Cirque du Soleil originated in Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec, Canada, in the early 1980s as a troupe of street performers led by Guy Laliberté and Gilles Ste- Croix. Their initial project grew from Les Échassiers de Baie-Saint-Paul (The Baie-Saint-Paul Stiltwalkers) to a touring company funded by a government grant, ultimately becoming Cirque du Soleil (Circus of the Sun) in 1984 as part of Quebec's 450th anniversary celebrations for Jacques Cartier. The concept combined street theatre roots with contemporary circus artistry, stagecraft, and touring discipline, expanding into a global phenomenon over subsequent decades.