Saltimbanco

This summer, after 14 years of touring the world with its big top and playing to more than 9.5 million spectators, Saltimbanco is embarking on a tour of more than 40 arenas across Canada and the United States. The new tour model will allow Cirque du Soleil to bring its shows to cities unable to host a big top, allowing more people than ever a chance to enjoy a Cirque du Soleil show in their own town.

Saltimbanco — from the Italian saltare in banco, which literally means "to jump on a bench" — explores the urban experience in all its myriad forms: the people who live there, their idiosyncrasies and likenesses, families and groups, the hustle and bustle of the street and the towering heights of skyscrapers. Between whirlwind and lull, prowess and poetry, Saltimbanco takes spectators on an allegorical and acrobatic journey into the heart of the city.

Saltimbanco is a characteristic Cirque du Soleil show inspired by the urban fabric of the metropolis and its colorful inhabitants. Decidedly baroque in its visual vocabulary, the show’s eclectic cast of characters draws spectators into a fanciful, dreamlike world, an imaginary city where diversity is a cause for hope.

The production features 47 artists, about 15 of whom were a part of the show’s last big top tour. The cast hails from Canada and 14 other countries.