Cirque du Soleil to perform at Oscars

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Cirque du Soleil has been booked to perform at the 84th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, telecast producers announced Friday.

The one-time-only event will feature the largest Cirque cast assembled for a single act, they said. The acrobatic troupe will be accompanied by the music of Danny Elfman, who wrote the score for Cirque du Soleil's "Iris, A Journey through the World of Cinema."

The troupe's first appearance, at the 74th Academy Awards, sparked discussions about creating a permanent show at the Kodak Theatre and resulted in the creation of "Iris."

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 are to be presented Feb. 26 at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center.