Two new creations to amaze and delight,
starring young artists full of passion!
The latest flight of National Circus School graduates took to the ring at Tohu from May 31 to June 12, 2011. Before embarking on promising careers with the world's top circuses, the 19 young artists, so full of enthusiasm and passion, have presented the results of many years of intensive training. Each year fans of the circus are thrilled by this spring event, featuring circus performers demonstrating a high level of acrobatic and artistic mastery, each more spectacular than the last. Two accessible events, two alternating circus shows were presented: Messa and Pomme grenade.
Messa and Pomme grenade
In Messa the action surrounds a marginalized group who have taken over the third basement of Block B. Discover life in the squat, where they celebrate a highly unusual and exciting cult! Only by pushing the physical and psychological envelope, with liberating movement and ecstatic gesture, do these fervent followers find their equilibrium. Julie Lachance, who directs Messa, has been active in the circus world for more than 25 years as choreographer, artistic advisor, director and teacher. In addition to collaborating in many creations, she was the choreographer for Dralion, a show by Cirque du Soleil.
Pomme grenade follows the journey of a deserter visited by childhood memories. 
As a magical world of creativity and movement open up to him, he embarks on a quest for peace while thumbing his nose at the rationale behind war. We discover a world steeped in clashes and truces and … acrobatics. A director and actor for 25 years, Marie-Josée Gauthier serves as director for Pomme grenade. In addition to acting as a performance consultant for several dance companies, she teaches acting in Montreal arts school, including the National Circus School.
2010 Annual show
Eagerly anticipated by circus audiences, the National Circus School launched two new creations at TOHU from June 8 to 20. Twenty young creative virtuosos performed in two new shows that highlighted original numbers and breathtaking feats. This year the aerial arts were center ring: In addition to acts on the trapeze, hoop or silks, audiences were treated to juggling, balancing and Icarian Games, or foot juggling. Two professional directors have created these two distinct works: Guy Alloucherie from the H.V.D.Z. company of France and Shana Carroll of Quebec's The 7 Fingers troupe. The whole family had the chance to see the fruits of many years of labour on the part of the students, whose talents were cultivated at an institution that has become a world reference in the field.
In Il fait dimanche, director Shana Carroll takes audiences into the world of a sterile and synthetic suburb where everything seems perfect. And where people are tempted to leave behind the superficiality of their everyday lives, at the risk of revealing the skeletons in their closets!
Guy Alloucherie directs Journal de bord. In this work the artists present a reflection on both the creative process and risk-taking that characterize the circus, and on the role a performer's social consciousness plays. You will witness it unfolding, full of humour and intensity . . . and acrobatics!
An exceptional educational and artistic experience, the Annual Show is presented by the School’s students each June in the great circular hall at TOHU. It provides an ideal opportunity to integrate and demonstrate all they have learned in a large-scale production that attracts upwards of 20,000 spectators each year. The show is produced by a team of high-caliber professionals. It also serves as a special showcase for graduates, a chance to display their skills and personal creations in front of a large audience and prospective employers. All students in the upper-level training programs participate.
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Creation and Exploration Workshop
As a complement to the higher education programs, the School offers graduates a chance to participate in a professional insertion session. The workshop enables 5 to 8 young artists to integrate what they have learned and gain the complete experience of creating a contemporary circus work under the direction of creative and stage directors. Workshop participants are selected through an audition and receive a scholarship. The session runs for about 3 months, culminating in a public performance of the work created.