MODULE 4: Summary Writing (Thurs 15/10/09, 2.30pm)

Today's workshop was on summary writing.


The first summary we created was on leisure activities in Britain:
The most favoured pastimes in Britain are home-based, with television being the most popular, including video, followed by listening to the radio.

We worked on the article about Laliberte, the creator of Cirque du Soleil. The main points of each paragraph were as follow:
1. Libertes background: Born in 1959. Background in street performance and entertainment.
2. Cirque’s origins: In 1980s applied for and received funding from Quebec government to put on a series of events to celebrate Jacques Cartier’s arrival in Canada. Was very successful. Cirque du Soleil was born from this.
3. Cirque’s early success: Was a public and critical hit at LA Arts Festival in 1987.
4. Cirque’s establishment of permanent venues: Sold out shows throughout late 1980s and early 1990s led to establishment of permanent circus venues – mostly found in Las Vegas but also around the world.
5. Spectator and employee numbers: Almost 100 million people have seen Cirque du Soleil and employs thousands of people all over the world.
6. Details of finances and family background: First contract from the Quebec government worth $1.5 mill, spent the Cirque's savings to perform at Los Angeles Festival, spent $35 million to be Canada's first space tourist. 2009 is Cirque du Soleil's 25th anniversary; Liberte is 50. He has 5 children and is engaged to former model Claudia Barilla.

EXTRA:

Click here for some tips on summary writing.
Here is some advice for writing longer summaries.

TODAY'S ARTICLE IS BELOW:

Often credited with reinventing the circus for modern audiences, Guy Laliberté was born in Quebec City in 1959. As a young man, he decided to pursue a career as an entertainer. After dropping out of college, he supplemented his skills as an accordionist by studying with street artists and buskers in Quebec and in Europe, picking up such talents as fire-eating, juggling and stilt-walking.
While performing with a troupe of talented but rag-tag street performers in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984, the confident, entrepreneurial Laliberté convinced the Quebec government to fund a series of shows to celebrate the 450th anniversary of Jacques Cartier's arrival in Canada. His newly named Cirque du Soleil incorporated the excitement, theatricality and intimacy of busking with the acrobatics, artistry and drama of the circus, doing away with animals and the divided three-ring setting. His musical mélange proved a winning formula.
Building on accolades received across Canada, in 1987, Laliberté gambled on securing the prominent but expensive first-night slot at the Los Angeles Arts Festival. It was a smash and paved the way for a sold-out run in L.A., a movie deal, a special theatrical award and widespread critical praise.
Other sold-out tours followed, and in 1993, Laliberté realized another element of his bold and expansive vision: permanent circus venues. Though most are located in Las Vegas, as of 2009, Cirque du Soleil has 10 "resident" shows in venues around the world, in addition to eight currently touring internationally.
Since its humble beginnings in 1984, close to 90 million people have taken in a Cirque show. Laliberté now employs more than 4,000 people on five continents, and his company has turned its headquarters of Montreal into a circus arts hub.
A well-known poker fan, Laliberté has long been a high-stakes player, from scoring that first $1.5 million contract from the Quebec government to draining the Cirque's savings to secure the 1987 Los Angeles Festival gig to, most recently, spending $35 million to be Canada's first space tourist. 2009 marks Cirque du Soleil's 25th anniversary; it's also the year Laliberté turned 50. A father of five, Laliberté is currently engaged to former model Claudia Barilla.
Jessica Wong, CBC News
(356 words)