CIRQUE DU SOLEIL TO PERFORM “SALTIMBANCO”
IN OKLAHOMA CITY

Cirque du Soleil is bringing one of its signature shows, Saltimbanco, to Oklahoma City, from Dec. 3 through Dec. 7 at the Ford Center. For ticket information please go to www.cirquedusoleil.com or call (405) 235-8288. Box Office (405) 602-8700, Group Sales (405) 602-8512, Wheelchairs (405) 235-8288.
 
•    Saltimbanco - from the Italian “saltare in banco,” which means “to jump on a bench” – explores the urban experience in all its myriad forms: the people who live there, their idiosyncrasies and likenesses, families and groups, the hustle and bustle of the street and the towering heights of skyscrapers. Between whirlwind and lull, prowess and poetry, Saltimbanco takes spectators on an allegorical and acrobatic journey into the heart of the city.

•    Saltimbanco is a Cirque du Soleil signature show inspired by the urban fabric of the metropolis and its colorful inhabitants. Decidedly baroque in its visual vocabulary, the show’s eclectic cast of characters draws spectators into a fanciful, dreamlike world, an imaginary city where diversity is a cause for hope.

•    Saltimbanco:  pronounced ‘sal-tim-ban-co’

•    The etymology of the word “saltimbanco” reflects its acrobatic associations. A 'salto' is a somersault 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 and encouraging them to stay longer and hopefully put more money in the collection hat. The descendants and successors of these performers are familiar to us as circus artistes, in many cases following their family traditions by touring to perform as their ancestors did.
•    English has lost the word 'saltimbank' from current usage; but it is still very familiar in Italian and Spanish as 'saltimbanco', and in French as 'saltimbanque.' (Chris Barltrop for Wikipedia)