Updated: November 2, 2001

"In 1998 [Cirque du Soleil] created the $70 million 'O' theater at the Bellagio resort with an indescribable 1.5 million gallon pool. Cirque's exclusive $22 million aquatic spectacle is not only a phonetic play on the word eau, which is French for water, but a metaphor for Las Vegas.... Like Vegas, which literally implodes its history daily, and remakes itself like an actress without surgical scars, 'O' is a hyperbolic dream made real; on its surreal stage you see a pageant of charlatans, acrobats, contortionists, singers, dancers, divers, synchronized swimmers, clowns and daredevils. They make entrances and exits seamlessly, dancing and plunging onto a stage that melts in an instant from solid ground to water." —San Francisco Examiner Magazine (cover story)

"And then there is the circus. 'Just when I thought I was losing my spirit, came the opportunity to photograph these amazing, free, lighthearted people,' [Vial] says. 'I had always thought of the circus as nice but kind of depressing. I fell in love with them. The circus performers are also athletes, so much physical pain and magic. They have a common language. They are also like children, they just want to play and laugh.''" —Los Angeles Times

"At first glance, one is struck immediately by the bold, often garish, otherworldly characters that dance, cavort, swim, soar, and float through "O" Cirque du Soleil at Bellagio, a photographic interpretation of the dazzling stage production.... the book is your personal behind-the-scenes tour a transcendental trip. Grab a ticket and catch the magic." —Studio Photography & Design