Transition, an in situ circus work developed at the Musée de la Civilisation de Québec with 16 students in their final year of professional studies at the École de cirque de Québec. This work was developed under the direction of Catherine Archambault and with the support and creative involvement of teachers Elizabeth Gaumond, Jacques Palardy-Dion and Francis Proteau as well as the students of the ÉCQ.

Working on a work in situ requires exploring the opportunities offered by a space not intended for this type of performance in order to bring it to life with bodies in movement and to give a new way of apprehending it, of seeing it, of perceiving it. The different disciplines of the circus arts represent real body languages, the artists use them to express themselves and to give life to the ideas of the directors, choreographers and designers.

The use of these body languages represents a major characteristic in the success of better inhabiting them, occupying them, to give the work its life and relevance. This project highlights the fact that the circus does not only depend on the presence of apparatus and is committed to involving the public in transiting through the spaces of the Museum of Civilization of Quebec around the circus artists present, to perceive in a new way the different passages of this emblematic place.

Catherine Archambault

Catherine has over 35 years of experience in the field of dance and circus arts. During this time she has created and adapted over eight hundred works that stand out for their ability to touch the soul of the spectator.

At the age of 7, Catherine began studying classical dance at Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, then at 14, at Les Ballets Jazz de Québec. At the same time, she was a member of an artistic gymnastics team. In 1987, she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in contemporary dance from Concordia University. In 1989, she choreographed her first circus number which won the bronze medal at the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain in Paris. After a stint in France with Cirque Archaos, Catherine returned to Quebec and was part of the first batch of Cirque Éloize, for which she directed and choreographed the eponymous show, then joined Excentricus.

For more than 20 years, she has collaborated as choreographer and artistic director on several Cirque du Soleil projects, including Viva Elvis, Wintuk, Delirium, Solstrom, Saltimbanco and Fascination Japon, as well as many special events around the world. She is the director and acrobatic choreographer for Le Défi des Champions on TVA. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including three awards from the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain in Paris.

In 2012, Catherine began a new cycle in her career and returned to the world of dance, in which she integrated circus and theatrical performance. This direction corresponds to her desire to explore and deepen a more personal vision and to establish a more intimate relationship with the public. The birth of I/4 testifies to this new orientation, where she is at the same time ideator, choreographer, director, producer and dancer. This work won the Prix Diffusion coup de cœur at the Soirée Reconnaissance de l’Estrie 2013.

Based in the Eastern Townships for 8 years, Catherine is very active in this region. In addition to her show I/4, she was president of the dance commission (Conseil de la Culture en Estrie) for 4 years. She started the Ici Danse project which allows professional choreographers from the region to present their creations. She signed the choreography of the outdoor show Omaterra in Sherbrooke and collaborates with the Théâtre des Petites Lanternes on several productions. In the summer of 2013, she was invited to choreograph the Opening Ceremony of the Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke, where she also worked as co-artistic director. In September 2015, she is associate director and acrobatic choreographer for the Closing Ceremony of the European Games Baku 2015 in Azerbaijan. The same year, through other projects, she conceived a circus show in Santiago, Chile in collaboration with her Quebec team and the Chilean team. She creates an original circus show every year until 2020 as director and choreographer for Tu Butaca, the biggest circus company in South America. Back in Quebec City since July 2017, she is working on her ultimate project, a women’s circus, which involves women of all ages and backgrounds. At the same time, since 2018, she has been undertaking training in Nonviolent Communication and mediation with the aim of accompanying, among others, interveners in the cultural and artistic milieu. In 2021, she accepted Gilles Ste-Croix’s offer to join the Board of Directors of the Festival de Cirque des Iles de la Madeleine as an artistic advisor.

Artistic strolls and movements, between 11am and 3pm in the lobby of the Museum of Civilization.

Adress: 85 Rue Dalhousie, Québec, QC G1K 8R2

• Tuesday, May 23, 11am to 3pm
• Wednesday, May 24, 11am to 3pm
• Thursday, May 25, 11am to 3pm
• Tuesday, May 30, 11am to 3pm
• Thursday, June 1st, 11am to 3pm
• Friday, June 2nd, 11am to 3pm

The 16 students in their first year of the DEE/DEC higher education program in circus arts:

Florine Lord-Morin
Julie Robert
Sarah-Soleil Nault
Théo Martin Lopez
Lisa Le Pors Scouarnec
Gabriel Lemière
Nathan Forcione-Lambert
Krystel Ouellette
Chloé Devineau
Deiby Johel Morales Martinez
Felix Adoengga
Izzi Kessner
Jafet Isaac Leos Resendiz
Leon Le Nestour
Sandra Sofia Malacara Arana
Alez Larson