National Circus School

Last week, I attended the two annual shows of the National Circus School, Colibri and Demain. I'm so glad that I went.
The show features performances by the graduating class. The ensemble is made up of the second year students (it's a three-year program). The first years put on a pre-spectacle performance in the foyer.
While both of the shows were incredible, I preferred Colibri. The show was simple, not quite having a storyline, but a clear mood was established. It was etherial, lyrical, and romantic. The mise en scene was simple and the featured acts were so well woven into the show as a whole. Even nicer, I thought was the way that each member of the ensemble had little moments to show their own skills as well as collectively continue to perform without being a distraction from the featured performer.
Demain had more of a folk, fun, and upbeat feel. There was an attempt to have a story keeping the show together, but some parts seemed confusing and superficial. I later learned that each show was put together in three weeks and featured performers came to the shows with the acts that they created for their final assessments for the school. Thus, the "characters" that they embodies for their assessments may not have matched the vision of the show and so the Creative Directors of the show would deal with this in their own ways. The acts from Demain did seem a little bit more eclectic, show perhaps it made it harder for the Creative Director to make things flow authentically. Anyway, I guess it depends what you like in a show. Demain also features more acrobatics (which I love), so it was fun to see performers jumping, tumbling, twisting and turning.
There was one consistent theme across both shows: talent and art. I was impressed at the passion and dedication that these artists/athletes put towards their craft. These young adults focus on developing and honing their skills...for them, it is a full-time position.
I hope that everyone in the world is able to find their passion and puts their entire being into it. As exhausting and discouraging that it sometimes may be, the moments of pure bliss make it sooooo worth it.
Montreal is pretty fantastic for (youth and) the arts. Both the National Circus School and National Theatre School are here. And I can take advantage of both by supporting the students and being inspired by attending their performance.