Montreal, October 2023 — On September 9, a first-of-its-kind event took place at the National Circus School of Montreal: the Grand Meeting on Circus Arts Education. This free event brought together over forty circus arts teachers and professionals from various backgrounds: Quebec, Alberta, and the United States. On October 14, a similar day was held at the Quebec Circus School, also attracting an attendance of nearly forty people.
To develop a circus arts education community, En Piste organized this professional meeting, led by Nadia Drouin, the organization’s Executive Director. The National Circus School of Montreal, the Quebec Circus School, the Verdun Circus School, the Magdalen Islands Circus School, and the Horizon-Soleil School of Saint-Eustache collaborated with the association for both occasions. The event received support from the Quebec Ministry of Culture and Communications.
The highly educational day represented a stimulating step in an initiative launched in 2018, slowed by the pandemic, and which will continue in the months and years to come. It began with the presentation of the
Framework Plans
Structuring the recreational training pathway preparatory to higher education is an issue addressed in a brief presented in 2016 by the National Circus School of Montreal (NCS) to the Ministry of Culture and Communications (MCC). Mandated by the MCC, the NCS formed a consultation group representative of the sector and a steering committee, and worked with the Centre for Research, Intervention, and Transmission in Circus Arts (CRITAC) to establish the foundations of these plans. A colossal undertaking by several passionate professionals, the Framework Plans for the Development of Leisure and Preparatory Training Pathways cater to a clientele ranging from early childhood to professional training. The result of five years of work, these plans establish common objectives for Quebec and address the needs of the training pathway, particularly in terms of graduated intensity. For primary and secondary schools, as well as community recreational facilities, they propose two avenues: a recreational and academic pathway (intermediate to advanced) and a performance pathway, preparatory to higher education. These pathways have been described and detailed by Liliane Bourgouin and Claude Berthiaume, Caroline Franc and Fanny Laneuville-Castonguay, Mélanie Beby Robert and Marilou Cousineau.
As health, well-being, and safety are already embedded in Quebec’s school curriculum, these plans emphasize physical literacy and its potential for skill transfer. They aim for psychological, social, creative, physical, and artistic development. A detailed analysis of the disciplines[1] is also proposed, along with their specific characteristics and effects. The Framework Plans also consider basic techniques, pedagogical approach guidelines, intervention methods, and learning progression, with the latter varying according to the recreational or academic program with different types of evaluation.
The Framework Plans provide tools for trainers, particularly for scheduling while considering obligations to be met, or for structuring and improving their teaching according to the level, taking into account the execution of figures or movements, for example. The profile of students at the beginning and end of training is taken into consideration, as is the importance of academic success. There are obviously several ways to teach circus arts, but the idea is for everyone to rely on the same foundations to train acrobats who flourish in terms of creativity and artistic skills, as well as through the acquisition of high-level technical skills.
Download the Framework Plans for the Development of Leisure and Preparatory Training Pathways
Technical Guide
Circus arts imply safety, space, apparatuses, anchorages, rigging, and equipment. Circus venues are creative spaces requiring significant technical support. Certifications and training for work at height exist but vary by province, and currently, there is no diploma for circus rigging in Quebec. Until now, recreational circus schools and learning venues did not have any reference tool adapted to their reality to understand basic safety and rigging standards. While this already exists in France
The work was produced thanks to a large team: collaborators in writing, revision, graphic design, and editing, as well as experts, specialists, educators, readers, and other significant stakeholders in the field. It covers premises and buildings, criteria for space development by discipline, as well as the assembly, disassembly, and maintenance of installations. This Guide addresses a glaring gap faced by project leaders and aims to equip teaching staff and technical teams responsible for installations for circus practice, primarily in the recreational sector. It does not encompass disciplines such as flying trapeze or tightrope walking, which are considered professional. A tool for cost evaluation and their variations is also proposed, along with a list of equipment suppliers. Visual support facilitates understanding of how anchoring and rigging systems work, and the Guide for the Development of Training Spaces and Circus Equipment is now an accessible reference for responsible and safe circus arts practice.
Download the Guide for the Development of Training Spaces and Circus Equipment
Certification of Circus Arts Teaching Staff
As there is no teaching without teaching staff, the presentation of the Certification Plan for Circus Arts Teachers by Daniela Arandesova is part of the development of the recreational and preparatory higher education training pathway in Quebec. The initiative drew upon the expertise and advice of professionals from various backgrounds. The lack of qualified personnel, limited access to quality training, lack of support and recognition, as well as geographical isolation and the absence of mutual aid networks, constitute the challenges faced by circus education. In addition to mastering a technique, a circus trainer must perform a wide variety of tasks: planning, support, analysis, ethical decisions, safety, etc. While teaching is complex and rewarding, it requires skills that, in addition to circus disciplines, involve physical preparation, mental preparation, psychological and motor growth and development, cognitive faculties, safe practice, among others. The importance of not hierarchizing contexts was emphasized, as different client profiles require equally specific skills.
To increase the number of trainers and qualify them, this Plan provides for the Recognition of Prior Learning and Competencies (RPLC) for experienced practitioners. Martine Picard presented the advantages and structure of such a procedure, as well as the bodies responsible for ensuring the proper execution of this attribution. With the mission of qualifying more teachers with a vision that favors harmonization for improved learning quality, the RPLC adheres to the values of full potential realization, safe practice, artistic project achievement, collaboration, and benevolence.
Download the Certification Plan for Circus Arts Teachers
An Inspiring Moment
Everyone present could have exclaimed in unison: “Finally!!”
En Piste is proud to have organized an inspiring and collaborative gathering that fostered exchanges among practitioners with diverse experiences. Participants expressed, among other things, the importance of human development and social values, the importance of technical consideration when setting up in a new venue, the specific skills required by social circus, or their concerns regarding technical standards and the cost of certifications required by municipalities.
Uniting the various educational institutions with a common goal to broaden the horizons of the recreational and preparatory training pathway is one of the great successes of this day. The quality of content and the consistency of the presented publications were highlighted, and their sharing is a next step that will require the translation of the documents for other Canadian provinces.
We sincerely thank experts Liliane Bourgouin and Claude Berthiaume (Horizon-Soleil School of Saint-Eustache), Caroline Franc and Fanny Laneuville-Castonguay (Quebec Circus School), Mélanie Beby Robert (Verdun Circus School) and Marilou Cousineau (National Circus School of Montreal), Fred Gérard (CRITAC), Martine Picard and Daniela Arendasova (consultants) for their insightful presentations, as well as the Ministry of Culture and Communications for its support of the project.
[1] Circus disciplines form five families: ground acrobatics, balancing, juggling and manipulation, aerial acrobatics, play and movement (including clowning).
[2] France also offers a state diploma to become a circus technician.
Source: Françoise Boudreault
Information: Francine Arsenault, Director of Communications
communication@enpiste.qc.ca / 514 812-7068
From left to right: Claude Berthiaume, Liliane Bourgouin, Fred Gérard, Marilou Cousineau, Daniela Arendasova, Martine Picard, Fanny Laneuville-Castonguay, Caroline Franc, Mélanie-Beby Robert