WE BELIEVE WE CAN CREATE A BETTER WORLD
FOUNDER GUY LALIBERTÉ Long before Cirque du Soleil became the company you know today, we were a group of young entertainers and dreamers who presented our acts in the streets. As time passed, our dream to stimulate the imagination of audiences all over the world became a reality because people with means and influence took a chance on us in spite of our youth, our image and our profession as itinerant acrobats. Since Cirque du Soleil has acquired the means to make our dreams a reality that we have spread a little all over the world, we have chosen to join with communities and a growing number of individuals to work together to build a better world. Until very recently, we sought little publicity for our citizenship activities, preferring to take a back seat to the achievements of our partners in social and cultural action. We are now taking a more prominent public role in an effort to inspire other companies and individuals to make a similar commitment to citizenship. When we think of the world of tomorrow we want to put the inspiration and energy that drive our shows at the service of the pursuit of our dream to improve the living conditions of all human beings, no matter where they may be. With this in mind I have personally chosen to commit myself to the cause of access to water. My hope is that Cirque du Soleil will be a shining example of taking collective responsibility for the worldwide water crisis. The values underpinning the creation of the ONE DROP Foundation are the same values that have inspired me since the start of my adventure with Cirque du Soleil—namely, the desire to share and the conviction that life pays you back what you’ve given to it and that even the smallest gesture on our part can make a huge difference. Cirque du Soleil wants above all to take its place in society as a good citizen, with all the duties and responsibilities that go with citizenship. Beyond philanthropic gestures, good citizenship consists of an attitude of social responsibility at the very heart of all our business strategies and management. Cirque therefore pays particular attention to its relationships with its employees, its interactions with its audience, its relationships with business partners, suppliers and community neighbors, and the environmental impact of its activities. Cirque du Soleil is an international company from Quebec dedicated to the creation, production and distribution of artistic works. Our mission is to invoke the imagination, provoke the senses and evoke the emotions of people throughout the world. Cirque du Soleil is a generator of new experiences, a laboratory and platform for creators. We are constantly researching new artistic avenues and innovating within our organization – and we intend to carry on taking such risks and inventing with audacity. As we pursue our dreams and grow our business it is also our intention to position ourselves in the community as an agent of change. We will, as a matter of policy, treat our employees, clients, partners and neighbors with respect, and willingly operate our business according to the laws of every jurisdiction we work in. In all our relationships – internal and external – we will always go the extra mile as proof of our daring and creativity.
LETTER FROM FOUNDER
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CREATING A GOOD WORKPLACE
P6 Our Mission Cirque du Monde Social Circus Artists of Tomorrow
CREATING OPPORTUNITIES
CREATING CONNECTIONS
CREATING NEW CHALLENGES
CREATING A GREENER WORLD
CREATING GOOD PARTNERSHIPS
CHAPTER
CREATING POSSIBILITIES
CREATING A GOOD WORKPLACE
CREATING CONNECTIONS
CREATING GOOD PARTNERSHIPS
P42 Creativity at Work Connecting the Dots
CREATING A GREENER WORLD
CREATING NEW CHALLENGES
P60 We Can Do Even More
P20 The Touring Circus Building For The Future Work in Las Vegas P32 One Drop Foundation Green Actions
P54 Partners and Suppliers
CREATING POSSIBILITIES
OUR MISSION Since 1989, Cirque has dedicated 1% of its yearly earnings to its outreach and cultural action programs, which reflect a social involvement extending far beyond the borders of its business markets. The figure for 2009 exceeded $7,500,000, and the total has now reached nearly $60 million. Rather than tackling a wide range of causes, Cirque du Soleil has chosen to commit itself to youth, particularly street kids. This cause lies very close to Cirque’s heart: the organization hopes to give these young people the opportunity to build new bridges with the community through their marginal status. Indeed, does Cirque du Soleil not owe its existence to the fact that one day, older people firmly believed in the potential of a group of young street performers, the original members of Cirque du Soleil? Now that it has the means to fulfill its dreams, it is Cirque’s turn to give back to young people. In tandem with its partners, Jeunesse du Monde, Oxfam International and many local youth organizations, Cirque du Soleil has developed programs designed to help young people in nearly 80 communities worldwide, in some 20 countries on five continents. The cause of youth at risk was a natural choice for Cirque du Soleil, given its origins, and the intervention approaches selected—like everything Cirque does—are equally innovative and original. We have chosen to use our artistic work as a means of helping young people. Because the circus arts require the participants to work together supportively, and pool their talents and strengths, they help young people develop a sense of belonging to a group. They also leave room for freedom and creativity, while demanding perseverance and discipline. The circus arts give at-risk youth a chance to spread their wings, to express themselves and use their marginal status as a tool to forge new links with a society that often excludes them. All of this explains how Cirque du Soleil came to develop expertise and leadership in the social circus field.
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CREATING POSSIBILITIES
EVER SINCE IT HAS TO FOLLOW ITS DREAMS AROUND THE WORLD,C CHOSEN TO BE INVOLV AND MORE PARTICULAR IN COOPERATION W CIRQUE DU SOLEIL IS 80 COMMUNITIES WO COUNTRIES SPANNIN
HAD THE RESOURCES AND TO PRESENT SHOWS IRQUE DU SOLEIL HAS ED IN COMMUNITIES, LY WITH YOUTH AT RISK. ITH ITS PARTNERS, INVOLVED IN NEARLY RLDWIDE, IN SOME 20 G FIVE CONTINENTS.
Cirque du Monde is one of the greatest sources of pride for Cirque du Soleil. Set in motion in 1995, this programme is now operating in more than 50 communities throughout the world in partnership with Jeunesse du Monde, Oxfam International and many community organizations recognized in their milieu for the quality of their work with young people. Cirque du Monde does not claim to be a panacea for all social problems. Nor is it an entertainment designed to make young people forget the difficulties of their situation for the duration of a workshop. Cirque du Monde enables young people to achieve their full potential. It is an opportunity for its participants to experience positive personal growth and can be a catalyst in boosting their self-confidence and their sense of personal identity. The pedagogical approach of Cirque du Monde is founded on the crossroads of circus arts and social intervention. At that nexus we create a training curriculum centered on respect, safety and pleasure. At the same time we set incremental, proportioned challenges in circus training techniques for young people. This develops better physical conditioning and opens up avenues of expression and personal growth. The impact of Cirque du Monde goes beyond individual benefits. Working as a group the participants learn about cohesion, teamwork and respect for peers. Its effects are also visible at the community level through reconciliation between opposing groups of young people, change in the perception of the community toward youth at risk and the implementation of a dialogue between the community and its young people.
CIRQUE DU MONDE CREATING POSSIBILITIES
In 2000 Cirque du Soleil, in association with circus schools and other interested partners, set up an international training programme aimed at developing the teaching skills of instructors in youth-oriented social circus initiatives. The difficulty of finding circus instructors able to work in a social context and the need for increasing the skills of those already involved was the driving force of this project. The installation of a social circus training programme seemed to us the next logical step to ensure the continuity of the Cirque du Monde programme and to support the development of social circus through other networks. With this in mind, a set of contacts called the International Network for Social Circus Training (INSCT) was initiated to disseminate the theory and practice of social circus – first and foremost to support the development of children, young people, teenagers and others who are at risk or excluded from society. INSCT brings together ten organizations from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Canada, Burkina Faso, Australia and South Africa. In addition to Cirque du Soleil and Jeunesse du Monde, an international cooperation NGO, its members come from professional and social circus schools.
SOCIAL CIRCUS
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TICKETS DONATED TO COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS ENABLING THEIR BENEFICIARIES TO ENJOY OUR SHOWS
2 LATIN AMERICA
1150 SOCIAL CIRCUS TRAINING SESSIONS
8
25 organizations 5 countries
LATIN AMERICA
TICKETS GRACIOUSLY OFFERED TO ORGANIZATIONS WORKING WITH TROUBLED YOUTH ENABLING THEM TO ORGANIZE BENEFIT SHOWS
LATIN AMERICA
2800
CITIES VISITED IN 2009
LATIN AMERICA
LATIN AMERICA
IN 2009
LATIN AMERICA CIRQUE DU MONDE SITES ACTIVE
Mexico Choluteca Santiago 25 Brazilian communities
28 TOURING SHOWS UNDER BIG TOPS
LATIN AMERICA
Quidam Alegría
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ARTISTS OF TOMORROW Cirque du Soleil has always fostered a relationship with the communities in which it operates. But we should not forget that the true global citizenship of Cirque du Soleil is first and foremost that of a creator and a producer of artistic content. Cirque is, and it probably always has been, a place for creators and performers to go beyond their wildest dreams. During the year, nearly $170,000 was donated to support innovative art projects, emerging artists and artistic companies in Montreal. In partnership with the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, an art project was developed in 2008 with Yoshi Cooper, a rising artist from Las Vegas. Via a mentoring approach, Cirque du Soleil has helped this young man create a work inspired by KĂ€, assemble a portfolio and compose a brief artistic bio. In addition, Cirque du Soleil seeks to support creativity through its Access to the Arts programme, which buys works of art and other cultural expressions, and encourages the performing arts and visual arts milieu by purchasing tickets for events, exhibitions and performances. Our goal is therefore to support artists and arts companies that offer new, surprising, avant-garde or bold creative works. As part of this programme we have given more than $20,000 in support, through the purchase of tickets and cultural products provided to employees of Cirque du Soleil free of charge. Cirque du Soleil offers financial support to new and innovative works by emerging artists and arts companies. In 2009, 64 artists and arts companies benefited from such support. These artists and companies represent nine major artistic disciplines: the visual arts, film, circus arts, dance, literature, multimedia, music, theatre and variety. In all, 41 arts centres, organizations and venues also obtained support from the Cirque du Soleil cultural support program. Several prior agreements were renewed in 2009 and new ones established. Among these are new agreements with the Centre des auteurs dramatiques, a panel of playwrights who award the Gratien-GĂŠlinas prize for budding dramatists, the Orford Arts Centre, for creative and instructional digital arts workshops, and Studio 303, which helps stage works created in the course of artistic apprenticeships.
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THE PRÉLUDE PROJECT IN THE SAINT-MICHEL DISTRICT: Prélude is a mentoring project for young creative spirits attempting to turn their passion into a profession as well as an artistic support initiative carried out in partnership with the TOHU and the Montreal Arts Council. Prélude’s primary goals are to: • enrich the career course of young artists through a personalized approach aimed at helping them develop, crystallize and finetune their creative work • foster open-mindedness among the young to a range of creators and disciplines • help artists secure the tools they need to fully develop their creative projects • urge young artists to attend at least two professional artistic performances on the Montreal scene • bridge the gap between young creators and Montreal’s artistic community • expose up-and-coming artists to professional works and creators. The mentoring takes place over a period of ten weeks. LA TABLÉE CIRQUE DU MONDE: As part of Quebec City’s 400th anniversary celebrations, close to 200 participants in the Cirque du Monde program ranging from 12 to 30 years of age came to the Old Capital from French-speaking countries around the world to take part in a three-week artistic and cultural jamboree. This gathering, organized by and for marginalized young people, concluded with a giant dinner show collectively prepared and presented by these same youths. This was an excellent opportunity to raise public awareness regarding the issues and difficulties facing at-risk youth, the positive impacts of outreach programs involving social circus, and the need to bring out all the talent and potential of these individuals who may have strayed from the beaten path. In the course of the gathering, these participants had the chance to talk about their common experiences, to develop and showcase their creative and artistic potential and, for many, to enjoy a first international experience—all in a spirit of discovery with respect to the culture, atmosphere and history of Quebec. La tablée Cirque du Monde gathered young people from Quebec, and from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Lebanon, Côte d’Ivoire and Haiti, as well as two Atikamekw communities (Manawan and Wemotaci).
CREATING POSSIBILITIES
CREATING CONNECTIONS
Employees of Cirque du Soleil who were posted in Macau in 2008 got together during the Holidays to help out local aid agencies, particularly the Cradle of Hope and Fountain of Hope foster homes, which are home to approximately sixty abandoned infants and children. These homes receive only partial funding from the Macau government and rely heavily on charitable donations. With the money raised by the ZAIA team, by the staff at the Asia-Pacific Resident Shows Division and of the Cirque du Soleil Macau costume workshop, enough money was raised to purchase several outfits and new shoes for every baby and child in both homes! A group of ZAIA volunteers took 20 of the older children (10 years of age or older) shopping in Macau’s market district so they could pick out their own clothes. Not many of them could speak English, but when it comes to teenagers shopping, it seems language is no barrier! To round out the day, the kids were treated to a hearty lunch. Also, since some of the older children at Fountain of Hope had started a band as part of their music studies, the ZAIA team was also able to donate two electric guitars and a bass guitar to the cause. CALI, COLOMBIA The very first nationally available training program for circus instructors from various Colombian organizations took place in Cali in February 2008. Organized jointly with Circo Para Todos (circus for everyone), this training enabled twenty participants from Cali, Medellín and Bogotá to improve their teaching practices and talk about their experiences. The Circo Para Todos school is a member of the International Network for Social Circus Training (INSCT). The social contribution of this school consists in offering circus workshops to young people from the underprivileged neighborhoods of Cali in a bid to improve quality of life in that community.
SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL
MACAU, CHINA
Last spring in São Paulo, the annual meeting of the Circo do Mundo Brasil network was also the stage for a special training session for social circus instructors. This session took place under the aegis of the Instituto Criança e Cidadania (children and citizenship institute), which belongs to the network. Three Alegría artists took part in this training, which has been held in Brazil every year since 2003. Through their valued participation, they have transferred their technical and stage experience to 30 instructors working on 22 different projects nationwide. Their expertise added a practical dimension to the theoretical training the participants received before transmitting their acquired knowledge to other instructors and young minds. Their expertise added a practical dimension to the theoretical training the participants knowledge in turn to young minds.
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL WANTS ABOVE ALL TO TAKE ITS PLACE IN SOCIETY AS A GOOD CITIZEN, WITH ALL THE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES THAT GO WITH CITIZENSHIP. BEYOND PHILANTHROPIC GESTURES, GOOD CITIZENSHIP CONSISTS OF AN ATTITUDE OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AT THE VERY HEART OF ALL OUR BUSINESS STRATEGIES AND MANAGEMENT. CIRQUE THEREFORE PAYS PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO ITS RELATIONSHIPS WITH ITS EMPLOYEES, ITS INTERACTIONS WITH ITS AUDIENCE, ITS RELATIONSHIPS WITH BUSINESS PARTNERS, SUPPLIERS AND COMMUNITY NEIGHBORS, AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF ITS ACTIVITIES.
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
The week preceding the tear-down of Alegría in Rio de Janeiro, the crew heard some troubling news about Crescer e Viver (growing and living), an organization belonging to the Circo do Mundo Brasil network that takes in some 300 underprivileged kids from the favelas of Rio every day: the tropical rains and strong winds of the season had played havoc with their tent, which had already seen better days to begin with. Since the tent was located close to the Sambódromo stadium, best known for hosting Rio’s Carnival, Crescer e Viver had intended to rent it out to one of the many samba schools taking part in the carnival for costume and equipment storage. Ironically, the rental revenue was earmarked for buying a new tent. This dark cloud had a silver lining because there happened to be a team of Cirque du Soleil specialists on hand at the time. A quickly assembled crew of eleven technicians volunteered to make the necessary repairs. They took the opportunity to enlist the other partners from the Circo do Mundo Brasil network to work under the tent as well, in order to take advantage of the displayed expertise and observe the work, thus acquiring some useful knowledge.
Among the different social circus training sessions given in Europe during the year, one particularly stood out. Organized jointly with the CARAVAN network, this oneweek training session held in Amsterdam in March 2008 brought together 24 circus instructors from all over Europe (Germany, England, Belgium, Finland, France, Northern Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Poland) as well as two Cirque du Soleil trainers. This constituted a great opportunity for Cirque du Soleil to forge some strong ties with the CARAVAN network, which is currently made up of seven organizations representing some of the best-known circus schools in Europe with a social and educational focus.
In the fall of 2008, the Dralion troupe played host to a group of teens in the course of an activity organized in partnership with Street Work, a Sydney centre that provides assistance to young people struggling with drugs or alcohol. This visit gave the kids a chance to discover all of the inner workings of Dralion, from the costume workshop to what goes on backstage. They took a turn on the trampoline and the drums, and tried their hands at juggling and improv.
ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
SIDNEY, AUSTRALIA
At the various parties held on the occasion of the premiere of Varekai in Antwerp, London, Amsterdam and Berlin, guests were able to appreciate the public performances by dance and circus arts students of CODARTS, a university specializing in the performing arts based in Rotterdam. The result of close cooperation between the European Commercial Office of Cirque du Soleil and CODARTS, the students’ performances provided them not only with some extra tuition money but also with a unique opportunity to learn and develop within the circus community. This reflects the Cirque du Soleil commitment to new generations of performers.
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL WANTS ABOVE ALL TO TAKE ITS PLACE IN SOCIETY AS A GOOD CITIZEN, WITH ALL THE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES THAT GO WITH CITIZENSHIP. BEYOND PHILANTHROPIC GESTURES, GOOD CITIZENSHIP CONSISTS OF AN ATTITUDE OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AT THE VERY HEART OF ALL OUR BUSINESS STRATEGIES AND MANAGEMENT. CIRQUE THEREFORE PAYS PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO ITS RELATIONSHIPS WITH ITS EMPLOYEES, ITS INTERACTIONS WITH ITS AUDIENCE, ITS RELATIONSHIPS WITH BUSINESS PARTNERS, SUPPLIERS AND COMMUNITY NEIGHBORS, AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF ITS ACTIVITIES.
