.

The project is the latest major deal announced by the estate, which recently signed a long-term contract with Sony Music to distribute the music of Jackson, who died in June at age 50.

The partnership — in which the estate and Cirque du Soleil are equal partners — has been long rumored.

Members of the Jackson family have been critical of the handling of Jackson’s estate since a probate judge gave Branca and John McClain control last summer. In this case, however, the matriarch of the family gave her blessing.

“Our family is thrilled that Cirque du Soleil will pay tribute to my son in such an important way,” said Katherine Jackson, the singer’s mother.

Cirque du Soleil is legendary for its creative and acrobatic performances, but Lamarre said it will be a challenge to live up to the imagination of Michael Jackson.

The MGM Mirage has signed on to host the Las Vegas residency. The hotel also will open a nightclub based on the Jackson show, the hotel said.

A montage of the clowns of Cirque Du Soleil. I see Dimitri Hatton here from our ZAIA Cirque show doing his Montgolfiere passage and “Mad Conductor” act. I’m sure that Onofrio Colucci is also in this video but I’m not sure which clown he is (formerly with “O” and Zaia, currently with ZED in Tokyo).

You’ll also see Brian Dewhurst from Mystere. I had the chance to see Mystere performed in Vegas several years ago and the pre-show antics of Dewhurst stand out in my memory as one of the highlights of the show. He is SO funny.

Castles Made of Sand
Music, Lyrics and Vocals by Karin Maria Andersson
Guitar and video by Olivier Milchberg
Macau (SAR) China, January 2010

This video has clips from the Cirque Du Soleil artists of ZAIA starting in Montreal, Canada from January 2008 during training (and lots of snow!) to late 2009 backstage, and during rehearsals for the show at the Venetian in Macau (SAR) China.

For us in the show the video is extremely emotional. Some of the people in this video are no longer with us in Macau. The time of ZAIA is one that all of us will remember and many of us will cherish. The experiences we had in China for many of us were not what we expected – they were experiences and adventures we could have never imagined; many good and some painful for each of us.

I normally don’t get seen in videos or promo photos – so thank you to Olivier for getting me in there several times. Fun to see the musicians and how all of our looks changed from the beginning in Montreal to the journey in China. As our composer told us: “You all look more shiny.” I would agree. Cirque and China have allowed us to shine.

I think this video will give a sense of closure to many of us for a slice of time we spent together – a “castle made of sand”.

I am personally moved by the video in a way beyond words. Thank you to Maria and Olivier for this truly precious gift of song….

*Update: A new audio version of this song:

https://www.last.fm/music/Feather+And+Down/_/Castles+Made+of+Sand

And a note from Olivier on this video:

CASTLES MADE OF SAND
LYRICS

I didn’t know what was waiting
I didn’t know a single thing
Just knew I had to take this chance
But no clue all it would bring
But I knew why I was here
Boy I would sing

And I sang til I was bleeding
As I open up my heart
And my voice filled up the theater
And you were there from the start
To fill every inch with magic

So take me by the hand

All the days we’ve spent together
Were castles made of sand
And the waves came and joined us forever
In the big sea

You’ve been there all the time next to me

You were there through joy and sorrow
You were there with laughs and tears
And we built a dream together
Something beautiful and new
Something shinier than ever
And right here

So take me by the hand
All the days we’ve spent together
Were castles made of sand
And the waves came and joined us forever
in the big sea

You’ve been there all this time next to me

So take me by the hand

All the days we spent together
Were castles made of sand
And the waves came and joined us forever
In the South China Sea

You’ve been there all this time
Next to me….

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

Performers take part in the closing act during a Cirque du Soleil OVO pre-opening show for family, friends and members of the media Wednesday, July 29, 2009 in Quebec City. A Cirque du soleil performer was injured after a fall on Friday.

(Jacques Boissinot / THE CANADIAN PRESS) The Canadian Press Date: Friday Oct. 16, 2009 2:34 PM ET MONTREAL — A Cirque du soleil performer was rushed to hospital with head injuries Friday morning after falling off a trampoline. The 24-year-old performer was doing exercises for the world-famous circus when the incident happened.

Emergency-services workers say the man was unconscious when they arrived on the scene, and they rushed him to hospital. The performer’s condition in hospital is not yet known. The incident happened at a Montreal facility where the international troupe rehearses for shows. Cirque du soleil spokesmen were not immediately available for comment.

Lady Gaga performed in Macau at the Sands Venetian Casino (where I work with Cirque Du Soleil’s ZAIA show) as the final concert of her tour. There is an interview released by CNN here:
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/25/lady.gaga/index.html?iref=intlOnlyonCNN

Lady Gaga attended our Cirque ZAIA show the night before her performance.

The cast of ZAIA performs at the Bollywood IIFA Awards Ceremony with a specially choreographed 5-minute opening segment on June 13, 2009.

ZAIA is Cirque du Soleils first permanent show in Asia

The Cirque Du Soleil ZAIA band, June 2009 in Macau, China. A rare moment where all the musicians are together for a photo opp.

In this photo: Eduard Harutyunyan (percussion), Jay Elfenbein (viol, dare I say cello, strings, bass guitar), Darrin Johnson (drummer), Olivier Milchberg (guitar, Turkish banjo, plucked strings), Maria Andersson (singer), Steven Bach (keyboards – bandleader), Rose Winebrenner (vocalist), Racheal Cogan (recorder, EWI)and Conrad Askland (keyboards, assistant bandleader).

The Canadian Press

MONTREAL — A website that covers NASA is reporting that Guy Laliberte, the founder of the Cirque du soleil, will visit the International Space Station this September.

“NASA Watch,” which has no official links with the American space agency, says it has learned from multiple sources that Laliberte will fly into orbit aboard a Soyuz spacecraft .

Also see: http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20090604/sc_space/acrobattobenextspacetourist

Renee-Claude Menard, a Cirque spokeswoman, was not immediately available for comment but a message on her voice mail indicated she is on a business trip to Russia.

The Canadian Space Agency is holding a news conference at its Montreal-area headquarters on Thursday to announce what it calls the first philanthropic mission to the space station by a private Canadian explorer.

The announcement is also being made simultaneously in Moscow.

A spokeswoman for Space Adventures, the company that helps book space flights, would not confirm that Laliberte is the next Canadian space traveller.

Stacey Tearne said from Virginia that an announcement would be made on Thursday.