Since its inception in 2013, the annual One Night for ONE DROP event has raised nearly $18 million in support of ONE DROP – the organization established by Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté to bring sustainable water resources to underdeveloped regions of the world.  With programs in Latin America, Asia, and West Africa already active, more than one million people have been helped by ONE DROP, with projects in Guatemala, India, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Mexico launched this past year, alone.

Now, in its fourth year, One Night for ONE DROP is leaving the Las Vegas Strip, and will be unrolling the blue carpet and making its debut at The Smith Center for Performing Arts, in Downtown’s beautiful Symphony Park, on Friday, March 18th.

What makes the performances seen at One Night for ONE DROP different from those in any other Cirque du Soleil productions is that they are part of a unique one-night-only show.  This means that the performers, acrobats, dancers, choreographers, and aerialists, have spent months rehearsing, on their own time, for a show that will be seen only once. 

This year’s show – A Quest for Water - is based on a chapter from the life of artistic director, Hassan El Hajjami. When visiting his grandmother in Morocco, Hassan realized that she truly had to walk for water every day, as they had no running water in the village. It had a profound effect on him, causing him to realize how fortunate he was, back at home in France.  It’s this stark contrast that formed the basis of this year’s very personal and touching show.

A significant change, for 2016, finds not only artists from all the Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas (who will account for roughly half of the cast); but also performers from other iconic Las Vegas productions such as Jubilee!, Matt Goss, and Zombie Burlesque.

Furthermore, the evening will feature Grammy-nominated mezzo-soprano Leona Lewis.  After bursting on the scene by winning the third series of The X Factor, in 2008 she became the first British female solo artist to hit #1 on the US Billboard 200 album chart in more than two decades, thanks in great part to the success of her single, “Bleeding Love” topping the charts in more than 30 countries, becoming the best-selling single of that year.  As a result, Billboard named Lewis the “Top New Artist” of 2008.

And, like a charismatic cherry on top of this ice cream sundae of an evening, Miles Brown (known to millions as ‘Jack Johnson’ on the hit ABC sitcom, Black-ish) will be a featured performer in the show; portraying a fictionalized version of his friend, the show’s director, Hassan El Hajjami.  When I spoke with Brown (after discussing such disparate topics as watching old episodes of Soul Train, and working alongside such legendary talents as Jenifer Lewis and Laurence Fishburne), he told me, “I’m really honored to be working with Cirque du Soleil, which is something I’ve been wanting to do ever since I met Hassan.  And when he called me up, and asked if I wanted to be a part of ONE DROP, I said ‘Yup!’”

It’s no wonder!  With nearly 1,800 Cirque du Soleil performers and employees volunteering, and such celebrated attendees and participants as John Legend, Prince Albert II of Monaco, Britney Spears, Roberto Cavalli, The Tenors, Nigel Lithgoe, Boys II Men, Neil Patrick Harris, Mary Wilson, Danny Elfman, Jackie Evancho, Shania Twain, and Michael Phelps; the evening has been named one of the ‘10 Best Annual Events in Las Vegas’ by USA Today.

One Night for ONE DROP (4th Edition)
The Smith Center for the Performing Arts
Click HERE for tickets and info

Get into it!
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