UCSB Arts & Lectures will present Montreal’s Cirque Éloize, which blows into town with “Hotel,” an elegant new work channeling Art Deco-era Hollywood glamour and combining acrobatics, theater, dance and live music on Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 7 p.m. at the Granada Theatre.    

A leader in contemporary circus, Cirque Éloize is reinventing the concept as many of us still know it, while featuring classic acts like the Cyr wheel, juggling, hand-to-hand, aerial ropes and straps, clowning and the Chinese pole. Celebrating its 25th anniversary with “Hotel,” Cirque Éloize balances thematic rigor with physical risk and a jazzy score featuring vocals and piano, plus instruments played by the performers.

Cirque Éloize welcomes you into a timeless art deco hotel, a place where strangers of all walks of life meet. “Hotel” is the story of a place full of stories, where the audience mingles with strangers for a moment. From the waiter overwhelmed by the events, to the mischievous maid, to the devoted handyman and his inseparable dog, Carpette, the hotel’s staff is like each of us, the privileged witnesses to slices of the lives of colorful individuals. 

Carried by the voice of the client on the top floor who comments, testifies and tells the story, one can meet the lovers who still do not know they are meant to be, these improbable travelers and this celebrity who goes out of her way to win her place in the firmament while revealing the depth of her being. Entering the lobby doors of this grandiose place will have the observer witness the intricately woven story of these travelers.

About the Company

A driving force of Quebec culture and a leader in the contemporary circus world for 25 years, Cirque Éloize has brought together the circus arts with other art forms as well as technology to thrill audiences seeking sensually rich entertainment.

Its creations, including “iD,” “Cirkopolis” and “Saloon,” have been viewed by more than 3.5 million spectators and performed more than 5,000 times in 550 cities all over the world.

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An acrobatic adventure set to the music of Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline and others will fill the stage when Cirque Éloize brings “Saloon” to the Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7.

Eleven members of the French-Canadian cirque troupe perform jaw-dropping physical feats, including “a chase worthy of the greatest Western,” while backed by live music.

Cirque Éloize performs jaw-dropping physical feats while backed by live music.

A driving force in the circus-art reinvention movement, the Montreal-based circus troupe has been creating award-winning cirque shows for nearly 25 years and ranks among the world’s leading contemporary circuses.

“We borrow from the world of the Wild West, which we have so much in common with: a fundamental commitment to moving forward, toughness and the survival instinct, a tendency for irreverence, and a sharing sense of community,” said Jeannot Painchaud, president and artistic director of Cirque Éloize and creative director of “Saloon.”

“Saloon” mixes country music with more festive, folk-inspired compositions. There are four musicians and singers on stage, and all the artists sing or play instruments.

A trailer for the show is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXQZma-68ig.

Tickets for the show, presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures, are $40-$65, or $19 for students, plus a Granada facility fee.

For tickets and more information, call UCSB Arts & Lectures at 805-893-3535 or visit www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu, or contact The Granada Theatre at 805-899-2222 or granadasb.org.

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