The Circus is in Town — Montréal Complètement Cirque

Marko Kulik — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 16:47:41 +0000

This weekend will be your last chance to catch Montréal Complètement Cirque, which is a newish circus festival that got added to Montreal’s roster of festivals a few years ago. It’s loads of fun and a great addition to the summer festivals in Montreal. I was lucky enough to see a few shows and I can tell you that there’s something for everyone. There’s both free outdoor shows as well as paid indoor shows. Last week I saw the indoor show Smashed Gandini Juggling which was a fabulously whimsical juggling performance by a team of British apple jugglers wearing suits. It starts off completely wholesome and gets slightly less wholesome throughout the rest of the juggling show (but remains wholesome enough for kids).

Last night I saw Propaganda at Usine C and they were less than wholesome. It’s an eccentric 2 person acrobatic-theatrical show with female acrobat Jo-Ann Lancaster being topless for about half the show. There’s skits, tits, trapeze, rope swinging, themes of servitude along with some cool fetishy outfits, all served up in a dimly lit set with harsh lighting. The audience enjoyed it big time but I didn’t get it or find it very exciting. This week S Circa seems to be getting lots of buzz; I didn’t get to see them yet but Montreal Cuture guy Zeke reviewed them here.

Free outdoor shows are a great way to soak up the circusy zeitgeist and I got to see TOUR DE PISTE AU QUARTIER DES SPECTACLES: BABEL last week at the corner of St. Hubert and Ste. Catherine. About 25 acrobatic performers jump, dance, strut, swing, balance, trampoline, unicycle, and flip all around a few stories of scaffolding in Place Emilie Gamelin. Fun stuff for the whole family and still going on for the rest of the week.

Babel — Place Emilie Gamelin– Montréal Complètement Cirque

Smashed Gandini Juggling — Montréal Complètement Cirque

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The Circus is in Town — Montréal Complètement Cirque