Constance Dansart — Meet the Graduate 2021
As the circus industry comes back to life, a new class of graduates flexes its muscles. These bright artists have tolerated higher than usual levels of uncertainty and have done so with grace. With this in mind, CircusTalk is excited to present the 2021 “Meet the Graduate” series and honor all the artists’ hard work and the completion of their final year of circus school. Introducing Constance Dansart, École de Cirque de Québec graduate and trapeze artist.
Constance Dansart fell in love with the static trapeze at the age of five. After encountering it at the Centre d’animation de la Grange aux Belles, Dansart began dreaming of being a circus artist. Today she has realized that dream.
After graduating high school in 2015, Dansart finally began preparatory training at Centre des Arts du Cirque Balthazar in France. There she studied acrobatics, hand balancing, theatre, and dance. Dansart then began her education at École de Cirque de Québec in 2018, where she added Cyr wheel as a secondary discipline.
Diving into her circus education at École de Cirque de Québec both challenged and inspired Dansart. The training program was different than what she had previously experienced, pushing her to hone not just her technique but also her identity as an artist. Most importantly, her schooling gifted her with the confidence she needed as a circus performer.
On how the circus arts influences her personally, Dansart says: “I grew up seeing circus shows. Each show is an encounter with different artists, bodies, personalities and pasts, thanks to the diversity and the liberty of the circus arts. The conviviality of the circus world creates dialogue that is as truthful and sincere on stage as it is in life. I learn a lot about myself as an artist and about my role. My dance teacher at the Québec Circus School once told us to see the dynamic of group creation as an ecosystem. I like this collective vision. In general, the circus arts have taught me to be alert and sensitive to the world around me, and to use this ability as my source of creativity and inspiration.”
For Dansart, circus is all about encounters and bringing people together. At Ècole de Cirque de Québec she came into her own as an artist and was united with a beautiful circus community. COVID-19 impacted not only her ability to practice her craft, but also her connection with her peers. She looks forward to resuming her role on stage and meeting new audiences. Here, Constance describes her post graduation plans:
“I’m going to graduate from the Quebec Circus School in June 2021. With my promotion we are about to present our final show ‘Entre ici et chez toi’ directed by Olivier Lépine (3-6 June 2021). I am so excited to go on stage in front of a real public after this difficult period for the arts. It’s the best way to finish off my journey at l’ECQ, and it gives me so much energy for the future and my beginning as a professional artist. I also have some little projects with other artists for this summer that are in preparation!”
Dansart’s graduation static trapeze act titled “A Souvenir of Celebrations” is described on her website as an “aerial act of a woman who puts her body and soul in a memory where again and again, her trapeze turns into a barman, dancers and a partner.” The act puts a theatrical spin on static trapeze while personifying the apparatus and surprising the audience.
All photos provided by Constance Dansart, credited to Emmanuel Burriel
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