 Ever since I was a child, I have always loved the excitement and the gaiety of the circus, especially the new contemporary circus featuring multi-disciplinary circus arts without the use of animal acts. While I was in Montréal, Canada, I had the opportunity to experience the magical production of iD by Cirque Éloize directed by Jeannot Painchaud that creatively captured all of the exhilaration that makes the circus so widely appealing for all ages.
Cirque Éloize, pronounced Cirque El-Waz, takes its name from a "word that comes from the Magdalen Islands and means ‘flashes of heat lightning seen on the horizon.' An inspiration for the troupe's seven founding members, this lightning symbolizes the heat and energy that feed the troupe's spirit." Founded in 1993, Cirque Éloize has impressive credentials of having created seven original productions, has completed almost 4,000 performances in 375 cities in 30 countries, and is a leader in the contemporary circus arts.
Cirque Éloize - iD Artists
Oftentimes when I am traveling, I have the good fortune to be in the right place at the right time. Such was the case with the timing of my trip to Montréal in mid-July 2010 with my nephew, Steven M. Argen, where we had the opportunity to attend Cirque Éloize's production of iD.
Cirque Éloize - iD Artists
It was indeed a special summer evening sitting under the big top tent on the Quay of Old-Montréal as fourteen talented artists from ten circus disciplines kept us enthralled with their level of skill from the opening act until the show ended with a standing ovation from the appreciative audience.
Cirque Éloize - iD Artists
Cirque Éloize's iD featured all of the key elements that one has come to expect and want in a contemporary circus production, the use of jugglers, acrobats, aerial acts, and contortionists that left us wondering, "How is it possible for them to do that with their bodies?" There were also a few unexpected surprises, namely urban dance (breakdance and hip-hop) and in-line skating that when combined with video images, as well as with rock and electronic music, helped to establish a contemporary feel for the show, and Director Jeannot Painchaud's vision of a "futuristic city."
Cirque Éloize - iD Artists
Set against a dramatic urban background, the talented Cirque Éloize artists worked their magic with daring aerial acts that required agility, strength, and split second timing, juggling, chair balancing, trampowall acts, bicycle acts, and much more. The production left Steven and I with lasting memories of an enchanted evening spent at the circus, and was a wonderful "souvenir" of our time in Montréal.
Cirque Éloize - iD Artists
The Talented Team behind Cirque Éloize
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Jeannot Painchaud
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Director
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Jonathan St-Onge
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Executive Producer
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Mourad Merzouki
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Artistic Contribution
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Robert Massicotte
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Set Designer, Illustrator and Video Projections Co-Designer
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Krzysztof Soroczynski
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Show Acrobatic Designer, Head Trainer and Trampowall Act Designer
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Pierre Bernard
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Artistic Consultant
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Jean-Phi Goncalves
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Co-Composer
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Alex McMahon
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Co-Composer
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Linda Brunelle
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Costumes Designer
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Nicolas Descoteaux
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Light Designer
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Alexis Laurence
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Video Projections Co-Designer
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Suzanne Trépanier
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Make-up Designer
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Cirque Éloize - iD Artists
The Talented Cirque Éloize Artists and their Disciplines
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Jean-Philippe Cuerrier
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Hand to Hand
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Nicolas Fortin
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Juggling, Trampowall
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Leilani Franco
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Contortion
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Christian "Sancho" Garmatter
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Urban Dances
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Catherine Girard
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Hand to Hand, Aerial Hoop
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Elon Höglund
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Urban Dances
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Xuan Le
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In-line Skating
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Olivier Lemieux
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Trampowall, Stilts
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Emaa-Nuelle Lephan
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Urban Dances
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Josianne Levasseur
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Cyr Wheel, Trampowall
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Richard Maguire
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Urban Dances, Hand Balancing, Trampowall
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Hugo Ouellet-Côté
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Straps, Trampowall, Juggling
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Thibaut Philippe
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Trial Bike
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Fletcher Sanchez
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Chinese Pole, Trampowall
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Emi Vauthey
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Aerial Silk, Contortion
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Kone Thong Vongpraseuth
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Urban Dances
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Cirque Éloize - iD Artists
The Cirque Éloize production of iD runs until August 1, 2010. Please visit the Cirque Éloize website for information on upcoming Montréal performances as well as for touring performances.
 Cirque Éloize
417, rue Berri
Montréal, Québec
Canada H2Y 3E1
Telephone +1-514 596-3838
Fax: +1-514 596-3938
Email:
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Website: www.Cirque-Eloize.com/en
Read other articles on Montréal in the Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Adventures, Restaurants, and Chefs' Recipes sections.
 For more information on Montréal, please visit the websites: www.Tourism-Montreal.org, www.QuebecRegion.com, and www.BonjourQuebec.com.
For information on Air Canada, please visit the website: www.AirCanada.com or contact them at 1-888-247-2262.
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