Cirque du Soleil shares details of Astana show preparation
According to the director of the show Fernand Rainville, the concept of it is based on the idea of the past and the present creating the future.
"The show is based on human energy in the context of the future. The main character Arman is an archaeologist, who travels in time. And through his journey viewers will be able to see how the forgotten past meets the technological present," he says.
Fernand Rainville notes that he didn't know much about Kazakh culture before the start of the project. The director spent the first two months researching the history and culture of Kazakhs. "I was, in particular, fascinated by the history of Saks people and how they domesticated horses," he said. 
Together with the Senior Project Manager Bernard Poirer, they visited the country twice. In Kazakhstan, Fernand Rainville learned about Kazakh traditional dress. After coming back to Canada he instructed the designers to use certain motifs in the costumes for the show. "I thought that it is important to include horses in the show as well as the Sun. I loved the idea of Samruk and the elements of Kazakhstan's flag, such as the 32 rays representing the 32 tribes that formed the nation," he said.
According to him, the idea of REFLEKT is to look in the mirror and get a reflection of who you are, diving into your soul.
He added that the creators of the show did not intend to make it an accurate historical documentary. "We wanted to touch the Kazakh history but take it to a level of modernity. The costumes are not authentic, but they are inspired by the history and culture of Kazakhs. Costume designer James Lavoie and I were fascinated by the Golden Man, and wanted him to be included in the show as an iconic god-like character to show the spirit of nomad nation," he explained.
Fernand Rainville added that it takes a very long time to create a show of this scale. For example, composer Simon Carpentier, according to him, started working on the music for the show in January. "It is not exactly Kazakh music, but we tried to use the traditional dombra in our music, but we bring a lot of contemporary sounds into it," said the director.
He added that currently the show involves 120 artists but after the Premier it will go down to 80.
"We know Murat Muturganov and his team and invited him to the show. I also know two artists from Kazakhstan in Circus Du Soleil, Gaukhar and Valery. They both are great professionals," said the Project manager of 45DEGREES Marie-Josée Gagnon.
"We feel at home in Kazakhstan, because people are kind and friendly here. The weather resembles ours. Although it's less windy and colder in Montreal than in Astana," Bernard Poirier said.
"The show reveals the miracles of the seven elements of Kazakh culture," says Marie-Josée Gagnon. The premiere is on June 16. REFLEKT is a really amazing and mind-blowing show," she said adding that during the show no flash photos or videos are allowed.
