What if the big top was a tool for the future? This is the bet that was at the heart of the round table organized on November 7 by the Ministry of Culture at theAntony’s circus space. A bold bet, no doubt, but also based on a realistic observation: the contemporary circus, which has experienced a tremendous rise (today, a quarter of the members of the circus union and creative companies operates a big top), hasn’t it become even more assertive since it mobilizes this incomparable tool?
A tool of proximity par excellence, the capital, which has placed artistic creation at the heart of acrobatic performance, allows, it is a fact, to reach all territories and all audiences – especially those far from the cultural offer – with unparalleled efficiency. So much so that the diffusion under these architectures of canvas has become, as Sophie Zeller asserts, Associate Arts and Theatre Delegate to the Creative Arts Branch of the Ministry of Culture, “ a criterion for maximizing the assistance that can be provided to a company. That the contemporary circus favours the big top and that its use continues, is obviously very important for us. » Report.
The big top, creation, roaming and life
Marc Jeancourt, Director of L'Azimut - Pôle National Cirque, host of the round table, spoke as sedentary operator », which receives all year round travelling capitals on the living area of Antony and Châtenay-Malabry, while mounting a live show program in two «hard» theaters. For him, increasing the distribution to audiences requires the interlacing of programming: circus under tent, theatre, puppets, dance, «young audience». « Our work, at the circus centre, is to «strengthen» the writing for the circus and to organize the meeting between the popular tool by nature that is the capital and the stakes of contemporary creation. »
Pauline Bardoux, circassian artist, aerial acrobat and artistic director of l'Envolée Cirque, and Maël Tortel, circassian artist, founder and coordinator of circus Pardi!, brought the thoughts and expectations of travelling companies. For them, the tent is a way of life. The tool requires a good knowledge of various trades, because it is an entire theatre that moves. We train there, we rehearse there, we produce there, we create there, we receive associations, communities, all audiences, and not just for shows. We live nearby, and we lead a family life!
But the most important thing, obviously, is that the big top is for creation. “ It gives this freedom to imagine any scenography, in any artistic form, in a circular or frontal arrangement, with or without bleachers ” points out Pauline Bardoux. When it comes to accessibility, you can’t think of anything better: “ We are welcomed by people in their homes, in their cities, in their countries. In return, we welcome them under our tent. »
Towards a mixed touring circus economy?
We then addressed a more technical question: how to improve the diffusion of contemporary circus? The number of representations given is often much lower than it should be, given the population base where the circus takes place. For Maël Tortel, the necessary and welcome use of assignment contract, which sets both a flat fee and a limited number of performances, prevents you from taking advantage of the word-of-mouth generated by success, for lack of playing a few more days!
The interest of the contract of transfer is certainly indisputable, because it allows to sanctuarize the artistic risk-taking, and it is not a question of going back on a policy of the offer that is proven for a long time. It is only a question, as proposed by Maël Tortel, of opening a door to self-production to find an interesting mix.”
Sophie Zeller, Delegate to the Theatre and Arts associated with the Ministry of Culture, emphasized here the interest of the ministry: This hybridization of diffusion models, since it does not endanger the ecosystem favorable to creation, can go in the right direction. We defend the longest possible series of performances, because they give time to people who are not regular and knowledgeable spectators to hear about a show and decide to attend. »
For Maël Tortel, it’s time to elevate mobile companies to full partners. “ We bring our own skills, acquired through roaming, to national hubs, theatres and communities. Our reactive arrival a whole set of contacts, a spider of partnerships », which generates a large number of activities and meetings under the tent. We are passing through, it is a magical position, which revives exchanges and local initiatives. »
Is the tent environmentally friendly?
Another big question. Here, the tent immediately presents itself as a thermal sieve, ecological disaster, summer and winter. However, if we take a closer look, we are far from it.
« At the Ministry of Culture, we have started to carry out carbon assessments by type of equipment, explains Sophie Zeller. We already know that if we compare the entire manufacturing process of a capital with that of a theatre, their respective carbon balances are out of the question. We also know that heating or cooling a tent is expensive, but it’s for a very short period of time. In addition, the tent moves more than its public, which lives nearby. On average, 60% of a theatre’s carbon footprint comes from the displacement of audiences. However, the question of obsolete rolling stock will have to be asked.
« We also support research projects, such as the Centre des arts en mouvement d'Aix-en-Provence, which models technical solutions to produce lightweight, more insulated mobile tools. »
We also mention the geographical coherence of the tours, an essential issue that the Ministry of Culture works through its operator: the Office national de diffusion artistique (ONDA).
A capital of capitals: Châlons-en-Champagne
Benoîst Appeared, finally, enthusiastic mayor of Champagne shawls, explained how this city of 50,000 people built its new identity on the contemporary circus. It is indeed in Châlons that the National Circus Arts Centre (NACC), “ one of the three great schools with worldwide influence of the Circassian discipline. A national hub was created four years ago. It’s been a festival for about 30 years. The project is to constitute a complete ecosystem: training (the CNAC), creation (the Pole), dissemination (the festival), which will be joined by conservation and historical research (a national circus museum), an international festival of circus schools (at the CNAC), an equipment storage centre (for the promotion of re-employment), a national capital resource centre, and even the creation of physical production units, so to speak a gear plant "… A breathtaking energy, in any case, put at the service of an art and inhabitants who deserve it!
"The big top, a tool of the future?" , a round table moderated by Évelyne Laquit, Delegate for Information and Communication of the Ministry of Culture, on November 7, 2022 at the Espace Cirque d'Antony. With the participation of Marc Jeancourt, Director of L'Azimut - Pôle National Cirque, Pauline Bardoux, circassian artist, aerial acrobat and artistic director of l'Envolée Cirque, Maël Tortel, Circassian artist, founder and coordinator of circus Pardi!, Sophie Zeller, Delegate to the Theatre and Arts associated with the Ministry of Culture and finally Benoist Apparu, mayor of Champagne shawls.
The big top at the centre of a policy of support for contemporary circus
The circus arts sector receives significant support from the Ministry of Culture, including a annual support for creative circus roaming (under capitals) €250,000, which is in addition to ad hoc aid for companies' investment, support for marquee reception spaces in the Cirque Poles, and €400,000 for the “Marquee Plan” launched in 2021.
« Artecena, said Sophie Zeller, has published an important parenting guide to circus artists who have children and are travelling. We are also working, this time with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, to establish a status of the circus artist, in terms of insurance and responsibility, when he is in training. And Artcena is preparing a identification of training sites, so that itinerant artists can know where they can find accessible, equipped, heated spaces for training. »
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