Founder of Cirque du Soleil Guy Laliberté wears a clown nose during a press conference outside Moscow on September 10, 2009. (Dmitry Kostyukov//AFP/Getty Images)
Guy Laliberté, founder of the Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil, will be traveling to space next month to hold a live event in orbit.
Lilaberté is due to fly into space on Sept. 30 aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule with Expedition 21 to travel to the orbiting International Space Station. He will be spending over $35 million for the 11-day trip.
In a webcast news conference from Moscow, Laliberté said he plans to host a two-hour live show from the space station promoting global access to clean water.
Described as the “first social artistic mission in space, the show will be broadcast from the International Space Station on Oct. 9.
The broadcast from space will be linked with theaters and stages in London, Paris, London, Paris, New York, Tokyo, Sydney, Montreal, Moscow, Johannesburg, Mumbai, Marrakesh, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Monica, California, and Tampa, Florida.
According to Laliberté, environmentalist and former U.S. vice president Al Gore, Irish rock band U2, and other celebrities will take part in the live show from 14 cities around the world.
“During the past 25 years, my travels on earth have allowed me to meet extraordinary people: artists, leaders and friends,” said Laliberté in a statement. “I am deeply touched that they have accepted to contribute their voices, their talent and their creativity to my artistic project. They have done so because they share my concerns about water and my belief that through art and emotion we can convey a universal message.”
According to Laliberté, the concept for the show developed during the first day of training and the poetic direction of the show was inspired by children's stories. Each performance will feature factors associated with water.
“My wish is to touch people through an artistic approach and if we manage to do so, we will go beyond awareness,” said Laliberté.
"I just hope that as a citizen of Earth, this will inspire people in a new way," said Laliberté.
A former street performer turned billionaire, LalibertéLaliberté will become the seventh private citizen to become a “space tourist.”
