Daniel Lamarre: Cirque du Soleil, One-of-a-Kind Experience

By Rudina Hoxha & Jose Pinto

In January 2001, Daniel Lamarre took on the biggest role of his life by becoming president and CEO at Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group. “It was an exciting, yet super daring and bold move for me at the time!,” he said in his exclusive interview with TRAILBLAZING MAGAZINE.

Cirque du Soleil is a Canadian Entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of SaintMichel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 June 1984 by former street performers Guy Laliberté and Gilles Ste-Croix.

Fascinated with the entertainment world since a kid, Lamarre had a vision whom he fulfilled by leaving his hometown in 1972. “Grand-Mère, the small town in Quebec (Canada) where I grew up, however, offered little opportunity in that field. I knew early on that I would have to leave to make it,” he said.

Furthermore, in this interview, Lamarre explains why the shows of Cirque du Soleil are unique and what they take to make them happen. He also reveals the long journey he had to cover until being at the head of the world famous cirque while admits that supporting the artists achieving their passion is so rewarding to him.

Full interview below:

Could you first introduce yourself to our readers?

For the last two decades, as President and Chief Executive Officer of Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, I was in charge of strategy at both the business development and operations level. I also led the relaunch of Cirque du Soleil in 2021 and saw to the organization’s financial sustainability and the perpetuation of its culture and values.

Since December 2021, I have stepped down as President and CEO and I am now Executive Vice Chairman of the Board of Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, and I am now responsible for nurturing the delicate balance between the company’s global strategy across five continents, its financial growth and stability, and the integrity of its culture and values.

I am also the author of “Balancing Acts: Unleashing the Power of Creativity in Your Life and Work”, which describes how others can unleash Cirque’s creative management techniques, even if they’re not in the business of clowns and acrobats.

Over the years, I would say that some of my greatest achievements include the execution of complex negotiations resulting in signed agreements with The Beatles and Michael Jackson’s estate.

How has your background, upbringing and education had an impact on your career?

Since childhood, I have always been fascinated with the entertainment world. Grand-Mère, the small town in Quebec (Canada) where I grew up, however, offered little opportunity in that field. I knew early on that I would have to leave to make it. Montreal was the entertainment scene, the big city where it was possible to make it. I was successful academically, so I decided to leave my hometown in 1972 to study communications at the University of Ottawa, which ended up being the initial turning point in my life. I was able to perfect my English, because it was unusual to be bilingual where I grew up.

Looking back, I would say that growing up in a small community helped me develop a strong sense of self and solid values, that ended up being extremely essential to how I would transact business down the road.

How did your career track lead you to Cirque du Soleil?

Oddly enough, I was one of the first to graduate with a degree from the University of Ottawa’s new faculty of communications. Within less than a year of graduating, I returned to Trois-Rivières to assume the position of Communications Director for the Fédération des Caisses Populaires du Centre du Québec. One year later, in 1977, I left to take on the role of Public Relations Director for Montreal-based telecommunications and media company, Cogeco Inc..

These early career moves set the pace for my rapid ascent up the corporate ladder and led to the second key turning point in my life. In 1981, I joined the world’s largest public relations firm at the time and became its president and CEO. I met Guy Laliberté, Cirque du Soleil’s founder, in 1986, when he became one of my clients.

Two years later, I accepted an offer to become president and CEO of Quebec’s largest private television broadcaster, TVA Group Inc.

Because of my communications and public relations background, I was very excited about the idea of managing such an important company in Montreal. In January 2001, I took on the biggest role of my life by becoming president and CEO at Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, which was an exciting, yet super daring and bold move for me at the time!

Let’s talk about the most prestigious Cirque in the world - Cirque du Soleil. In the first place, why was it named so? The origin of its name goes back to a day when founder Guy Laliberté admired a sunset during a trip to Hawaii. He thought that the French term “Soleil’ (sun in English) symbolized youth, vitality and strength. He thought it was a fitting name because “when the sun rose at Cirque du Soleil a new dawn dawned on the world of circus arts.”

What makes this Cirque so special and distinctive from the others and what are some curious facts about it? Tell us a bit about the circus culture and training as well. Unlike many traditional circuses, Cirque du Soleil has the distinction of not presenting animal acts, drawing instead on the tradition of human performance. The company’s unique costumes, set design, lighting, live music and make-up also set us apart.

Every Cirque du Soleil show is the work of our extremely talented creative teams. To present such a large-scale contemporary show in such a small, traditional setting, we have to push back the limits of what can be achieved under a big top or arena.

The artistic concept is based on circus and street theater techniques: colorful costumes, lighting effects and original music, combined with acrobatics and technological prowess. The result is a universe filled with mystery and poetry.

The creation of a show takes several months, even years, depending on the scale of the project. For each project, a creative team is appointed to develop the show’s artistic concept, story and aesthetic. All the teams then work hand in hand to bring the project to life: director, acrobatic choreographer, costumes, make-up, artists... It really takes a village to make it happen!

What are some elements you hope audiences learn or notice about the show? Our extraordinary shows, far from the clichés of the classic circus, delight audiences of all ages and that’s what makes it so special. A Cirque du Soleil show is all about acrobatics, sound and light effects, costumes, storytelling and visuals, that leave no one indifferent.

To this day, Cirque du Soleil still offers a one-of-a-kind experience. From the very beginning, our creators had the good sense not to include any spoken language in the shows, enabling the company to gain universal recognition. Over the years, we have developed a unique global network of partners and sponsors who have contributed to making Cirque du Soleil the internationally recognized brand it is today. What’s amazing is that it was created from scratch by Quebecers.

As the President and CEO of Cirque du Soleil for more than 22 years, what can you say about this experience? If you didn’t have your current job, what would you probably be doing?

I would say that my time as CEO enabled me to gain rich experiences which allowed me to develop business worldwide. I enjoyed the challenge of traveling the world and building this amazing global brand. It was a very unique opportunity to have the chance to work with such amazing creators such as James Cameron and The Beatles, and artists coming from all around the world.

However, despite all of the successes of the last two decades, I would say that in my 22 years at Cirque du Soleil saving the company is probably the most rewarding experience I’ve been through.

If I would not have my current job, I hope I would be involved somewhere in the entertainment business, I find it so rewarding of supporting artists achieving their passion.

What will this year bring for the Cirque du Soleil shows?

So far in 2023, we have launched our newest touring show this last spring, ECHO which tells the story of a woman named Future, who along with a cast of engaging characters, learns how our actions can have the power to shape the world around us.

We also broke the news last April that we have teamed up with Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel to bring Honolulu residents and visitors a bespoke new multi-year resident show, exclusive to Hawaii, starting in late 2024.

I could go on for a long time, but as you can imagine, we have several projects in the pipeline, but you’ll have to stay tuned in the next few months to learn more about it!