A Look At Theatre Director Franco Dragone And His Influence

You probably have seen one of his shows without really realizing who he was. He is behind spectacular shows like Celine Dion’s A New Day and the Cirque du Soleil’s emergence as the largest theatrical business in the world — he has surely changed the face of entertainment in Las Vegas forever. He is none other than Franco Dragone, the man who brought a new take on shows and artistic performance. But let’s go back to where it all began.

The Making Of A Business Man

Dragone is the brainchild of Franco Dragone, an Italian who immigrated with his family from Cairino, a village in the South of Italy, to La Louvière, a former mining area in Belgium, in the 1950s. Franco studied drama at the Royal Conservatory in Mons, where he discovered the tradition of ‘commedia dell’arte‘ and political theater, which allowed him to explore social situations through his work. Charged with strong emotions and realism, he incorporated true stories of homelessness, drug addiction and life in prison into his performances.

Celine Dion A New Day at Caesars Palace Las Vegas

Back To Where It All Started

Although internationally recognized, Belgium is always in Franco’s heart. His affection for the country is clear in the various creative projects from Belgian artists he has spearheaded, such as Lara Fabian‘s music video for ‘Adagio’. In 2000, he returned to La Louvière, his Belgian hometown and founded Dragone, an entertainment company which rose to international fame with its first Las Vegas show, A New Day…featuring Celine Dion. The show encountered such immediate success that its initial three-year contract was extended to two additional years, sealing Dragone’s future as an entrepreneur.

Following his desire to boost his hometown, Franco created Espace Dragone, a cultural non-profit organization that aimed to rejuvenate the area and its many communities by sponsoring cultural projects. In 2002, in partnership with the city of La Louvière and other stakeholders, Franco also created the famous urban opera Décrocher La Lune (Catch the Moon) under the supervision of Luc Petit. Since its inauguration, the show has been performed every three years in the streets of the La Louvière, which tells the story of Sancho Gilles, a giant who climbed up the church to unhook the moon, proving that nothing in this world is impossible. Each time the show premieres, it attracts tens of thousands of spectators. Dragone also boasts its own costume workshop where all the costumes featured in the show are produced and are tailored by a team of creative and talented designers.

Going Global

In addition to the success of Décrocher La Lune, Franco has also produced a variety of shows such as the EuroFoot opening ceremony in 2000, Chapeau Europa for the opening ceremony of the Belgian Presidency of the European Union in 2001 and more recently, the FIFA World Cup ceremony in Brazil.

But nothing seems to stop Franco, and now his creativity has pushed him across the world all the way to Macau, China where Dragone is producing their first permanent show with The House of Dancing Water, which attracts thousands of spectators. The show propelled the company in the East, making it a truly universal enterprise.

In the spring of 2015, the Lido in Paris launched a new show entirely produced by Dragone, which is inspired by the magic of the City of Light and features elegant costumes and dazzling performances to take the audience to a new realm of dreaminess.

Looking to constantly improve the spectator’s experience, Dragone invests heavily in outstanding talent, whether behind the creativity of its performance or even the most technical aspects of the shows. With its new général director, Didier Hamann, the company promises to take an even more creative turn and continue to amaze their audience.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.