비언술적 공연 요소들의 소통적 기능 - 태양서커스의 공연을 중심으로 -

Abstract

Cirque du Soleil, which was founded in Quebec, Canada in 1984, is a circus troupe with an artistic circus. This study argues that Cirque du Soleil's spectacle and narrative elements play an important role in communicating with the audience. I categorized each non-verbal element of Cirque du Soleil's performances into the spectacle or the narrative in order to analyze its communicative functions. Theater, acrobat, and visual elements of acrobatics among the performance elements are considered as the spectacle. The spectacle is generally understood as a visually stimulating scene. The spectacle elements, however, are seen in a way of refined artistic forms; they are not simply attractive constitutions. These spectacle elements constitute the fundamentals of the artistic forms. For example, acrobatics presents symmetry, proportion, harmony, and rhythms in poly-dimensional ways. Then, it allows the audience to feel the aesthetical pleasure as the function of sensitive communication. Stories, characters, and visual elements of the characters are categorized into the narratives. Objectives on the stage, such as lightings and costumes, function as the sign which could be interpreted to specific meanings. The performances of Cirque du Soleil criticize passively-repeating daily routines, obsessions, isolations, and the lack of self-esteem, and then deliver a message of hope and potential humanities as the function of significant communication.