Ringing the change
The circus is supposed to use a universal language but, as Willa Thayer discovers, artists from French-speaking countries have a dialect all their own
Amid clouds of dust, and with the sound of lions roaring in the background, 17 circus performers and technical support staff from France, Belgium and Canada busily worked alongside their Egyptian counterparts to prepare the stage and equipment for the Francophone Circus Festival of Cairo to be held at the National Circus in Agouza from 20-22 March.
The festival comes as part of the French Embassy's Fête de la Francophonie held in Egypt each March. Explaining his embassy's decision to sponsor circus shows as the main part of its celebrations, Vincent Martigny, chargé de mission, said, "We are trying to do something that reaches as much of the population as possible -- not just people who speak French."
Participating in the festival are a French company called Ici ou là [Here or there], and students from the Belgian École Supérieure des Arts du Cirque (ESAC), the Canadian École Nationale de Cirque de Montréal (ENC) and Egypt's National Circus.
According to the artists the French circus tradition is distinct from others by virtue of its theatrical and creative emphases. In accounting for this, Pierre Jules Billon, a percussionist and composer for Ici ou là, pointed to what he describes as the "dynamic" circus arts environment in his country.
"There has been a new kind of circus in France for the past 20 years that brings together different kinds of performers and musicians who emulate each other and develop their arts. At the same time the Ministry of Culture is involved and lots of people are writing about the circus."
As Niels Seidel, who recently graduated from the Belgian school, explained, "The modern French circus is without animals, it is more artistic and less sensational. Traditional circus performances relied more on the idea performers were risking their lives."
Even so the element of risk does play a part -- not only in the audience's entertainment but also in the performers' passion for their art. The Montreal school's Claudel Doucet, who at 16 is the youngest of the foreign artists, explained why she decided to become a circus performer. "I had done gymnastics for a long time and had reached a point where it had become very competitive. I wasn't so interested in that, but I was still interested in taking risks, in the excitement and performance aspects."
Doucet explained that her specialisation of aerial tissu, in which acrobatic and contortionist moves are performed high above the ring, combines elements of the traditional and modern circus with its obvious need for strength and agility, but also an expressive dimension.
This weekend's shows will be the first by foreign circus groups in conjunction with the country's National Circus. However, according to Ibrahim El-Helw, general manager of the circus, it is by no means the first instance of interaction by the circus with its foreign counterparts.
"Egypt has participated in many international circus festivals since the circus was established in Agouza in 1966. Most recently it participated in festivals in Canada, France, China and Jordan, and we hope to host our first international festival here within the next few years."
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