A major presence
The circus sector employs no less than 3,000 in people in Québec, according to an estimate by En Piste, the national circus arts group founded in 1996. 2,000 people work at the headquarters of Cirque du Soleil, which also employs thousands of people outside Québec for its dozens of permanent shows and tours.
In total, Québec has about fifty active companies and over thirty some shows that are touring abroad.
In Montréal, the sector is now supported by an important centre for circus activities known as TOHU, Cité des arts du cirque, which is located on a renovated landfill site. This one-of-a-kind collection of circus arts organizations makes TOHU one of the largest international circus art hubs. Since it was set up in 1999, the following have been added:
- Cirque du Soleil’s international headquarters and its housing centre for artists
- the only circular performance space in Canada, the TOHU
- the offices of En Piste
- the National Circus School
- a building dedicated to environmental issues
The presence and visibility of circus arts in Montreal have also been reinforced by the creation of a new festival in 2010 known as Montréal Complètement Cirque, which hosts around twenty troupes from Québec and abroad and offers innovative activities outside the conventional distribution channels.
In Quebec City, the presence of the École de cirque de Québec, a circus preparatory school, provides a springboard to circus careers for future circus artists. One of the oldest clown companies in Québec, Aubergine de la Macédoine, has been based there since 1979 where it continues to be one of the most influential companies in the entire province. Since 2009, Quebec City has put on an outdoor show by Cirque du Soleil. The summer rendition of this popular event is scheduled to run until 2013. Young emerging troupes are also gaining recognition, such as Les Confins, which has been noticed for its interdisciplinary approach.
Outside the major cities, circus arts are also a lively sector. Young companies such as Vague de cirque in the Magdalen Islands, Luna Cabarella, a small equestrian circus located in the Appalachians, and Cirque Alphonse in the Laurentians are making their way and carving out a niche in Québec’s circus landscape.
Finally, Montreal, has become a hotbed of young highly creative companies offering new circus experiences: Ça s’en vient, whose first show, Les parfaits Inconnus, achieved a fair amount of success, Toxique Trottoir, which specializes in street arts, and the Jamie Adkins Collective and the Jeffrey Hall Collective, which offer a smaller circus experience.
