Saltimbanco was a touring show by Cirque du Soleil. Saltimbanco ran from 1992 to 2006 in its original form, performed under a large circus tent called the Grand Chapiteau; its last performance in that form was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on December 10, 2006. A new adaptation of the show started touring North America on July 31, 2007, with its first stop in London, Ontario, Canada. The new version was staged in arenas with fewer performances in each city it visited. The new version closed at the end of 2012.
The show was described by Cirque du Soleil as a celebration of life. Its creators say they developed it as an antidote to the violence and despair prevalent in the 20th century.
Etymology English has lost the word saltimbank from current usage; but it is still familiar in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian as saltimbanco, and in French as saltimbanque, meaning street acrobat or entertainer.Saltimbanque - WordReference.com Dictionnaire Français-Anglais According to the company's site, the word "saltimbanco" comes from the Italian "saltare in banco", which means "to jump on a bench." The etymology of the word reflects its acrobatic associations. A salto means a jump in Italian; banco in this connection is a trestle holding a board, set up as a temporary stage for open-air performers. 'Saltimbanchi' were thus those who performed somersaults on a temporary platform—wandering acrobats, performing as buskers in the open air, the platform giving their audience a better view.Acrobats and Mountebanks, Le Roux, Hugues, 1860–1925; Garnier, Jules Arsène, 1847–1889, ill; Morton, A. P Translated A P Morton. London, Chapman and Hall 1890. Archive.org
History Saltimbanco was Cirque du Soleil's longest running production when it closed at the end of 2012. In 2011 it was the first show by Cirque du Soleil to be presented in Turkey, and Ukraine, in 2012 the first show in Slovakia and in Amman, Jordan. Saltimbancos last performance took place in Montreal on December 30, 2012 after 6,000 big top and arena appearances before 14 million spectators in 200 cities worldwide.
Set and technical information Saltimbancos set played on opposites and contradictions located within a cityscape. A rosace made of metal rings suspended over the stage allowed light to filter through like leaves on a tree. The lighting was cinematic in effect due to the usage of different colored gels. The facts listed below applied to the arena format of Saltimbanco, although some of these were also applicable to the grand chapiteau tour as well. The stage was in length and in width. The Chinese poles were in height. The equipment for the show weighed a total of and was transported and configured by 26 specialty technicians and 12 truck drivers. Approximately 140 people were hired locally in each city to set up and load out the show for the arena.
Cast The 51-member performance troupe included multiple musicians, singers, acrobats, and characters. Characters included:
The Urban Worms The Multicolored Worms The Cavaliers The Baroques The Death The Ringmaster The Baron The Dreamer The Punks The Songbird (La Belle) The Blue Gypsy The Child Eddie The Angels
The cast has featured numerous performers over the years including René Bazinet, Frédéric Volovitch and Andrea Conway.
Acts The acts in Saltimbanco were a mix of traditional circus acts with more modern acts.Adagio trio: Three acrobats performed in an adagio that drew inspiration from acrosport.Chinese poles: Up to 26 performers performed in this act using four poles in the middle of the stage. They climbed up, dropped down, jumped between, hung from, and even spun on these poles. Balancing on canes: A handbalance artist performed feats of strength and various contortion poses, including the Marinelli bend, while balancing on high handstand supports.Juggling: A juggler used multiple balls in a display of increasing dexterity.Boleadoras: Two performers twirled boleadoras in this unique act. The bolas are a percussion instrument that is hit against the ground to produce a loud popping sound. The act later included the use of the Taiko by one of the performers while the other used the bolas to play a complementary beat.Russian swing: Multiple artists jumped off a large swing, performing twists, spins, and flips, before landing on human pyramids, a mat, and other props.Solo trapeze: A young artist swung a trapeze incredibly high, whenever the trapeze was swung high the artist would spin up multiple times, and would catch the bar of the trapeze with her legs.Hand-to-hand: A duo used an incredible amount of body strength in this act as one would balance in a handstand on the other.Bungee: Four aerialists suspended from bungees flipped, swung, and bounced in synchronization with each other.
Rotational acts Aerial straps: A performer swung on these straps and would use upper body strength to create many dangerous poses.
Retired actsTight rope (double wire): An acrobat ascended a wire as two more tightropes, one three feet higher than the other, were revealed. She performed various tricks including flips, spins, and splits. She even backflipped from one rope to the other, and then jumped back. This act was removed from the arena version due to rigging issues.Contortion: This act featured four female contortionists from a previous Cirque du Soleil show, Nouvelle Expérience. It replaced the Boleadoras act for several years, but did not continue after the 1998 revival.Diabolo: This was a solo diabolo act using Western-style diabolo tricks.Vertical rope: This was one of the original Saltimbanco acts, a Spanish web act originally performed by the adagio troupe. This act was not seen outside of the North America/Japan tour.Manipulation: This act featured three women manipulating ribbons and hoops. It replaced the boleadoras act.Artistic bicycle: A bicycle artist wheeled around the stage, all the while playing the guitar, hand balancing, swinging and dancing on wheels.Duo trapeze''': This act featured two female artists who would swing on a trapeze, one would leap off and would be caught at the last minute by the other performer and be brought back onto the trapeze for the next trick.
Costumes The costumes in Saltimbanco were bright and vivid in color to accentuate the dynamism of the urban city. The colors used in the costumes were all primary colors: cyan, yellow, magenta, and green. The Baron, clad in black, red, and white, wore a cape, length-arm gloves, and tights. The Multi-Colored Worms wore jumpsuits that covered everything but their faces. The Urban Worms's masks were made of a polyester resin base which was both hypoallergenic and permeable to air.
Music
The Saltimbanco score was written and composed by René Dupéré, and was released as a studio album on October 9, 1992. The music has a range of musical influences from the classical to the modern.
Several other limited editions of the album have been released. In 2001 Cirque du Soleil Musique released a limited edition of the original 1992 soundtrack featuring two additional tracks, "Arlequin" and "Adagio" (performed by Laur Fugere). Another limited edition of the CD, Saltimbanco Live in Amsterdam, was created and distributed exclusively to staff members of Saltimbanco. The employee special edition features a live, in-house recording of an entire performance and is considered a collector's item.
The original soundtrack features the vocal work of Canadian vocalist Francine Poitras. In 2005, Cirque du Soleil re-recorded and released the soundtrack to update its music. Some songs were completely re-recorded, while others had new instrumentation added and included Poitras's original vocal track. Additional and new vocals were provided by Laurence Janot, a French singer who was touring with the show at the time. Every track was slightly edited in some form from the original CD.
Below is the list of tracks for 1992, 1996 and 2005 re-releases alongside are the acts during which each song was performed.
1992 studio album Kumbalawé (Opening pt. 2) Barock (Russian swing) Kazé (Double wire (1992–2006)) Amazonia (Duo trapeze, 1992–2011, 2011-2012) Norweg (Double wire, 1992–2006) Urgence (Hand to Hand) Pokinoï (Vertical rope, 1992–1994), (Boleadoras transition) Saltimbanco (Chinese poles) Il Sogno di Volare (Bungee) Horéré Ukundé (Finale) Rideau (Opening pt. 1)2002 extended edition bonus tracks. Recorded in Amsterdam. Adagio (Adagio Trio) Arlequin (Juggling (1992-1996, 1998-2012)) 1996 live album (Live in Amsterdam) CD 1 Cloche et Présentation (Introduction to the show) Rideau (Opening pt. 1) Kumbalawé (Opening pt. 2) Adagio (Adagio Trio) Saltimbanco (Chinese poles) Clown (Clown acts intro) Kazé/Norweg (Double wire (1992-2006)) Rêve (Transition) Arlequin (Juggling (1992-1996, 1998-2012)) Rave Out (Contortion, 1995-1997); (Manipulation, 1998-2001); (Balancing on Canes, 2009-2012)CD 2 Tap Dance (Cabaret Transition, 1994-2012) Barock (Russian swing) Cantus/Mélopeé (Solo trapeze, 1994–2006, 2011-2012) Amazonia (Duo trapeze, 1992–2011, 2011-2012) Démontage Trapèze (Solo/Duo Trapeze transition) (1994-2012) La Mort (Character scene) Urgence (Hand to Hand) Il Sogno di Volare (Bungee) Transfert (Transition) Horéré Ukundé (Finale) 2005 re-release Kumbalawé (Opening pt. 2) Saltimbanco (Chinese poles) Cantus-Mélopée (Solo trapeze, 1994–2006, 2011-2012) Norweg (Double wire, 1992–2006) Kazé (Double wire, 1992–2006) Barock (Russian swing) Adagio (Adagio trio) Amazonia (Duo trapeze, 1992–2011, 2011-2012) Pokinoï (Vertical rope, 1992–1994), (Boleadoras transition) Il Sogno Di Volare (Bungee) Horéré Ukundé (Finale) Rideau (Opening pt. 1)Other songs Boogaloo (Eddie's Clown acts, 1992–1997, 1998, 2000, 2004-2005) Slaloom (Bicycle) Diabolo (2002–2006) Artistic Bycicle (2007–2011) Aerial Straps (2012) Darkness (Intro to Boleadoras) Malamba Ver.1 (Boleadoras, 1992–1994) Malamba Ver.2 (Boleadoras, 1995–2006) Malamba Ver.3 (Boleadoras, 2007–2012) Sax (Cabaret Transition - Russian Swing transition, 1992–1994) Pocoleta (Second act intro) Démontage Trapèze Ver.1 (Solo/Duo Trapeze transition) (1992-1994)
Filmography
Saltimbanco's Diary A behind-the-scenes featurette on the making of Saltimbanco.
Cirque du Soleil Presents: Saltimbanco A television adaptation, filmed live in Atlanta in 1993 and released as a 78-minute VHS in 1994, though the show's acts continued to change significantly after it was filmed.
Saltimbanco 20 ans Pour Toujours / Forever 20 In 2012, just before the show's retirement, a behind-the-scenes documentary was filmed, titled Saltimbanco Forever 20 (directed by Eric Chaussé; director of photography: Miguel Henriques; editor: Julie Bouffard). This documentary had thus far remained unreleased, although a short clip was leaked in October 2013. In 2014 another excerpt was leaked featuring an interview with boleadoras performer Adriana Pegueroles;"Saltimbanco Documentary" at Miguelhenriques.com. "Adriana Pegueroles, Cirque du Soleil". YouTube. June 26, 2014. another clip, about the show's music, was published in 2019. In August 2025 the full documentary was found and uploaded to the Internet Archive.
Critical receptionVariety, "The show is different, but the lyricism and sense of wonder remain."Los Angeles Times, "With the delicacy and strength of a spider’s web, Saltimbanco straddles time and place and captures the imagination as only truly great theater can do."