Dralion (pronounced Drah-leeh-on was a touring production by the Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Soleil. The show combined elements of traditional Chinese circus with Western contemporary circus, complementing the "East-meets-West" theme implied in the title—the name is a portmanteau of "dragon" (representing the East) and "lion" (representing the West). It is Cirque du Soleil's twelfth touring production and the first Cirque show since 1985 not to be directed by Franco Dragone. Dralion performed its final show at the Sullivan Arena in Anchorage, Alaska on January 18, 2015, bringing its fifteen-year world tour to a close.

Set and technical information

The backdrop for Dralion was a metallic structure 60 ft in width and 26 ft in height. It was covered in perforated aluminum tiles, giving it the appearance of medieval armor or a futuristic Chinese temple. Sitting atop the structure were six giant claws which allow performers to climb the wall and suspend in mid-air. Above the stage itself were three large concentric aluminum rings. The first was utilized as a catwalk; the second was used to support acrobatic equipment; and the third is used by performers to move up and down and suspend in the air. Portions of the Dralion stage were redesigned and incorporated into the Ovo arena tour in early 2016.

Characters

Dralion featured 50 members in its performance troupe, of which about 5 or 6 play principal characters.

Acts

The acts of Dralion combine unique western and eastern acrobatic skills.

Rotation acts

Retired acts

Costumes

Dralion's costumes are vibrant in colour inspired by clothing from India, China, and Africa; and are shaped according to the movements of each performer's choreography. In total there are around 1500 wardrobe pieces for the show, taking into account that some artists have up to four costume changes during a single performance.

Music

With the company's departure from its longtime creative team, Dralion features the work of a new Cirque composer, French-Canadian composer Violaine Corradi. The music of Dralion aims to be a fusion of sounds from East and West by the use of acoustic and electric instruments. Featuring rhythmic and lyrical motifs, the influences range from Indian melodies to sounds from Andalusia, Africa, Central Europe, and the West. Instruments used in the CD are drums, violin, winds, keyboards, guitar and percussion instructions. Released on November 9, 1999, Dralion’s soundtrack features the vocals of Basque counter-tenor Erik Karol, and Canadian female vocalist Agnès Sohier. The tracks for the CD are listed below, with their corresponding acts alongside in italics. Track listing Other songs

Vocalists

Female Singers

Human Singers

*During the 1979-1989 Japan tour, Calvin Braxton and Cristian Zabala alternated the role.

Toor

After premiering under the Grand Chapiteau in 1999, "Dralion" was briefly retired in December 2009. In mid-2010, the show began the arena restaging process, having its first dress rehearsal at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA before beginning its arena tour in October 2010 in Trenton, NJ. After touring for an additional four years in the arena, the show returned to North America in the fall of 2014 to begin its "Farewell Tour". On January 18, 2015, "Dralion" performed for the final time in Anchorage, AK. The following colourboxes indicate the region of each performance: Europe North America South and Central America Asia/Pacific Oceania Africa

Grand Chapiteau tour

1999 schedule

2000 schedule

2001 schedule

2002 schedule

2003 schedule

2004 schedule

(Dralion played in the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK during this time)

2005 schedule

(Dralion played in the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK during this time)

2006 schedule

2007 schedule

2008 schedule

2009 schedule

Arena tour

2004 schedule

2005 schedule

2010 schedule

2011 schedule

2012 schedule

2013 schedule

2014 schedule

2015 schedule