Artcirq
Encyclopedia
Artcirq is a collective of Inuit
circus
performers based in Igloolik, Nunavut
, Canada
. The circus began in 1998, co-founded by Igloolik Isuma Productions, a film production company, and Guillaume Saladin, a Montreal acrobat, with financial support from Cirque Éloize
in Montreal. It was started as a way of engaging young people in meaningful activity in Igloolik, where many youth drop out of school and there is a high rate of suicide
, particularly among young men. Artcirq is a nontraditional circus, blending techniques of modern circus arts such as juggling
and acrobatics
with elements of Inuit culture
including throat singing
and drum dancing.
Artcirq's members have traveled around the world, performing in Timbuktu, Mali, Mexico, Greece, and France, among other locations. In February, 2010, six members of Artcirq will be among an ensemble of Canadian Arctic performers representing Nunavut at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia. Artcirq has released its own music CD called Artcirq Jam.
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
performers based in Igloolik, Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The circus began in 1998, co-founded by Igloolik Isuma Productions, a film production company, and Guillaume Saladin, a Montreal acrobat, with financial support from Cirque Éloize
Cirque Éloize
Cirque Éloize is a Quebec-based nouveau cirque troupe. It was founded in 1993 by Jeannot Painchaud, Daniel Cyr and Julie Hamelin. Having created seven original productions so far, it has presented more than 3000 performances in more than 375 cities and 30 countries...
in Montreal. It was started as a way of engaging young people in meaningful activity in Igloolik, where many youth drop out of school and there is a high rate of suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
, particularly among young men. Artcirq is a nontraditional circus, blending techniques of modern circus arts such as juggling
Juggling
Juggling is a skill involving moving objects for entertainment or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling, in which the juggler throws objects up to catch and toss up again. This may be one object or many objects, at the same time with one or many hands. Jugglers often refer...
and acrobatics
Acrobatics
Acrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...
with elements of Inuit culture
Inuit culture
Inuit describes the various groups of indigenous peoples who live in the central and northeastern Canadian Arctic, as well as in Greenland. The term culture of the Inuit, therefore, refers primarily to these areas; however, parallels to other Eskimo groups can also be drawn.The traditional...
including throat singing
Inuit throat singing
Inuit throat singing or katajjaq, also known as the generic term overtone singing, is a form of musical performance uniquely found among the Inuit...
and drum dancing.
Artcirq's members have traveled around the world, performing in Timbuktu, Mali, Mexico, Greece, and France, among other locations. In February, 2010, six members of Artcirq will be among an ensemble of Canadian Arctic performers representing Nunavut at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia. Artcirq has released its own music CD called Artcirq Jam.