Cirque du Soleil announced on Monday it is filing for bankruptcy protection and cutting thousands of jobs as the world's most famous circus troupe seeks to survive the coronavirus pandemic.
Struggling with a debt of more than $1 billion (Dh3.67bn), the Canadian group said its application would be heard by the Superior Court of Quebec on Tuesday. If granted, the Canadian company will then seek bankruptcy protection in the US.
In a statement, Cirque du Soleil said it has entered into a purchase agreement with its current shareholders, including a mix of investors from the US, Canada and China.
It will immediately lay off 3,480 workers who had previously been furloughed.
I look forward to rebuilding our operations and coming together to once again create the magical spectacle that is Cirque du Soleil for our millions of fans worldwide
"For the past 36 years, Cirque du Soleil has been a highly successful and profitable organisation. However, with zero revenues since the forced closure of all of our shows due to Covid-19, management had to act decisively to protect the company's future," said Daniel Lamarre, chief executive of Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group.
"I look forward to rebuilding our operations and coming together to once again create the magical spectacle that is Cirque du Soleil for our millions of fans worldwide."
Founded in 1984, the Cirque set up big tops in more than 300 cities around the world, delighting audiences with enchanting contemporary circus acts set to music, but without the usual trappings of lions, elephants and bears.
But the pandemic left it fighting for survival, forcing it to cancel shows worldwide, from Las Vegas to Moscow and Melbourne, and furlough more than 4,500 acrobats and technicians – or 95 per cent of its workforce.
Buying the Cirque
Founder Guy Laliberte had announced in May he was interested in trying to buy back the troupe, adding he wanted to keep the headquarters in Montreal and keep a Quebecois management team.
The Quebec government offered a conditional loan a few days later of $200 million. The provincial economic minister also said that an agreement had been reached with Cirque's current shareholders to buy out their participating shares.
"Our current shareholders, with the help of Investissement Quebec," the Quebec government's arm, have filed a "proposal" to purchase the company, Lamarre said, noting they will have first right of refusal.
A group of shareholders – which includes private equity firm TPG, Chinese conglomerate Fosun and Investissement Quebec – will initially acquire company assets in exchange for providing $300 million in liquidity as the restructuring venture seeks other investors.
The expectation is that the company will emerge from the US bankruptcy process with less debt and able to "meaningfully advance toward an eventual restart by launching the in-court process immediately", Cirque du Soleil said.
The plan establishes two employee assistance programmes totalling $20 million under the restructuring. Cirque announced it intends to re-hire most of the laid-off employees as soon as conditions allow.
Click through the gallery below to see when the Cirque du Soleil show 'Bazzar' came to Abu Dhabi in 2019:
India team for Sri Lanka series
Test squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Priyank Panchal, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubhman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharath (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Sourabh Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.
T20 squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Avesh Khan
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20Z%20FLIP5
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Company%20profile
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The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures: Monday, first 50-over match; Wednesday, second 50-over match; Thursday, third 50-over match
BLACKBERRY
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Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
England v South Africa schedule:
- First Test: At Lord's, England won by 219 runs
- Second Test: July 14-18, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 2pm
- Third Test: The Oval, London, July 27-31, 2pm
- Fourth Test: Old Trafford, Manchester, August 4-8
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Bert van Marwijk factfile
Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends