While the snow-sprinkled streets of Flin Flon hinted at the unavoidable march of winter, inside the bright yellow-and-white circus tent, the playful days of summer reigned.
As children and adults entered the circular Vague de Cirque tent last Sunday afternoon, Oct. 25, they discovered a wide stage coated in astroturf, evoking a mid-summer lawn.
Café tables adorned with flickering lanterns completed the transformation as the audience took their seats around the stage and waited for the show to begin.
The Vague de Cirque crew came to Flin Flon to perform a delightful acrobatic show entitled “Barbecue.”
In “Barbecue”, director Alain Boudreau has woven together several short acts, pairing kid-friendly slapstick humour with impressive acrobatic feats.
The show follows the struggles of a loveable buffoon named Bob, whose tranquil garden is constantly bombarded by his raucous rope-climbing, glass-walking, hoop-juggling neighbours.
In Flin Flon, the troupe held two sold-out public shows and one private mini-performance for visiting delegates of the Manitoba Showcase, marking the end of a five-month tour for the multinational circus team.
The performers have been on the road since their tour began in Newfoundland last May, says Eloise Veronneau, communications representative for Vague de Cirque. She notes that the troupe, whose name means circus wave, focuses on performing in rural communities, where residents don’t often get a chance to experience high-calibre circus shows. With this first visit to Manitoba, the group is gradually expanding its reach to the western provinces.
While the show was a polished event, getting the circus camera-ready in Flin Flon was a bit of a feat, says Flin Flon Arts Council coordinator Crystal Kolt.
The 10 members of the Vague de Cirque team, led by Boudreau, travelled from Snow Lake to Flin Flon last Tuesday evening, Oct. 20, in some of the worst weather northern Manitoba has seen this fall. Sleet alternated with rain as high winds and slick roads threatened small cars towards the ditches on Highway 10.
Amid all that grey weather was a colourful circus caravan, hauling three wooden micro-homes painted red, green and blue, two trailers, and a semi-trailer containing an 18-metre big top tent and the extensive equipment needed to produce a modern-day travelling circus.
Kolt helped manage the team’s set up in Flin Flon, directing traffic in the driving rain as the trailers moved into the city, and ensuring they had the conditions they needed when they arrived.
One of the first challenges was digging the three and four-foot holes for the circus tent’s poles – not so simple in a city built on bedrock. With help from Hudbay and Reliance, holes were drilled in the chosen site behind the Flin Flon Community Hall.
Another challenge: finding an appropriate spot near the tent where the circus team could set up their trailers and have access to washrooms and a power source. With help from the city and the Flin Flon Weightlifting Club, the acrobats, director and support staff set up camp in the parking lot next to the Flin Flon Community Hall. When it came time to set up the 18-metre tent on Wednesday, a six-hour job, Freedom Outreach workers came out to assist.
“So many people problem-solved to make this happen,” says Kolt, “and I am so appreciative of that community effort.”
Ultimately, all the hard work was well worth it for those who had the chance to see Vague de Cirque perform on Sunday afternoon. From tightrope walking, to aerial rope performances, to a three-acrobat team swinging from a chandelier, the show elicited plenty of applause, laughter, and “oohs” and “aahs” from audience members young and old.
