Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté. Photo by Margie Anne Clark”We believe this marriage between Hollywood and Circus has the promise for a long life in Los Angeles,” said the man behind the internally acclaimed success of Cirque du Soleil. 
Guy Laliberté amd James Cameron. Photo by Margie Anne Clark
Laliberté is bringing his new show “Iris, a Journey Through the World of Cinema to the Kodak Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center debuting on July 21, 2011..
Legendary film directorrJames Cameron and Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté, Photo by Margie Anne Clark
Presenting the honor to Laliberte was Canadian-born filmmaker James Cameron who lauded the vision and creativity of Laliberté amidst a backdrop of derby clad clowns, mime faced ballerinas – beneath sunny skies as blue as the humanoid species from his 2009 Academy Award winning film, “Avatar.” Colorful Cirque du Soleil troupe members. Photo by Margie Anne Clark
“If you’re fans of cirque de solie, and I absolutely love them, those artists are empowered by this man here,” Cameron said. “To have the boldness and the courage to let that dream-like creativity be the most important thing is something that Hollywood could be inspired by.”
Laliberté who was born in Québec City in 1950, began his career as an accordionist, stilt-walker and fire-eater. He founded Quebec’s first internationally-renowned circus with the support of a small group of accomplices. A bold visionary, Guy Laliberté recognized and cultivated the talents of the street performers from the Fête foraine de Baie-Saint-Paul and created Cirque du Soleil in 1984.
“When I went to see Avatar, I envisioned a journey which was very similar to what I was living when I started my own show,” said Laliberte, who said he sees many similarities between his career and Cameron’s. “I started my own career on the streets of Quebec and now, Lalibert said with a smile, “I have a permanent home on the streets of Hollywood.”
Cirque du Soleil troupe members take in the festivities. Photo by Margie Anne Clark
*Cirque du Soleil recently announced that tickets go on sale to the general public on Monday, November 22 at 10:00 a.m. Tickets are available at cirquedusoleil.com or by calling 1-877-943-IRIS. Performances begin July 21, 2011.http://www.kodaktheatre.com/