Forgive the lack of posts this past month, I've had little to no internet access since going back on tour. We only have a few shows left before I head on my merry way, so if all goes well, updates will be coming along soon.
In the meantime, here is a photo from LIFE magazine for your enjoyment.
This is just a quick note to let you know that I'm back on tour and have no idea what the internet situation is going to be like where I am. If there is no connection available on site or nearby, then there will likely be very little activity here over the next month or so. If there is internet, then you can likely just ignore this message.
Ladies and gentlemen, if you're anything like me, you'll be in Montreal this July to take advantage of all that the Festival Montreal Completement Cirque has to offer. And if, like me, your budget means being more selective than you would like when it comes to which shows you're going to see, do I have some exciting news for you!
New this year to the festival is the Passport Completement Accro! For $100 you can have your very own circus passport allowing you to see every single show!
That's 10 shows for $100! And considering the least expensive shows have an admission of $25, and others having the least expensive seats available at $35, that's a pretty sweet deal!
There are restrictions of course. Your magical pass means seats in the cheapest sections, but frankly, those are the seats I would have purchased anyway. And Amaluna, while part of the festival, is not part of this deal. I was also hoping it meant that I could see shows more than once (I would like to see both nights of Impro Cirque) but the passport allows only one entry per show.
The Passport Completment Accro is available only at La Vitrine.
I mostly just skimmed through the names of the shows and recognized very few of this year's fare. Whether that's good or bad remains to be seen and I will have to look into what will be playing a little more closely in the following days.
But....
BUT.
There is one show that most definitely got a reaction out of me when I saw they'll be coming. I literally gasped and covered my face. Gasped and covered my face!
I have been dying to see this show since I first saw the promo video of it a couple of years ago. It looks utterly brilliant and I am so, so, so excited that it's finally coming to me!
Check out the video and get excited, people! Race Horse Company is coming!
Today is the unveiling of this year's installment of the Montreal Completement Cirque festival! It's already been announced that Circle of Eleven and les 7 doigts de la main will have shows in the festival, and I'm very curious and excited to learn the rest of the program. Unfortunately, I'm in rehearsal all day with a show at night, and so I won't be able to cover the exciting news until tomorrow at the earliest.
Wondering what the students of the National Circus School of Montreal are up to this year? Well wonder no more!
The school has changed it show formula a number of times in the past decade, from one show, to three shows on the same night, to two shows on the same night, to two completely different shows on different nights. But when you have 24 graduates (that's a little less than double the amount of artists the year I graduated!), I suppose putting on two shows is the only reasonable choice there is.
"As a grand finale to its 30th anniversary year, the National Circus School puts 24 talented graduates in the spotlight for two new productions at Tohu from May 29 to June 10. The young artists will present the fruits of their labours, all they have learned over many years of professional training in circus arts. This event serves as a unique prelude to Montreal's festive and "Complètement cirque" summer, and has become a must-see for circus aficionados. Two original creations, Génération 2.0 and La flèche au cœur (The Arrow in the Heart), will be presented in alternating performances. They feature breathtaking solo, duet and group numbers, spanning a striking array of circus disciplines. These high-quality, affordable shows are an ideal outing for the whole family.
In Génération 2.0, young adults reinvent themselves, meticulously recording the process. They have 20 years of life and 900 friends in their pockets. Acute narcissists, they experience life with eyes riveted on the seductive oblivion of virtuality, the bluish glow in the palm of their hands. But time marches on and they must grow up… Anthony Venisse, director of Génération 2.0, has contributed creatively to numerous projects with circus companies as a performer, choreographer or director. In 2008, he created at Tohu a solo show, Le Concierge. Most recently, his work Minutes, was an integral part of the Montréal Complètement Cirque festival programming; a large-scale series of impromptu circus street pieces.
La flèche au cœur is an odyssey through a place of devastation where only a few stray beings remain. Together, they search amongst the debris for traces of their pasts with which to reconstruct their histories. It's an ode to love, community and hope, directed with a touch of zaniness by Estelle Clareton and Howard Richard. Estelle Clareton has worked as a theatre and dance performer as well as a choreographer and director. For the past 15 years she has directed her own company devoted to choreographic exploration and creation, creating close to a dozen works including her most recent creation, S’envoler. Howard Richard, an enduring presence on the Montreal choregraphic scene, has also been involved with the circus for more than 20 years as director and choreographer. Among other projects, for the past several years he has collaborated creatively with French theater and circus company HVDZ."
