Poetic Social Mission Countdown Begins as Guy Laliberté Prepares for Launch of Expedition 21 Aboard Soyuz-TMA 16 Spacecraft

Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan (ots/PRNewswire) -

- Actors Matthew McConaughey and Salma Hayek, Singers Joss Stone
and Élisapie Isaac, Musical Group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Bolshoi
Ballet Principal Dancer Nicolai Tsiskaridze and Poet Touria Ikbal
Join Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, U2, and Others in the
Effort to Tackle the Global Water Crisis

Guy Laliberté announces confirmed participation of additional
world- renowned celebrities and musicians in his Poetic Social
Mission, as he prepares for the Expedition 21 launch. A 120-minute
global event featuring musical performances by major international
artists and the reading of a poetic tale by well-known celebrities,
the Poetic Social Mission seeks to raise awareness through artistic
illustration of the humanitarian struggles and solutions associated
with water.

Actors Matthew McConaughey and Salma Hayek, singers Joss Stone,
Élisapie Isaac, Hélène Ségara, Jean-Jacques Goldman, Michel Fugain,
Natasha St Pier, Lorie and Zazie, musical group Ladysmith Black
Mambazo, Bolshoi Ballet principal dancer Nicolai Tsiskaridze and
poet Touria Ikbal join their voices with previously announced Former
U.S. Vice President Al Gore, A. R. Rahman, Cirque du Soleil, Claude
Challe, Dr. David Suzuki, Fnaïre, Frank De Winne, Garou, Gilberto
Gil, Gregory Colbert, Jean Lemire, Julie Payette, Maud Fontenoy,
Patrick Bruel, Peter Gabriel, Peter Lik, Shakira, Simon Carpentier,
Tatuya Ishii, Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, Tiffany Speight, U2, Vandana Shiva
and Yann Arthus-Bertrand.

The event will take place simultaneously on October 9th at 20:00
EDT (-4 GMT) in Montreal, Moscow, Santa Monica, New York City,
Johannesburg, Mumbai, Marrakesh, Sydney, Osaka, Tampa, Mexico City,
Rio de Janeiro, Paris, London and the International Space Station.

A global webcast and broadcast

RDI, Le Réseau de l'information of Société Radio-Canada will act
as exclusive host broadcaster in Canada and DIRECTV, the world's
leading provider of satellite television, will broadcast the global
artistic event in standard and high definition on The 101 Network in
the United States, and via DIRECTV Latin America on Channels 999 and
1004. Other international broadcasters may join in to present part
or all of this event. The artistic event "Moving Stars and Earth for
Water" will also be made available live in its entirety on
onedrop.org.

For 120 minutes, the earth will gaze up at the stars and
resonate to the rhythms of artists and world-renowned figures who
will demonstrate their commitment to water and pay tribute to this
vitally important natural resource.

This first social artistic mission in space is made possible by
Space Adventures, the company that has arranged all the previous
private spaceflights.

For more information about Cirque du Soleil, visit
cirquedusoleil.com. To find out more about the One Drop Foundation,
visit http://www.onedrop.org. For more information, please visit
http://www.spaceadventures.com.

For further information: Tania Orméjuste, Cirque du Soleil,
+1-(514)-723-7646, ext. 8335, tania.orméjuste@cirquedusoleil.com/

ots Originaltext: Cirque du Soleil
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
For further information: Tania Orméjuste, Cirque du Soleil,
+1-(514)-723-7646, ext. 8335, tania.orméjuste@cirquedusoleil.com/