En Piste and the Conseil des arts de Montréal (CAM) are proud to unveil the recipients of the first recognition awards in circus arts. These awards, each accompanied by a sum of $2,500, were presented by Nathalie Maillé, Executive Director of the CAM, on June 3, during En Piste’s 5@Cirque event at Les 7 Doigts.
The recipients are Yamoussa Bangoura, Éliane Bonin, and Victor Fomine. They were chosen from among ten candidates, pre-selected by a committee, following a vote by En Piste members.
Recently established, the Recognition Awards in Circus Arts aim to highlight the exceptional contribution of deserving individuals in the sector; to recognize leadership, innovation, creativity, and commitment within the community; and to acknowledge significant careers in the field. They are dedicated to artists, artisans, and cultural workers whose passionate work, achievements, and commitment have made a mark on the community and contribute to positioning Montreal as an international capital of circus arts.
Yamoussa Bangoura is a multidisciplinary artist in dance, music (singing, kora, balafon, and percussion), and circus (aerial straps, Cyr wheel, and acrobatics). He holds solid training in traditional African dance. He was trained in circus arts with the Guinean troupe Circus Baobab. In Spain, he was spotted and recruited by Cirque Éloize. A true pioneer of the Cyr wheel, since 2007, he has owned his own creation company, Productions Kalabanté, which tours internationally. This truly unifying artist is an extraordinary and prominent acrobat, in addition to being a most captivating musician. He has done much for the development of circus arts in Africa, where there are few bridges with North America. He is also recognized for his commitment to education. Yamoussa Bangoura has his own way of being an artist outside the system and approaches humanity in its entirety. He frequently performs at other special events, most often on behalf of Productions Kalabanté, whether with Cirque Éloize, Cavalia, Les 7 Doigts de la main, Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Fantastique, Artcirq, Productions Nuits d’Afrique, Miss Afrique, and Miss Guinée. Full biography
A committed artist, Éliane Bonin has worked for social transformation through the organization of events and training, as well as through the creation of live art performances, since 2000 in Montreal. For this self-taught, emancipated drop-out, a former activist who traded classic political resistance practices for body art practices, circus is a space for social inclusion and a claim for human and mammalian freedom. As a committed clown, she creates impactful works that aim to unite rather than shock: through derision and kinesthetic empathy, similar to a jester, she conveys messages to invite audiences to question the existing system, encourage the liberation of morals, and self-management. Éliane Bonin is one of the initiating members of Carmagnole (2002), an organization born from the initiative of an anarchist group aiming to make circus arts accessible and inclusive through carnival arts. A former participant of Cirque du Monde Montreal, she has since become a social circus instructor herself at Cirque Hors-Piste, Cirqiniq, and TEVA, among others. She is an accomplished artist for whom knowledge transfer, teaching, and the democratization of circus arts are deeply held values. Her recent performance in Carmagnole’s Les Érotisseries at Espace Libre garnered attention and is nominated for the CAM Grand Prize 2023. Full biography
A truly prominent aerial artist, Victor Fomine is a renowned trainer whose commitment to the community deserves to be honored. He has welcomed numerous artists into his studio, enabling them to develop their practice. Born in Podolsk, in the Moscow region, he began training in gymnastics at the age of 11. He participated in national events before being called for military service. Upon its completion, in 1979, he was hired by SoyouzGosTsirk, the central circus organization of the USSR. In 1984, he joined the faculty of the prestigious Moscow Circus School. At the Paris Festival in 1987, where he presented two acts, he contributed with Tereza Durova, Valentin Gneushev, Alexandre Grimailo, and a few others, to defining the vocabulary of a new circus. He returned there in 1990 with a tourist visa and found work at Annie Fratellini’s National Circus School. In 1993, facing the prospect of returning to Russia, he called Jan-Rok Achard, then director of the National Circus School in Montreal, who secured him a work visa. In 2001, in addition to his involvement with the National Circus School and his training sessions at Cirque du Soleil, he opened his swinging trapeze studio in Montreal. He designs new training techniques, trains more students, and earns medals for them. Victor Fomine is recognized worldwide as the “guru” of swinging trapeze. Full biography
Our warmest congratulations to these three recipients!
En Piste thanks its partner the Conseil des arts de Montréal for its generous support of this initiative, as well as Les 7 Doigts for hosting the event.
To learn more: the circus arts awards
Information:
Francine Arsenault / Institutional Communications / En Piste
farsenault@enpiste.qc.ca / 514 812-7068 / enpiste.qc.ca
Sheila Skaiem / Media / Avec Sheila
sheila@avecsheila.com / 514 572-8687 / avecsheila.com
Photo: Victor Fomine, Nathalie Maillé, Executive Director of the CAM, Nadia Drouin, Interim Executive Director of En Piste, and Yamoussa Bangoura. Éliane Bonin is missing from this photo, as she is traveling in Nunavik. Photo: Jérémy Bouchez