With a nod to golden-age artists from Fred Astaire to Charlie Chaplin Womens Trevor Story Jersey , French choreographer Philippe Decouflé has brought a musical extravaganza to London inspired by the soul-selling diabolical story of Faust.


Best known for his work with Cirque du Soleil and for staging the ceremonies at the Albertville Olympics of 1992, Decouflé's vibrant and eclectic style is reflected in his latest show Contact.


"It's a very free adaptation of Faust but it's also a variation on musical comedy - a homage to a genre that is fun in the noble sense of the word," the indefatigable 53-year-old told AFP.


"It's a show I love and which has been very complicated to stage. I put a lot into it. It appeals to all my senses and it has taken a long time," he said, explaining the two years of preparations.


Contact premiered in Paris in January and has already traveled to Belgium and Germany.


A tour stop in Japan is planned for next year.


The bewildering mix of styles in this rock opera ballet is heavily inspired by the late German dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch's famous Kontakthof, which also gave Decouflé the idea for the name.


There are elements of the musical West Side Story and Michael Jackson's Thriller alongside tributes to classic Hollywood musical comedy.


The Faust myth tells the story of a frustrated man who enters a pact with the devil to fulfil his desires.


By EVAN DUGGAN


VANCOUVER Wade Davis Authentic Jersey , Aug 16 (Xinhua) -- The first round of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) talks got off to a rocky start in Washington Wednesday with the U.S.'s chief negotiator calling for a full overhaul of the 23-year-old pact, instead of simple tweaks.


Meanwhile, in Vancouver, trade experts cautioned that NAFTA talks could last many months or even years, as Canada, Mexico and the U.S. iron out new provisions and chapters of the treaty Jon Gray Authentic Jersey , which U.S. President Donald Trump has called the worst trade deal ever signed.


Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland remarked Wednesday that Canada aims to maintain NAFTA as an engine for economic growth and jobs. She said her team of negotiators aim to cut red tape for business, make it easier for professionals to work North America-wide and to create a pact that boosts rights for labor, women and indigenous people, while also doing more to protect the environment.


"I want to be clear that (Trump) is not interested in a mere tweaking of a few provisions and a couple of updated chapters," U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer said during opening remarks in Washington. "We feel that NAFTA has fundamentally failed many, many Americans and needs major improvement."


Two trade and economy experts at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in