LISBON, PORTUGAL When Quidam was presented in Lisbon in the spring of 2008, it was the first time Cirque du Soleil performed on Portuguese soil. In order to pay homage to Portugal’s rich circus tradition, Cirque du Soleil organized an event jointly with Chapitô, a circus school based in Lisbon. Some 25 Portuguese circus artists and members of circus families gathered festively to see what the fuss was about with the new visitor, Cirque du Soleil, which they greeted very warmly indeed. Just the act of “gathering” was a rare enough occasion, given the very heavy touring schedules in the circus community. BERLIN, GERMANY Cirque du Soleil has collaborated with Circus Cabuwazi for a few years, often organizing Cirque du Monde workshops when touring shows visit Berlin. This year, in addition to a clowning and juggling workshop given by Varekai artists to 24 youths from Cabuwazi, Cirque du Soleil graciously gave the organization some tickets enabling them to hold a benefit show, which in turn generated close to ¤20,000 in donations. Also, at a meeting organized with the Cirque du Soleil tent master, Cabuwazi’s management team benefitted from valuable technical tips and advice on how to properly waterproof their own tents and deal with all the leaks and other issues associated with rainy weather.
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA On the occasion of World AIDS Day, 37 youths undergoing anti-retroviral treatment and participating in Cirque du Monde workshops in collaboration with Zip Zap Circus staged a variety show before 2,000 spectators in the Oliver Tambo Community Centre in Khayelitsha, Cape Town’s biggest township. In the audience were a hundred or so youths from various homes and centres in the region.
CREATING CONNECTIONS
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BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE Nearly 15 years ago, when it was time for Cirque du Soleil to set up a permanent infrastructure, we wanted to pick a location where we could have maximal positive impact. By choosing one of Canada’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods, the Saint-Michel sector of northern Montreal, we set ourselves a challenge to meet through meaningful action in the community. It is against this background that Cirque du Soleil became a founding member of TOHU, la Cité des arts du cirque, an NPO founded in 2003 with the threefold mission of making Montreal a world circus arts capital, participating actively in the rehabilitation of one of the biggest urban landfills in North America, and contributing to the development of the Saint-Michel neighborhood. In 2006, Cirque du Soleil sat on the board of directors of the trans-sectoral umbrella movement Vivre SaintMichel en Santé, within which residents, community groups, and business people from across the Saint-Michel neighborhood work together to define and promote action priorities aimed at improving the quality of life in the neighborhood, and aiding the social and economic development of its residents. These action priorities gave Cirque a role in the work of the Club des Partenaires Culturels de Saint-Michel, the Club des Partenaires sports et Loisirs de Saint-Michel, the Groupe Action Jeunesse and Oser Jarry. From June to September, Cirque du Soleil took part in the “Classes Affaires” project run by Fonds Ville-Marie, an NPO supported by the City of Montreal. In this project, designed to fight the dropout phenomenon, 18 students aged 14 to 16 from high schools in the Saint-Michel neighborhood came to Cirque for internships varying in length from one to five weeks, under the guidance of employees from 12 different divisions of the organization. The Arts Nomades project, a Cirque du Soleil initiative, gives schoolchildren and preschoolers a chance to attend art workshops and cultural activities conducted by artist-teachers. Some 360 preschool- and school-aged children took part in Arts Nomades in 2008. The positive effects on the social and educational development of the students from the Bienville and Saint-Mathieu schools, not to mention their arts and cultural enrichment, encouraged Cirque du Soleil and its partners to extend the pilot phase of this project, which had been scheduled to end in June 2008. Thanks to the mobilization of players from educational, health care and community organizations, a new financial partnership was secured under which the Commission Scolaire de Montréal (the Frenchlanguage school board) joined Cirque du Soleil as the principal financial backer of the Arts Nomades project. At the close of 2009, Cirque du Soleil, the school board and their partners decided to set a new course for Arts Nomades in order to reach a maximum number of elementary schools in the Saint-Michel district with an arts and culture component in their curriculum. Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil employees truly mobilized during the course of the year to organize team outings in aid of community organizations. These included serving meals at the Old Brewery Mission homeless shelter, sorting food donations at Moisson Montréal (Harvest Montreal), and helping to clean and renovate the premises of a number of organizations working with underprivileged populations— the Maison des Enfants de Montréal, the Colonie des Grèves and the Colonie Sainte-Jeanne d’Arc—as well as the Relais des Jeunes Familles, a non-profit agency in the Saint-Michel district which offers a nurturing, supportive environment for fourteen young families.
IT USED TO BE THAT W TO TOWN, RESIDENTS THE TROUPE SET UP THE CELEBRATION.BY THE V ART, STREET PERFORME DRIVEN BY A PROFOUN WITH OTHERS.WHILE EX CIRQUE DU SOLEIL REM THIS AGE-OLD CI
HEN THE CIRCUS CAME WOULD FLOCK TO HELP BIG TOP IN A SPIRIT OF ERY NATURE OF THEIR RS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN D NEED TO FORGE TIES EMPLIFYING MODERNITY, AINS FIRMLY ROOTED IN RCUS TRADITION.
