Space and time, fundamental ingredients in stage creation, are now the title of two parallel creations developed for and with these young artists from the Circus and High School program.
Two dizygotic twin pieces, born from the same parameters and instructions, but oh so different at birth!
With masks, there is no escaping from it. So let’s talk about it. Evoking the odd times we live in without sticking to it. Talking about the effort of the group, the isolation, but the strength of the individual, the bubbles, the routines, the friendship, the happy memories and the hope for better days. All together, all the time, in the same big circle, in the same big circus!
Divided into two groups, our 30 students from the program presented these two parallel creations of about 30 minutes each from the School’s own studios. A novelty this year, due to the pandemic, this two-part show was streamed live online to an audience of more than 120 people from all over the world.
Although this was a very special year for the circus arts, the students as well as the creative and technical teams have risen to the challenge brilliantly to offer us this virtual show. The extraordoinary context also tinted the creation of the two presentations, as creator Yves St-Pierre reveals: “The parameters and constraints have become for me elements of inspiration and, at the same time, engines of creation. The result is tainted by what we are experiencing collectively at the moment…and that’s perfect!
It was a magnificient, enriching and stimulating experience. I hope I have succeeded in conveying the idea that rigorous work, the quality of the preparation and consistency in the rehearsal bring greater freedom and pleasure in the performance phase of a show.”
Despite the success of the event, Yves St-Pierre can only hope that the students will return to the stage quickly: “The online streaming was certainly a great opportunity to demonstrate the progress made together this year, but the circus arts, like the other performing arts, take on their full meaning in front of a live audience. I sincerely wish it to the students for the next year.”
Yves St-Pierre is a multidisciplinary artist that navigates between circus, other performing arts and visual arts. Over the course of his career, he has been called upon to work in various positions, including artistic coach, artistic assistant, backstage manager, artistic coordinator and assistant director.
