Children of Kazan and Tatarstan to appear at special shows of Cirque du Soleil

Children of Kazan and other cities and towns of Tatarstan will appear alongside the artistic greats of Cirque du Soleil during the Summer Universiade's cultural programme in July 2013. This announcement was made today by the Mayor of Kazan. According to Ilsur Metshin, the decision to engage Tatarstan's young performers into Cirque du Soleil's outdoor shows was made by Kazan Mayor's Office together with senior managers of the Canadian entertainment company.

"In its special shows, Cirque du Soleil always strives to capture the main idea of the event as fully as possible. The Universiade aims for the future; it is for athletes who will win tomorrow, for professionals and leaders of the future. That's the very reason why we seek not only to impress the audience that will be attending our special shows at the Cultural Park, but also to make them emotionally involved through the appearances of Russian and Kazan performers, artists and athletes. Children performing on the world stage will open a whole new world to their peers from the republic and the country," commented Craig Cohon, Vice Chairman of Cirque du Soleil Rus. 

The Mayor requested the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate together with the Education and Culture Department and the Children and Youth Committee of Kazan's Executive Committee to prepare and publish the information about the casting on the official Kazan 2013 SU website and to make every effort in the delivery of the open call. 

An open casting for children of Tatarstan and neighbouring areas will be held in Kazan. "I think that it's the right decision to organise open auditions, thus making it available for all comers not just for young citizens from Kazan. I'm confident that there will be plenty of those who will be willing to perform on the same stage with great circus artists of the world-famous Cirque du Soleil. It's a unique opportunity for our talented kids," the Mayor concluded. 

As we reported earlier, the outdoor shows will unfold at the Universiade Park on July 7-17. The admission is free for holders of tickets to sporting events of the 2013 Summer Universiade.