The sun stands for energy and youth, which is what I thought the circus should be about.

Cirque du Soleil means Circus of the Sun. When I need to take time to reenergize, I go somewhere by the ocean to sit back and watch the sunsets. That is where the idea of 'Soleil' came from, on a beach in Hawaii, and because the sun is the symbol of youth and energy.

We didn't reinvent the circus. We repackaged it in a much more modern way.

The planet will adapt to anything. Maybe we should start to use the heart and the brain that we've been given to organize ourselves. Because if we keep screwing up things, we may be just passing by in the history of the planet.

Originally the dream was about traveling and developing a job that would permit me to travel. And I decided to go into street performing because it was a traveling job; it would let me go around the world.

I like to not be too involved in the beginning and during the process so as to keep this fresh look and be able to give constructive recommendation on the final production.