Капля воды (Хореография Егора Дружинина)

The player will show in this paragraph

MONTREAL — Canadian space tourist Guy Laliberte´s "Poetic Social Mission" into space was transmitted live to the world Friday night, with help from an international, star-studded cast preaching the value of one of our planet´s most precious resources — water.

The two-hour show, titled Moving Stars and Earth for Water, was broadcast on TV and the Internet via Laliberte´s charity foundation, Onedrop.org. It began with a word from Laliberte floating in zero gravity aboard the Russian spaceship Soyuz TMA-16 docked to the International Space Station in Earth orbit, and went on to feature appearances by U2, Shakira, Al Gore, David Suzuki, Peter Gabriel and others from 14 cities around the globe.

"Hello everyone, welcome to the International Space Station," Laliberte began. "I am an artist, not a scientist."

The show, he explained, was "the only way I can make a significant contribution to this mission."

The "mission" is his 12-day, $35-million joyride around the planet. He talked of how "water touched me and inspired me. Water is the source of life. A child dies every eight seconds because of contaminated water."

Those sentiments were expanded upon by former U.S. vice-president Gore, who spoke next in a pre-recorded statement, and environmentalist Suzuki, who told how water connects "all forms of life on Earth" in an endless cycle.

The show moved to Cirque headquarters in Montreal, where astronaut Julie Payette and author Yann Martel began to recite his multilingual fable of the sun, the moon, the earth and the adventures of a lone drop of water.

The narrative, from which the show got its title, would be picked up by other guests throughout the evening, providing a unifying thread to the proceedings.

A performance by Cirque acrobats and trapezists followed. Then over to Johannesburg and Durban, South Africa, where Gabriel and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Wangaari Maathai continued the tale.

In Rio de Janeiro, Brazilian singer-songwriter and minister of culture, Gilberto Gil, informed us that "Brazil has the largest reserves of potable water on the planet," and therefore "the greatest responsibility to its conservation," before congratulating Laliberte on "this wonderful initiative."

Over to Paris where Quebec star Garou, France´s Patrick Bruel and others performed a melodramatic song by Luc Plamondon over striking aerial images of water.

In Mexico City, Salma Hayak spoke before ceding the stage to singer Lila Downs. Cut to pop star Shakira in New York, a song by soprano Tiffany Speight in Sydney, Australia, and British soul siren Joss Stone, performing from London.

Dispatches from Marrakech, Mumbai and Osaka added to the event´s globe-trotting variety show feel. Pacing was erratic at times, but overall things flowed remarkably smoothly.

The Internet broadcast benefited by having no commercial interruptions, and offering additional information on each of the participants.

The highlight should have come in the exchange between Bono (on stage from a U2 concert in Tampa, Fla.) and Laliberte, near show´s end, but their repartee fell rather flat.

Leave it to live footage from U2´s 360 tour to provide a much-needed boost of energy.

It all culminated with the Cirque in Moscow, bringing Laliberte´s at once self-promoting and philanthropic mission full circle.

"All for water, and water for all," he said, putting on his red clown nose. "Peace."

Источник: www.canada.com

афиша: апрель

21 апреля - гастроли в Литве с проектом "Балеты столетия", "Жальгирис", Каунас;

26 апре­ля, 19.00 - Юбилейный концерт Святослава Бэлзы, Новая Опера.

афиша: май

18 мая, 19.00 - "Жизель" (партнёрша - С.Лунькина), Большой театр;

20 мая, 19.00 - "Жизель" (партнёрша - А.Антоничева), Большой театр.

лучшие люди

Страничка Николая Цискаридзе на сайте проекта "Лучшие люди страны".