Génération 2.0
Friday June 1 at 8 pm
Saturday June 2 at 1 pm
Saturday June 2 at 6 pm
Sunday June 3 at 1 pm
Tuesday June 5 at 8 pm
Thursday June 7 at 8 pm
Saturday June 9 at 3 :30 pm
Saturday June 9 at 8 :30 pm
Sunday June 10 at 3 :30 pm
La flèche au cœur:
Saturday June 2 at 3 :30 pm
Saturday June 2 at 8 :30 pm
Sunday June 3 at 3 :30 pm
Wednesday June 6 at 8 pm
Friday June 8 at 8 pm
Saturday June 9 at 1 pm
Saturday June 9 at 6 pm
Sunday June 10 at 1 pm
I'm afraid I won't be any reviewing of the shows as I won't be in town to see them. But if the promo video is any indication, you can at least be sure of some pretty stellar technique!
April 30th marked the 10 year anniversary of esteemed Montreal circus company les 7 doigts de la main! It was also the 200th performance of their show Traces!
les 7 doigts de la main is a company that has deeply influenced me as an artist and holds an incredibly special place in my heart. I first saw their show Loft as a wet behind the ears circus student. I'm not sure I had even been doing circus for a month at that point and the only circus I had ever seen was Cirque du Soleil.
les 7 doigts de la main turned my every notion about circus completely on its head. Which, all things considered, is probably how it should be. My immediate reaction upon seeing 7 doigts was "F*** Cirque du Soleil, this is what circus can be!"
I had no idea that circus could be so... human. Or that such poetry and magic could be found without insanely elaborate costumes and otherworldly make-up. I had no idea that tricks could make you feel more than just the awe of having witnessed an acrobatic feat, but that tricks could make you laugh, and even cry.
To me, they were circus gods. Gods made all the more godly because they were totally accessible. And by that I mean you could very easily just go up and talk to them. And the impression I have always had is that if they could, they would take every aspiring circus artist under their wings.
les 7 doigts de la main is the kind of company that comes around once in a generation. And let me tell you, it feels pretty amazing to say "I was there when..."
So hat's off to you, 7 doigts, and here's to another phenomenal 10 years!
Toward the end of my adventures I received an e-mail informing me that I was invited to audition for Cirque du Soleil. This didn't come as a total surprise as I had applied for the audition knowing that it would be taking place while I would be home for another project. What was a surprise was the date of the audition. By the time I got home, I would have only four days to prepare. And this was after a month without any training whatsoever.
Yikes.
As you can imagine, when I got home I worked my acrobatic little butt off. I managed to run my act, an act that is completely different from the one I do in my show I might add, nine times. I should also mention that during the four days I had to prepare, I also had rehearsals for that other project I'm involved in. And I got sick.
Like I said, I worked my butt off.
Imagine my surprise when I arrived for the audition to discover that, even though it had been announced on Facebook, only three of the auditioners (myself included) were professionals. I say 'professionals' because the other people auditioning were students who would be graduating from either the Montreal or Quebec schools a little later this spring.
I know I'm good at what I do, and I have quite a few years of performance under my belt, something these kids don't. So in that respect, I felt pretty good. But I also just came off a month long break whereas these kids are all in the best shape of their lives. Hm...
The good news is, I nailed my act. I absolutely rocked it. The school kids all seemed pretty impressed too. One of the perks of having a discipline that virtually no one does, I suppose. That and I'm awesome.
The acro testing went well, as did the acting and dance. Conditioning probably went well in the grand scheme of things, but next to these soon-to-be graduates, I looked like a grade A weakling. Sure, I busted out nine chin-ups and nine leg-ups. I even managed to climb the rope a third of the way up without using my legs. That was something I had never attempted and I expected to be unable to even get off the mat. But these kids? We're talking 12 and 15 chin-ups! Or so many leg lifts that they were just told to stop... And don't even get me started on the flexibility portion. I swear, every one of them was a contortionist. Even the boys. It took me three years just to get my belly to touch my legs in pike sit so you can imagine how well I did there.
The audition lasted EIGHT HOURS.
That night, when I got home, I could barely walk. I can't remember the last time I was that exhausted. It took 48 hours before I began to feel even remotely normal again.
I'd like to say it was all worth it. After all, I did get accepted into their talent bank and will supposedly be considered for special events. But the entire bubble I had built around myself over the course of the day was unceremoniously popped by the woman in charge of casting when she told me flat out "Cirque isn't really into German wheel, even though I try to push it for new creations. They prefer something more dynamic, like cyr wheel."
I wanted to cry. I've always felt threatened by cyr wheel and here is the biggest circus company in the world confirming all my cyr wheel fears. I felt, and feel, so frustrated. I drove myself into the ground for that audition only to be told there's no love for the German wheel. Also, how the hell is German wheel not dynamic?
Who knows? It's not like I was really expecting them to offer me a contract at that very moment. But sometimes hopes and dreams have a way of getting ahead of reality. At least now I have a foot in the door, right?
Have you ever wanted to run away and join the circus? Experience life under the Big Top? Fly through the air with the greatest of ease, be the daring young man on the flying trapeze? If so, welcome to Kicking Sawdust.
