PRESS RELEASE For immediate release

The Natural Talent Search of the National Circus School will visit Winnipeg! The Canadian Preselection Tour Presented by Natrel

Tuesday, October 21, 2014 - The National Circus School embarks on a pre-selection tour, a cross- quest for talented young people between the ages of 9 and 17. There will be stops in 16 cities from October 31 to November 15, 2014. The tour heads to Winnipeg on November 2 from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm at Monica’s Danz Gym. To participate in the pre-selection, applicants must register before through the website: nationalcircusschool.ca.

During the tour the School's teaching staff will hold workshops, with exercises designed to assess the aspiring circus artists' calibre and potential to integrate into the School's programs. In particular, they will be tested for spatial orientation, coordination, flexibility, strength, stage presence (acting ability), movement and musicality (dance). In addition to this opportunity to be evaluated by circus arts professionals, young aspirants will attend a briefing on the School's training programs and learn more about the career of a circus performer.

This pre-selection tour allows all young Canadians circus lovers of all regions to test their potential to succeed in the official entrance examination. To participate in the pre-selection, applicants must select the city closest to their home town and register at nationalcircusschool.ca. The tour takes place from October 31 to November 15. There will be stops in Moncton, Saguenay, Disraeli, Québec, Sherbrooke, Drummondville, Montréal, Gatineau, Val-d’Or, Rouyn-Noranda, Ottawa, Hamilton, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary and .

This tour is in addition to the School's principal screening, the official Entrance Examination, to be held in Toronto, Vancouver and in February 2015.

The National Circus School

For more than 30 years, the National Circus School has prepared circus artists for their professional careers. It has played a crucial role in the development of circus arts in Canada and around the world. Having trained nearly 500 circus artists, among which many have garnered distinctions at prestigious world festivals, the institution has become a world reference in its sector. A leader of the circus renaissance in Canada and North America, the Montreal based school has also contributed to the emergence of several prominent circus companies such as Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Eloize and The 7 Fingers.

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Information, interview opportunity and photos : Laurence Cardin | National Circus School | 514 982-0859 ext 248 | [email protected]

The National Circus School

For more than 30 years, the National Circus School has prepared circus artists for their professional careers. It has played a crucial role in the development of circus arts in Canada and around the world. Having trained nearly 500 circus artists, among which many have garnered distinctions at prestigious world festivals, the institution has become a world reference in its sector. A leader of the circus renaissance in Canada and North America, the Montreal based school has also contributed to the emergence of several prominent circus companies such as Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Eloize and The 7 Fingers.

Fast facts

• The National Circus School of Montreal was founded in 1981. Since its inception, the School has trained most of Canada’s circus performers. Graduates are now working around the world in Canada, the U.S.A., Europe, and .

• Demand is high; more than 95% of students find jobs.

• The School’s teaching and artistic staff includes more than 80 instructors, teachers and artistic consultants.

• The School has more than 160 full time students. Around 30% of those students are foreigners.

• In the fall of 2003 the School moved to an entirely new 7,200 square metre building especially designed to provide state-of-the art professional training in the circus arts. With new facilities catering to all disciplines while promoting safety, the School provides a unique learning environment.

• Summer Camp – Initiation to Professional Training. A one or two-week intensive summer camp that allows a hundred young people ages 9 to 12 and 13 to 17 to experience professional training in circus arts.

• The National Circus School offers a complete range of professional training in circus arts, from preparatory to High School and Circus Studies (DES) to college-level (DEC) programs. Also offered are three college diploma programs (AEC) for circus arts teachers.

• Complete dormitory services for high school students from across the country are available. Comprising 23 housing units attached to the main building, the student residences mean the School can provide complete, practical and secure housing services 7 days a week.

• The School is now in a veritable “City” for the circus arts. This Cité des arts du cirque serves as a veritable international forum. It is dedicated to the diffusion, production, creation and instruction of circus arts. A cluster of imposing structures house the national association for circus arts En Piste, the National Circus School, the Cirque du Soleil’s international Headquarters and the Tohu pavilion, which includes the first circular performance hall in Canada.

Our graduates around the world! Canadian Companies Cirque Éloize

• Co-founded by graduates Jeannot Painchaud (1990) and Daniel Cyr (1990). • The new creation Cirkopolis features 10 recent graduates. • iD, directed by Jeannot Painchaud, was created in 2010 as part of the first edition of the international festival, Montréal Complètement Cirque, with many recent graduates performing.

Cirque du Soleil

• Close to 30 graduates in 12 different shows. • Touring Japan, Russia, United States, Europe . . . • Recent graduates Guilhem Cauchois and Sarah Tessier (2012) star with a duo trapeze number in the Cirque du Soleil's show TOTEM, directed by Robert Lepage. • Three graduates are part of the chapiteau creation AMALUNA. • The most recent Chapiteau creation KURIOS, features two graduates.

The 7 Fingers

• Five of the seven founding members are School graduates. • Six shows on tour in , the United States, Germany, Switzerland and Mexico. • A score of over 20 graduates appearing in 3 shows. • Eight 2011 graduates appear in the show Séquence 8. • The latest creation Cuisine et Confessions features 6 graduates.

Cavalia

• Since its inception, Cavalia has hired several graduates as performers and called upon two graduates as artistic consultants.

International Companies

• Our graduates work for companies throughout Europe, with recurring appearances with the Monti, Starlight, and Plume circuses, and for numerous cabarets in Germany. • L’Atelier du peintre, the latest Cirque Plume show, starred four graduates. • Un loup pour l’homme and Cirque Trotola, two companies out of France, were founded by School graduates.

Festivals and Special Events

• The School regularly participates in festivals such as Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain in , Wuuqai in , Auch and Cherbourg in France, and most recently was invited to participate in the second edition of Festival Polo Circo in . Its students and graduates have also won numerous prizes and competitions over the past two decades.