For the last few years, Cirque du Soleil has been organizing the Run Away with Cirque du Soleil event, where everyone in the community is invited to take part in a 5 kilometers run or one-mile walk in support of Cirque’s partners in the community working with at-risk youth. In 2008, the event took on a whole new guise thanks to a new partnership with the Springs Preserve, a cultural, historical and environmental attraction at the original oasis of Las Vegas. In addition to discovering a gem of a new site, event participants—bolstered and encouraged by Cirque du Soleil artists and volunteers— helped collect more than $45,000 for the Center for Independent Living, West Care and the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation. For a second consecutive year, the Nevada Ballet Theatre and Cirque du Soleil have joined forces to present the Choreographers’ Showcase, a project to stimulate and encourage artistic growth. This unique collaboration premiered ten original works created and performed by dancers from the Nevada Ballet Theatre and Cirque du Soleil. After the resounding success of this event in 2007, an additional performance was added in 2008, for a total of two public performances. In addition, as in the previous year, some 1,100 students from 14 schools in the Clark County school district attended the full dress rehearsal. Some of them belonged to the Nevada Ballet Theatre’s Future Dance program, which raises awareness in schools to bring the art of dance to children from underprivileged neighborhoods. The main objective of this event, which was priced at $20 or $40, was to make culture accessible to all members of society. The more expensive tickets served to subsidize the price of tickets for students attending the full dress rehearsal. A total of over 2,600 tickets were sold for the event, which was held for a second year in the Mystère theatre. All of the profits from the event—totalling more than $30,000—were then donated in support of the Nevada Ballet Theatre.
WORK IN LAS VEGAS
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CREATING CONNECTIONS
NORTH AMERICA
1 CIRQUE DU MONDE SITES ACTIVE
NORTH AMERICA
2
NORTH AMERICA
Manawan Wemotaci Drummondville Baie-Saint-Paul Montreal Quebec City Sherbrooke Victoriaville Atlanta Las Vegas Los Angeles New York Orlando
7
NORTH AMERICA IN 2009
NORTH AMERICA RESIDENT SHOWS
KÀ O Mystère La Nouba The Beatles LOVE Zoomanity Criss Angel BeLIEve
23500 CITIES VISITED IN 2009
NORTH AMERICA
INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS
In Montreal
13
1
TOURING SHOWS UNDER BIG TOPS
Ovo Kooza
7500 REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS
In Las Vegas SOCIAL CIRCUS TRAINING SESSIONS
20 organizations in Canada and the US
5
57 TICKETS DONATED TO COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS ENABLING THEIR BENEFICIARIES TO ENJOY OUR SHOWS
SEASONAL SHOW
Wintuk
1
TICKETS GRACIOUSLY OFFERED TO ORGANIZATIONS WORKING WITH TROUBLED YOUTH ENABLING THEM TO ORGANIZE BENEFIT SHOWS
NORTH AMERICA
CREATING A GREENER WORLD
CREATING A GREENER WORLD
As soon as Cirque returned some profit, we set out to give back a little of what life had given me. That was how Cirque du Monde was born. This social action program has restored the courage and confidence of millions of young people around the world. Today, we continue to dream of a fairer, more just world. A world where every human being has access to clean water and can live in dignity and health. The wildest dreams can come true when we all invest our energy, willpower and creativity. One drop at a time, one step at a time, we can do it. OUR MISSION: To fight poverty by providing access to water and raising awareness among individuals and communities about the need for mobilization in order to make safe water accessible to all, in sufficient quantity, today and tomorrow. OUR GOAL : To play a role in changing and influencing how safe water is shared and made accessible around the world. VALUES : Water: a common heritage and a fundamental human right. Water is essential to life. It is a shared inherent right to be preserved, protected and made accessible to all, today and tomorrow. • Solidarity and sharing the wealth. Working together to share knowledge, experience and dreams, as well as material, financial and human resources is the only way to grow together and fight poverty. • Creativity. Daring and creativity give rise to projects that inspire change and new solutions—ideas that go beyond any immediate impact to influence long-term success. • Transparency and Integrity. By maintaining the highest standards of accountability and ethical practices, we work to earn and preserve the confidence and respect of our donors, partners and the public. The guiding principles of ONE DROP™ are based on the will to ensure the longevity of our initiatives. 1 Use of arts and culture when developing initiatives. 2 Development and implementation of its own projects 3 Participation in cooperative ventures, which requires that the following criteria exist 4 Lack of access to water 5 Good governance 6 An organized civil society 7 Practical, measurable results 8 Partnerships are made with organizations recognized for their social and cultural accomplishments, and collaboration with local populations and nongovernmental organizations. 9 Utmost respect for social and cultural diversity. 10 ONE DROP is non-partisan.
ONE DROP FOUNDATION
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Since its early days, KOOZA has always made a point of recycling aluminum, glass, plastic and paper. In 2008 came the challenge of a pilot project adding the composting of kitchen waste to these already commendable practices. Since 90% of kitchen refuse is food waste, composting was an easy choice. While these efforts were ongoing, some waste-reduction measures were also instituted. KOOZA personnel eliminated straws, stir sticks and coffee-cup lids, as well as individual portions of white sugar and butter. Garbage bags were also phased out, further reducing the amount of waste ending up as landfill. The compost collected is stored in a big bin provided by the composting company, which comes by twice a week to collect it.
KOOZA
In keeping with its role as the environmental conscience on tour, the Alegría school installed a very simple water-recovery system using rain barrels during the show’s run in Brazil. Simple as can be, this initiative appreciably reduced the tour’s consumption of drinking water, as the rain-barrel water was used for the team’s housekeeping needs. When Alegría was running in Brazil, students from the touring school decided to raise funds and contribute to tree planting. They did this by designing rather unique T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan “Do Not Disturb Nature” and selling them to tour employees. Because the site of the big top in São Paulo was right in the middle of a park, the students took advantage of the situation to plant some trees themselves. That was the story behind the fact that on Earth Day, ten new trees sprouted in Villa Lobos park, compliments of the student body and with the help of tour personnel and members of their families KÀ
In May, the Chinese students in the Dralion troupe joined a few of the show’s artists to take part in a major beach clean-up in Fukuoka, Japan. This was an excellent way to validate all of the awareness-raising about environmental issues conducted with these young people, and to put some of the theory into practice. There was a further bonus in that their hard labour did more than benefit the environment; the Chinese troupe members wanted to also demonstrate their gratitude for the help their country received from Japan in all the areas devastated by a series of natural disasters in 2008.
