TIMELINE: The history of the Cirque du Soleil

MONTREAL – The Cirque du Soleil has signed a deal to sell a majority stake in the famed circus group to U.S. private equity firm TPG for an undisclosed price.

A timeline:

1984 – To mark the 450th anniversary of French explorer Jacques Cartier’s arrival in Canada, the Quebec government hires Guy Laliberte and Gilles Ste-Croix’s troupe of about 20 street performers. They create the Le Grand Tour du Cirque du Soleil, and take the show on the road to 11 Quebec communities.

1985 – The troupe travels beyond Quebec for the first time, playing in Ottawa, Toronto and Niagara Falls, and then onto western cities a year later. By 1987, it performs in California and earns raves reviews for its We Reinvent the Circus show.

1990 – We Reinvent the Circus goes to London and Paris.

1994 – The company marks its 10th anniversary with the show Alegria, opening in Montreal. It plays in 250 cities for more than 14 million audience members, closing in December 2013.

1998 – The troupe’s new show, O, opens in Las Vegas’s Bellagio hotel and casino. O is the troupe’s first aquatic performance.

2003 – Zumanity, an adult-only Cirque show, opens at another hotel in Las Vegas.

2009 – Laliberte becomes Canada’s first private space explorer.

2010 – Laliberte receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2012 – The troupe launches a creative production service aimed at helping other artists and organizations. Madonna’s halftime Super Bowl performance uses the Cirque’s artistic direction.

2013 – An acrobat from Paris, France becomes the first-ever fatality during a Cirque performance. Sarah Guyard-Guillot falls to her death at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

2014 – The Cirque marks its 30th anniversary.

2015 – LaLiberte announces a deal to sell a majority stake to U.S. private equity firm TPG; Chinese investment firm Fosun and Quebec pension fund manager the Caisse de depot will hold minority stakes. He says the deal will move the Cirque forward in its evolution as a company “founded on the conviction that the arts and business, together, can contribute to making a better world.”