Inside the Cirque du Soleil
By Jennifer Chasse, Macaroni Kid New River Valley

Meet Lauree Bangs

Although talented performance artists probably come to mind when you hear Cirque Du Soleil, it takes a large team to make these shows the international success that they are. Cirque du Soleil's "Quidam" visits Roanoke later this month featuring 52 artists performing on stage. What we won't see are another 50 employees behind the scenes. There are employees who feed the team, others who manage the 250 costumes that are cleaned daily in washing machines traveling with the show, and still others who keep everyone healthy. In all, there are about 100 different positions with this company, and I was able to speak with Quidam's Production Coordinator Lauree Bangs and learn about her role with this fascinating organization.

Lauree was first introduced to Cirque when she and her family enjoyed a performance of Quidam in Ottawa in 2006. Later that year her daughter Ella, who was 8 at the time, was seen in a dance performance and asked to audition for Zoe, the lead role of Quidam. Both Ella and her sister Tessa sang, dance and played violin but had never done anything like what Cirque du Soleil or “circus of the sun" offers . “Pure Happenstance”, Lauree called it. Her daughter auditioned, was offered the role, and Lauree and Ella toured Quidam internationally for 4 years with Lauree eventually becoming the show's production coordinator. Last year Ella left the cast after changes were made to the show, but Lauree stayed on and continues to travel the globe with Quidam returning home regularly to husband Bob and her daughters.

As Production Coordinator, Lauree's job is to fix issues that affect the team, a role that sometimes puts her in the role of the “show mom”. Being the mother of two has helped prepare her to take care of a cast of 52 and the multiple issues that must be handled. Daily challenges Lauree faces may to coordinating health care and insurance for patients who are constantly circling the globe. Lauree is the go-to person that fixes problems, a role she finds rewarding and fills her with pride. Cirque du Soleil employs artists from over 50 nations and the company offers ESL classes and employs translators to help communication between all the languages. In Quidam alone, over 20 nations are represented!

Quidam is the story of a young girl's escape into a world of imagination. It is appropriate for audiences of all ages, but parents planning to bring young children may wish to explore the story and introduce the characters on the website prior to the show.

Cirque du Soleil has grown from a group of 20 street performers in 1984 to a today’s vibrant organization of 5,000 employees representing 50 nations. Their reach is amazing and performances have delighted over 100 million spectators in over 300 cities, forty countries and six continents. Critically-acclaimed production Quidam is performing at the Roanoke Civic Center from Wednesday, March 28 – Sunday, April 1 for eight performances.

To learn more about Lauree and her talented family, visit the Bangs family's website: www.thebangsfamily.com.