In addition to the recycling measures already after-meal waste themselves. in effect at KÀ, a new recycling project was put in place for cellular telephones. Employees can now drop off their old phones, batteries and chargers in a box to that effect, and these items will be properly recycled rather than dumped into a landfill. Given the highly technical environment that KÀ artists and technicians work in, they often own unused devices, so this initiative was just the ticket.
DRALION
SINCE THE ADOPTION OF ITS ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY IN 2006, CIRQUE DU SOLEIL HAS CONTINUED TO IMPLEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT MEASURES RELATING TO THE MANAGEMENT OF WATER, AIR QUALITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE, AS WELL AS WASTE MANAGEMENT AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS. THE INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS IN MONTREAL EXPANDED WITH THE ADDITION OF A NEW BUILDING IN 2007, WHICH INCLUDED ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY FEATURES IN ITS DESIGN. CIRQUE INSTALLED A RESERVOIR FOR RAINWATER COLLECTED FROM ROOFS AND THE PARKING LOTS OF ITS INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS. IN NORTH AMERICA, A COMPREHENSIVE RECYCLING SYSTEM WAS SET UP FOR KOOZA, WHILE IN EUROPE AND LATIN AMERICA, RECYCLING SYSTEMS WERE SET UP IN PUBLIC AREAS. IN ADDITION, MEASURES TO REDUCE WASTE WERE IMPLEMENTED IN THE CAFETERIAS OF DRALION, KOOZA AND CORTEO.
ALEGRÍA
CORTEO The Corteo team has instituted a series of initiatives to improve the management of water on tour. The first step was to considerably reduce staff consumption of single-use plastic bottles. This was achieved by giving personnel reusable bottles (with carabiners to hang them on), and by installing drinking water fountains throughout the site where employees could refill these bottles. To encourage compliance, Tour Services has been paying a special bonus to all permanent employees who procure their own reusable bottle or hydration pack. Corteo has also been chosen, with KOOZA, to host a pilot project on low-flow sanitation equipment. Since every little bit helps, even the water condensing on the air conditioning system is recovered to water the plants in the tour offices.
Cirque du Soleil is the 2009 winner of the Entreprise Vélosympathique (bike-friendly company) award from Vélo Québec. Vélo Québec awards this accolade to honour businesses and other organizations that make concrete contributions in their workplaces to foster and promote bicycle commuting. Cirque was selected for its many initiatives at Montreal headquarters: 200 bicycle parking spots, a fleet of self-serve bicycles anyone can use, two workshop days with bike mechanics on hand, a draw for hybrid bicycles to be won by employees, and easy workplace access to shower facilities and a locker room. The main reasons Cirque du Soleil was awarded this distinction were the engaged participation of different units of the company and the high number of employees commuting by bike.
VÉLOSYMPATHIQUE AWARD
An ambitious plan was instituted in 2006 to reduce the company’s water consumption. Since then, a number of additional initiatives were adopted, including the installation of dual-flush toilets (which use 71% less water than before), the installation of low-flow faucets with infrared sensors (86% less water), the replacement of shower heads with low-flow types (40% less water) and the addition of a filtration system to the outside decorative basin (95% less water), among other conservation measures. Continuing in this vein in 2008, Cirque du Soleil installed and commissioned a rain water collection basin with a 400,000 liters capacity. This recovery system collects rainwater from the roofs of certain buildings at Headquarters and the Végécolpaved parking lot next to the basin. The oils and solids in the runoff water from the parking lot thus get filtered out, which reduces the amount of contaminants that would otherwise end up in the municipal sewer system. The water recovered in this basin flushes all the toilets in the new Headquarters annex built in 2007. There will be enough left over to irrigate all of the lawns and gardens, and for any pressure cleaning as well. The basin was designed and installed in 2008 and 2009, and officially put into commission in December. Although it was only used during the last month of the year— including the Holidays when there are fewer people present— it resulted in savings of 57,400 liters of water in sanitation water alone. If the water used for irrigation is factored in, the results of which will only be known after the summer, water savings could add as much as two million liters to the amount of water saved through the earlier measures. When the IHQ cafeteria was renovated, new facilities were installed to make it easier to sort recyclable waste and compost. Employees now have the responsibility of sorting all their after-meal waste themselves. In 2007, Cirque du Soleil set up a new program to encourage employees to take public transit by paying 50% of the cost of their public transportation fees. In 2009, the program was going stronger than ever, and there were 25% more public transit users than the year before. BOTTLED WATER ON TOUR Although Cirque du Soleil essentially phased out the sale of bottled water in its offices in 2007, an appropriate solution for touring operations remains elusive. That was the impetus behind the 2008 study to rate the different water sale and distribution alternatives. Conducted by an outside firm, the study focussed on analyzing life cycles from an environmental perspective. A lifecycle analysis makes it possible to assess the environmental impact of a product throughout its “life,” from the extraction of raw materials to production, use and, finally, disposal. A life-cycle analysis was also conducted to determine the impact of various reusable water bottles. Further knowledge of environmental issues associated with the different water sales and distribution alternatives will help establish decision-making parameters for the company’s future choices.
SINCE THE ADOPTION OF ITS ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY IN 2006, CIRQUE DU SOLEIL HAS CONTINUED TO IMPLEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT MEASURES RELATING TO THE MANAGEMENT OF WATER, AIR QUALITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE, AS WELL AS WASTE MANAGEMENT AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS. THE INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS IN MONTREAL EXPANDED WITH THE ADDITION OF A NEW BUILDING IN 2007, WHICH INCLUDED ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY FEATURES IN ITS DESIGN. CIRQUE INSTALLED A RESERVOIR FOR RAINWATER COLLECTED FROM ROOFS AND THE PARKING LOTS OF ITS INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS. IN NORTH AMERICA, A COMPREHENSIVE RECYCLING SYSTEM WAS SET UP FOR KOOZA, WHILE IN EUROPE AND LATIN AMERICA, RECYCLING SYSTEMS WERE SET UP IN PUBLIC AREAS. IN ADDITION, MEASURES TO REDUCE WASTE WERE IMPLEMENTED IN THE CAFETERIAS OF DRALION, KOOZA AND CORTEO.
INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS
AFRICA ASIA AND OCEANIA RESIDENT SHOWS
AFRICA, ASIA AND OCEANIA
IN 2009
AFRICA, ASIA AND OCEANIA
7
970
ZAIA Zed
2
CITIES VISITED IN 2009
7
TOURING SHOWS UNDER BIG TOPS
Alegría Dralion
AFRICA, ASIA AND OCEANIA
AFRICA, ASIA AND OCEANIA
SOCIAL CIRCUS TRAINING SESSIONS
AFRICA, ASIA AND OCEANIA
REGIONAL HEAD OFFICE IN MACAU
2
16 organizations 4 countries
2 CIRQUE DU MONDE SITES ACTIVE
TICKETS DONATED TO COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS ENABLING THEIR BENEFICIARIES TO ENJOY OUR SHOWS
Ouagadoudou Cape Town Durban Singapore Ulaanbaatar Domod Broken Hill
TICKETS GRACIOUSLY OFFERED TO ORGANIZATIONS WORKING WITH TROUBLED YOUTH ENABLING THEM TO ORGANIZE BENEFIT SHOWS
2800 1 AFRICA, ASIA AND OCEANIA
CREATING A GOOD WORKPLACE
CREATIVITY AT WORK With such extreme diversity right at its very heart, it is vitally important for the organization to welcome and value the differences between people and communities. And because creation is the essence of Cirque’s mission, values around our citizenship role are equally diverse. The work environment has a great impact on employees’ quality of life, family lives and health. For some years now, a set of original measures have been in place at Cirque du Soleil to establish an open, safe, creative and friendly work environment for its employees. Creativity is the driving force behind everything Cirque du Soleil does and must be central to the daily lives of all employees. It is vital for cirque du Soleil to maintain a healthy, stimulating, productive work environment, one that fosters creativity and fulfillment for all employees, and clearly reflects a sound, creative, committed organization. At the same time, the realities faced by all employees in the organization must be taken into consideration. Cirque du Soleil subscribes to the principle of equal opportunity employment without distinction, exclusion or preference, in particular in the following areas: race, color, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, sexual identity, marital status, age, status of life partnership, religion, beliefs, political convictions, language, ethnic or national origin, ancestry, social status, HIV-AIDS, weight, size, disability and the use of any means to offset any disability. Work Environment The company is committed to providing and maintaining a harassment-free climate in the workplace, to guarantee each individual employee’s physical and psychological integrity and to safeguard their dignity.In addition to salary Cirque du Soleil’s employee compensation packages include group insurance, a pension plan, paid holidays, etc. Cirque du Soleil also offers indirect benefits such as a subsidized cafeteria, free parking and no dress code requirements. PARADE: The Support Program for Employees’ Artistic Projects (PARADE) encourages and supports employees in their artistic endeavours, by providing them with advice and financial aid. The works are then performed or exhibited in the organization’s offices. In 2009 over 50 employees in Montreal and Las Vegas showed their work throughout the summer.
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CREATING A GOOD WORKPLACE
WITH A WORK FORCE A OVER 4000, INCLUDIN CIRQUE DU SOLEIL C PEOPLE FROM OVER TOGETHER, IN THE SPE COOPERATION NEEDED AND PERFORMANCE PR LIFESTYLE SPANNIN ALL IN 25 DIFFER
LREADY NUMBERING G OVER 1000 ARTISTS, ONTINUES TO GROW. 40 COUNTRIES WORK CIAL SPIRIT OF INTENSE BY THE SHOW CREATION OCESS, AND A TOURING G FIVE CONTINENTS— ENT LANGUAGES.
Cirque du Soleil remains, first and foremost, a provider of creative content for a host of projects: shows under the big top, in arenas and in permanent theatres, and the creation of television, video, DVD, film and music products. So that employees in all divisions may become more familiar with the organization’s core business, Cirque has introduced policies to give them easier access to these products. For instance, employees at International Headquarters (IHQ) whose work environment is less closely linked to the daily presentation of shows are the first to see acts by artists who have just completed their Cirque du Soleil training. Lunchtime talks featuring the creative teams for our new shows are also organized to keep employees up to date on the progress of new projects. And each year, a certain number of complimentary tickets are distributed to regular employees, who also benefit from price reductions in every city where the shows perform and considerable discounts on merchandise. In addition, Cirque organizes annual trips to allow employees to travel to Cirque du Soleil shows more cheaply, whether they’re going to see our resident shows in Las Vegas and Orlando, or touring shows passing through cities near our other places of business.
CONNECTING THE DOTS
CREATING A GOOD WORKPLACE
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EUROPE
TICKETS GRACIOUSLY OFFERED TO ORGANIZATIONS WORKING WITH TROUBLED YOUTH ENABLING THEM TO ORGANIZE BENEFIT SHOWS
CIRQUE DU MONDE SITES ACTIVE
La Louviere Amsterdam
TICKETS DONATED TO COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS ENABLING THEIR BENEFICIARIES TO ENJOY OUR SHOWS
EUROPE
26
1
2 EUROPE
TOURING SHOWS UNDER BIG TOPS
Quidam Varekai
8000
EUROPE
1 2 5800
TOURING ARENA SHOW
Delirium
EUROPE
EUROPE IN 2009
2
CITIES VISITED IN 2009
COMMERCIAL OFFICE IN AMSTERDAM
EUROPE
SOCIAL CIRCUS TRAINING SESSIONS
14 organizations 10 countries
CREATING GOOD PARTNERSHIPS
OUR PARTNERS AND SUPPLIERS Cirque du Soleil now has operations around the world, venturing beyond North America, Europe and Australia into South America, the Middle East and Asia. We are truly a global organization, interacting with a growing number of suppliers and business partners. Back in 2006, cirque considered this aspect of its Business strategies to assess the issues it raises in terms of social responsibility. There was consensus within the organization on the need to set up an ethical procurement program and establish dialogue with our partners and suppliers. By ethical procurement, we mean a series of measures designed to ensure that the products the organization markets (our merchandise) and the products we buy are manufactured in conditions where people and the environment are respected. Cirque du Soleil values are naturally attuned to the ethical issues surrounding procurement, but the organization still needs to work on extending its practical knowledge in this regard. In 2006, therefore, managers from key sectors participated in a training session on responsible procurement, which gave them tools to assess the main risks and issues around responsible procurement and set up a process to implement a responsible procurement program. To penetrate new markets, Cirque reaches agreements with local promoters. At present, we have such agreements with many partners. Our contracts with promoters cover aspects related to social responsibility: social outreach, conditions for temporary workers, a child labour clause for merchandise produced by local promoters. Our efforts in this area greatly improved our relationship with our South American promoter. We convinced our partner to lower its profits in order to give back to local communities, in particular by donating tickets for benefit performances and reserving 500 tickets to the dress rehearsal in each city for organizations that work with at-risk youth. We even had a direct positive impact on conditions for temporary workers. In fact, as a result of observations from Cirque du Soleil employees, we got the promoter to agree to provide meals for temporary workers depending on the hours they worked at our site.
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In 2008, the company adopted a new procurement policy aiming at standardizing practices and providing a clear framework for all of procurement decisions. This policy aims to improve the financial longevity of Cirque du Soleil by optimizing the choice of goods and services it procures, controlling business risks Cirque may encounter in the procurement process, and guaranteeing that our procurement choices meet our social responsibility criteria by subscribing to sustainable development processes. The policy includes a section on the ethics and code of conduct for procurement that clarifies roles and responsibilities, defines desirable behavior, and establishes good business practices when it comes to procurement. Another section sets out social responsibility principles for suppliers. As Cirque du Soleil has dealings with a growing number of suppliers, the procurement policy defines the basic environmental and workers’ rights principles they are expected to follow. The company’s approach when applying this policy is based on dialogue and cooperation. The policy should be implemented in a spirit of commitment to continuous improvement from both Cirque du Soleil and its suppliers. A supplier evaluation questionnaire was devised and a pilot assessment was carried out among ten suppliers in the fall of 2009. The company called on an external consulting firm to provide a market overview of organic cotton. This study identified the environmental and social issues of this sector, and provided an evaluation of the different certifications relating to the harvesting and production of cotton that is grown organically. Based on the resulting study, discussions can take place with the company’s suppliers, and more ethical choices can be made with respect to cotton purchases. Cirque du Soleil plays an active role in associations that seek to give new impetus to corporate social responsibility and community relations. In 2002, we joined Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), an organization which represents many multinationals and most of North America’s major companies. Since 2004, we have also been a member of Business in the Community (BITC), to which most large businesses in the United Kingdom belong.
CREATING A GOOD PARTNERSHIPS
EMPLOYEES WORLDWIDE
25
15 MILLION
CIRQUE’S NUMBERS
NATIONALITIES OF EMPLOYEES CIRQUE’S NUMBERS
200 CIRQUE’S NUMBERS
CIRQUE’S NUMBERS
PEOPLE SAW A CIRQUE DU SOLEIL SHOW IN 2009
1000 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES SPOKEN BY CIRQUE’S EMPLOYEES
ARTISTS EMPLOYED
CITIES VISITED AROUND THE WORLD
CIRQUE’S NUMBERS
1800
4000 90 MILLION PEOPLE SAW A CIRQUE DU SOLEIL SHOW SINCE1984
CIRQUE’S NUMBERS
CIRQUE’S NUMBERS
40
CREATING NEW CHALLENGES
WE CAN DO EVEN MORE
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Since adopting its environmental policy in 2006, Cirque du Soleil has implemented a series of steps to assess and reduce its ecological footprint, especially in terms of its management of water, its energy efficiency, and its handling of waste and hazardous materials. Cirque du Soleil would like to significantly reduce the environmental impact of its operations, particularly those related to its touring shows, which represent the greatest portion of the company’s ecological footprint. To do so, in 2010, Cirque du Soleil will continue to equip itself with effective measuring instruments so it has the means to assess the real impact of both current and future environmental initiatives and to set clear improvement goals for itself. Over the last few years, Cirque du Soleil has made good use of the tools at its disposal to open a dialogue with its business partners and suppliers regarding issues of social responsibility and sustainable development. These tools include the social responsibility clause included in Cirque’s contracts with its business partners since 2007 and the procurement policy the company adopted in 2008. Given the current economic situation, it is all the more incumbent on Cirque du Soleil to establish and maintain a fruitful dialogue with its business partners and suppliers with a view to transforming simple good intentions into actions that have a tangible impact on the areas of social responsibility and sustainable development.
CREATING NEW CHALLENGES
CIRQUE WANT THE SUCCESSFUL OF OUR CULTURE WE ARE A MERCH BUT WE ALSO TO CREATE A B THE SCOPE AND CR ACHIEVEMENTS WI CONSISTENCY O
S TO ENSURE TRANSMISSION AND OUR VALUES. ANT OF HAPPINESS, WANT TO WORK ETTER WORLD. EDIBILITY OF OUR LL DEPEND ON THE F OUR ACTIONS.
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS 8400, 2E AVENUE MONTRÉAL, QUÉBEC H4Z 1M6 CANADA PHONE: 514-722-2324 SECONDARY PHONE: 800-678-2119 FAX: 514-722-3692 CIRQUE DU SOLEIL IS A PRIVATELY HELD COMPANY DANIEL LAMARRE: PRESIDENT AND CEO WWW.CIRQUEDUSOLEIL.COM PHOTOS FROM FLICKR.COM