While the official start to the Montreal Completement Cirque international circus festival may be tomorrow, things are already underway! Earlier this evening at place Émilie-Gamelin (a hub for the festival this summer) the stage was set for the circus' three week takeover of Montreal.
Beginning with the cast of Minutes Completement Cirque, spectators were treated to an assault of street performance. Juggling, acrobatic bicycle, contortion, acrobatics...50 artists flaunted their skills to trumpet the arrival of the MCC Roulotte.
For the first few minutes, it was indeed an impressive sight. But the chaos quickly gave way to a sense of "Look at me! Look at me!" while artists performed random skills all over the place. The many reporters, camera operators and photographers running amok and blocking the view didn't help. The installation of the Roulotte took quite some time and for a moment, the entire event seemed to sour. Chaos and dead air...
Fortunately, director of the Minutes Completement Cirque Anthony Venisse soon stepped in to have his artists move on to Act II.
Though still a little messy and at times a little too simple, there were some lovely moments. Already, the sheer number of artists in the space created a lovely tableau, and their black and white costumes (with red high tops) contrasted beautifully with the blue 'stage'.
Highlights would definitely have been slackrope performed with the help of human anchors and the use of nearby rooftops.
I realize that I can sometimes be jaded and quite picky. But I feel that, overall, the animation was a little dull. I don't feel that I saw anything new or exciting. One artist spent the entire time running around with a big red ribbon asking if anyone had scissors. It took only a fraction of a second to deduce that, this being an opening, she was setting up for the ribbon cutting ceremony. It was cute, but for a circus event of this kind, one generally hopes for some surprises with a little 'ooo' and 'ahh' thrown in.
And that's when the boys of Cirque Alfonse stepped in to save the day.
Cirque Alfonse, one of the many home grown troupes to grace the festival this year, treated spectators with a preview of their show, Timber! , which can really only be described one way: Lumberjack circus.
Let me just say that again...
Lumberjack circus!
Accompanied by live musicians and a decor of three tree stumps, these burly acrobats kicked off the festival with a fun, clever, and technically exciting performance. Performing all the skills on the tree stumps not only created atmosphere, but also elevated the level of technical skills into something truly exciting. And if I may, did you get a load of those beards? Outstanding!
And so my problem just got worse. With such an exciting line up of shows and such a limited budget, what will I go see? And with so much to take in, how will I make it until the 24th without succumbing to exhaustion?
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