Saltimbanco

Saltimbanco is the oldest major touring show of Cirque Du Soleil at the time of its last performance, having run from the early 90's (1992,-2006). Saltimbanco's last performance in its original form (under the Grand Chapiteau, or Big Top) was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on December 10, 2006. An adaptation of Saltimbanco started touring North America on July 31, 2007, with its first stop in London, Ontario, Canada. Unlike the original show, this version will be staged in arenas, with shorter stops in each city it visits.

Cirque describes this show as a celebration of life. Its creators say they developed it to be an antidote to the violence and despair so prevalent in the 20th century. Saltimbanco offers its own vision of life, overflowing with optimism and joy. With its original score, Saltimbanco offers its own unique language conveyed through music, artistry, and singing.

According to the company's site, Saltimbanco comes from the Italian "saltare in banco", which literally means "to jump on a bench." However, the etymology of the word 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 collecting-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[1].

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'.

Here is a short trailer of the touring show Saltimbanco.