Percussion

As I come to the end of my tour with Cirque du Soleil, I think about the amazing experience it has been.

My first show was the Moscow premier. It was the first time that I played the show, and it was the first time Cirque du Soleil had performed in Russia, a momentous occasion for Cirque du Soleil. Guy LaLiberte (founder and owner of Cirque) was in the audience, having recently returned from his trip to the International Space Station aboard the Russian Soyuz rocket. He was in amazing spirits and expectations were high. The band was showing me lots of love, and the vibe was very powerful in the house. It was an amazing night, with the most amazing party that followed.

One of my most amazing days on tour was when I saw Oumou Sangare live in Manchester. I had a djembe lesson with the legendary Seiku Diabate, and bought his beautiful Malian djembe from him after the lesson. That drum is definitely my prized posession, and I can't wait to share it with friends. Before the lesson, I had asked him if he would also sell me one of his "sessa" (the metal piece that goes on the side of a djembe). He said to me... "Oh no. I'm sorry, I can't, I need that".  And at the end of the lesson, as I took him back to his hotel in a taxi, he reached into his bag and pulled out his sessa and handed it to me. It was a great, great honor.

14 months later, having performed 432 shows in 6 countries and 9 cities across the world, I feel so proud to have been a part, and so proud to have introduced so many new instruments into the show. The band leader, Brigitte Larochelle, who was also bandleader on Cirque's Saltimbanco for many years, was very open minded and gracious about me bringing these new and personal sounds and instruments into the show.

As I return to New York, I have so much creative energy to share. New York is home and it's the artistic capital of the world, exactly where I want to be.

Luke Notary
Percussion, Drumset

Here is a video of me performing live during various acts of Varekai. What you hear is my personal in-ear monitor mix, complete with the cues from the band leader, Brigitte. What you see is me in my booth and a split screen of the action that we follow from the same night. Enjoy!