Focus Cirque in Normandy
Updated on 21/03/2019
The Institut français is joining forces with the 10th edition of the SPRING Festival in Normandy, the only contemporary circus festival in France taking place at the regional level, to put together a Circus Focus from 12th to 16th March.
With the support of France’s international cultural network, the Institut français is inviting nearly fifty international programmers from more than thirty countries across five continents. This delegation particularly features Europe and the arrival of performers from the African continent, in preparation for the Africa 2020 Season.
This operation relies on the festival’s firm commitment to highlighting innovative features of contemporary circus, multidisciplinary approaches and diversity of scale. This year, “Women are arriving in force!” at Spring. It was thus only natural for the Institut français to highlight the new generation of female circus performers and creators who are part of today's contemporary creation landscape.
In addition, the synergy which exists throughout the Spring Festival and the unique design of its regional scope, which involves more than sixty institutions (national companies, city theatres, residencies and local authorities scattered across an area which is both urban and rural) are excellent examples of regional cultural policy. The Region of Normandy, as well as the Cities of Cherbourg, Caen and Rouen are naturally involved.
Focus guests will discover ten shows, including 4 original creations. They will take part in five days of professional meetings, with round tables and project presentations organised by and with key circus players in France: Onda, ODIA and La Collaborative, Territoires de Cirque, ArtCena, CircusNext and Circostrada. These meetings will involve many French circus artists and professionals.
This Focus is a unique opportunity for encounters between players from the French and foreign live performance scenes, as well as between political decision-makers, thereby facilitating the creation of professional networks. One of the highlights of the Focus will be the opening of the Maison des Artistes at the Brèche/Cherbourg, the first residency location dedicated to circus and transdisciplinary research and approaches.
At the end of this course in Normandy, professionals are invited to discover emerging creation as part of a meeting, which will be held at the Théâtre de la Cité Internationale in Paris, with CircusNext Platform: a European platform bringing together 22 institutions from 14 countries which select 12 emerging projects and offer them support for creation and the opportunity to present their work across Europe.
Programme
- Lazare Merveilleux / Blizzard Concept
- La Fuite / Olivier Meyrou et Mathias Pilet
- L’Errance est humaine / Jeanne Mordoj
- Le Bestiaire d’Hichem / Jeanne Mordoj
- Fractales / Fanny Soriano
- Ouverture / Tsirihaka Harrivel & Vimala Pons
- M comme Méliès / Martial di Fonzo Bo
- Face Nord / Cie Un loup pour l’homme
- Instable / Nicolas Fraiseau
- La Chute des anges / Raphaëlle Boitel
The SPRING Festival
SPRING, the only regional contemporary circus festival in France, is coordinated by the 2 Circus Centres Platform in Normandy / La Brèche in Cherbourg and the Cirque-Théâtre in Elbeuf. For five weeks, from 1st March to 5th April, around sixty partners (cultural and public spaces) proudly agree to wave the flag of contemporary circus. For this 10th edition, the programme showcases all the ways in which circus meets other artistic disciplines (dance, theatre, music, visual arts, etc.). It is focused on young talents, the first steps of the next generation of circus artists and new creations by experienced artists (7 SPRING 2019 creations).
The 2 Circus Centres Platform in Normandy
Since November 2015, La Brèche in Cherbourg and the Cirque-Théâtre in Elbeuf have been managed jointly. The project of bringing these two establishments together is based on the complementarity of the main missions of the two centres: support for creation at La Brèche and for distribution at the Cirque-Théâtre.
The aim of this partnership is to strengthen support for the creation and distribution of circus shows while preserving the unique features of each of the two institutions. Together, the 2 Normandy National Circus Arts Centres put on the SPRING festival, the only contemporary circus festival organised at the regional scale.
