American Circus Educators Magazine Spring 2017 (Issue 1, Vol 9) | Page 26

RESID
ENC
BY JACKIE HOUGHTON OF FEMMES du FEU
Hosting an Artistic
Residency with Students
26
own fears or reservations in a supportive environment.
Circus Sessions was Erin Ball’s return to performance
after a tragic accident in the woods around Kingston,
Ontario. As a result, she had both her legs amputated
below the knee in 2014. “It was a really amazing way to
come back. I felt so supported and developed great
relationships with many of the artist participants,”
says Ball. She reaffirms the importance of the mentor
pushing the artist beyond his or her usual experience:
“Adèll had many great exercises that put me outside of
my comfort zone and encouraged growth and learning.
She had us make paper bag masks, taught us to find
neutral, and had us write and share our thoughts on the
theme that we were working with, among various other
mini workshops.”
The contemporary circus world continues to expand
beyond the fringe, and it is important for circus
educators and artists alike to continue to push their
own boundaries and comfort levels. Circus Sessions,
co-produced by Holly Treddenick of Femmes du Feu and
Lynanne Sparrow of Harbourfront Centre in Toronto,
Canada, provides a small group of contemporary circus
artists with the opportunity to engage in a week-long
residency to do just that. This experience provides these
artists with a new tool to engage in learning, push their
boundaries, and breath new life into their practice. Femmes du Feu’s commitment to fostering new
creations and encouraging risk-taking has been
demonstrated through the creation and organization of
various initiatives in the local community. This includes
Aer Time, a showcase that brings artists together to
share new works, experimental works, or works
in-progress with an audience. In addition to professional
artists, each showcase features an emerging artist,
providing an opportunity for a new performer to develop
works in a space outside of their normal instruction and
practice. Afterwards, a discourse takes place between
the artist and the audience. The artist is provided with
constructive feedback that can be used to continue
to evolve their act. However, Sparrow and Treddenick
realized that more still needs to be done to support
the development of contemporary circus outside of
Quebec, Canada, where the École Nationale de Cirque is
located. Circus Sessions is a direct answer to the lack of
educational and developmental opportunities in English
Canadian circus, according to Sparrow.
There are many opportunities for development if
you are an artist interested in residency programs
and grants. However, many of the current residency
programs require an assembled group of professional
artists that have an idea for a full-length show already
in development. These are excellent opportunities for
these professionals, but they do not necessarily allow
for artists to take risks and learn from new peers that
come from different disciplines and backgrounds, nor
do they allow for emerging artists to take part. It also
lacks the involvement of an outside educator, an expert
that can act as a mentor for learners looking to explore
new areas and develop new ideas.
I
The Ins & Outs:
In my non-circus life I am a seventh grade art teacher. As
an educator, I am always looking for new and innovative
ways to engage my not-so-attentive students. In my
experience, getting the students out of the classroom
and into a different environment—outdoors, at the
museum or art gallery, in the auditorium—is a great
way to shake up their routines and get their attention.
Presenting them with a new space often breathes new
life into their learning. This strategy, of presenting
learners with a new space in which to create, can also
be embraced and utilized by circus educators as an
educational tool. Using the residency Circus Sessions
as an example, we can illustrate how a circus educator
might create an artistic residency for their advanced
students.
The mentors play an invaluable role in the Circus
Sessions process. Having a mentor can help address a
lack of educational opportunities within your specific
region. Mentors and educators that come from beyond
a practitioner’s direct community provide perspectives
that may not otherwise be present. These perspectives
may be cultural or practical, but they are all valuable in
the learning process. A mentor can be someone who
challenges a participant’s understanding of their own
apparatus, or encourages a participant to confront their
Now entering its third year, Circus Sessions encourages
artists from a variety of disciplines and geographies
to participate. The initial Call to Artists is circulated
primarily through social media in order to access as
many circus schools, studios, theatres, companies,
independent artists, and organizations as possible. A
diverse group of participants have come from all over
Canada and the USA, and as far away as Israel. As noted
by Sparrow, it is important that each year artists are
selected to represent each of the five circus families:
aerial, acrobatics, balance, object manipulation, and
jeu d’acteur (clowning). It's a unique opportunity for
those chosen to work with an internationally renowned
mentor. This year, world-famous juggler Sean Gandini
will fill the role of mentor which has previously been held
27