Montreal, July 6, 2026 – The Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ), in collaboration with En Piste, is pleased to award the CALQ Award for Best Circus Production to Cirque de la Pointe-Sèche for its show Sortilège.
Accompanied by a cash prize of $15,000, the award was presented by Honorine Youmbissi, Director of Support for Artists, Communities, and Regional Initiatives at the CALQ, during En Piste’s 5@Cirque even—a celebration of the circus arts bringing together artists, companies, partners, delegates, and presenters from Canada and around the world.
“With Sortilège, Cirque de la Pointe-Sèche offers a thrilling immersive experience, offering audiences a wealth of action and imagery. The use of the natural environment—a majestic rock face—helps create a unique atmosphere. The acts demonstrate a high level of technical mastery. The use of multiple performance levels enriches the visual composition, creating a dynamic and stimulating ‘beautiful chaos,’” noted the jury members convened by the CALQ.
About Sortilège
Sortilège, directed by Mélissa Colello, is a large-scale circus production inspired by the vastness of the forest, the rock face overlooking the performance space at Pointe-Sèche, and the human and technical depth of the performers. Freely inspired by Macbeth and its three witches, the narrative takes the form of a reinterpretation translated into the language of the circus, leaving ample room for the imagination. Each scene thus offers a symbolic evocation of the play: power struggles, ambitions, illusions, and new perspectives.
The circus language of Sortilège is distinguished by the central integration of the acrobatic net (acronet), at the heart of an exploration of movement at height that reinvents the codes and pushes the boundaries of the discipline. This apparatus generates unprecedented aerial sequences that are both demanding and visually striking. Surrounding this core, the disciplines—Korean frame, Russian swing, aerial silks, tightrope, vertical dance, Cyr wheel, and trickline—form part of a continuous dramatic narrative. Highlighted by Alexandre Maheux’s set design, the rock face serves simultaneously as a backdrop, an apparatus, a climbing surface, a projection screen, and a mythical presence.
Premiered on July 3, 2025, in Saint-Germain-de-Kamouraska, Sortilège played to sold-out audiences and attracted significant media attention. In total, more than 12,400 spectators attended the 48 performances, confirming the relevance and impact of the production. The show helped expand access to circus arts for a predominantly regional audience, while enhancing the area’s artistic and tourist appeal.
About Cirque de la Pointe-Sèche
Cirque de la Pointe-Sèche is a unique venue for the creation and presentation of circus and acrobatic performances that blend music, dance, and theatre. Each year, it creates a unique, multidisciplinary show in an outdoor amphitheatre. The site, located on the banks of the St. Lawrence River, offers a complete immersion in nature, providing a spectacular backdrop with its nearly 17-metre-high rock face that serves as the stage. This unique venue, which can accommodate 300 people and is accessible to those with limited mobility, stands out from traditional performance venues.
About En Piste, partner of this award
Founded in 1997, En Piste is the only national circus arts organization, bringing together nearly 600 members and organizations in the sector. It works to create favourable conditions for the development of the circus arts across Canada by bringing together the circus community, strengthening cohesion within the sector, and promoting the circus to government bodies as well as to local, national, and international audiences and presenters.
About the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec
The CALQ invests in the imagination and celebrates the achievements of those who create landmark works that shape our cultural identity and help it shine. With a view to equitable and sustainable artistic development, the CALQ supports creation, experimentation, and production in the arts and literature across all regions of Quebec and promotes their dissemination in Québec, Canada, and abroad.
By presenting this award, the CALQ wishes to demonstrate its support for creators who stand out for the excellence of their work and their exceptional contribution to the vitality of Québec culture.
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Source :
Lysandre Jobin
Head of communications
Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec
medias@calq.gouv.qc.ca
