Cirque du Soleil eyes permanent home in HK

Cirque du Soleil is touring Hong Kong again with the possibility of making the city a permanent home.

Among the list of other possible places for a resident show for the international circus troupe are New York, London, Singapore, Dubai and Macau.

'Our model works well with the casino scene, but with Disney in Hong Kong this could mean we choose Hong Kong over Macau. We really do not know,' said Milan Rokic, the troupe's Asia Pacific region managing director. 'A resident show requires a turnover of population for it to stay put, and that's why Disneyland will work.'

Cirque du Soleil, which was formed in Canada, is hired by Disney to create shows for its theme parks. At present it has resident shows in Las Vegas and at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Cirque du Soleil has performed twice in Hong Kong, at the Tamar site in 2000 and at Victoria Park in 1996. It will stage its latest show, Quidam, at Cyberport in November. Quidam is a Latin word meaning anonymous passer-by. The story is told through the eyes of a 12-year-old girl on a journey to connect with her parents. She is led by Quidam, a headless character.

The brainchild behind the idea is its director, Franco Dragone, who saw the people of New York walking past each other with their heads down and not communicating.