The quiet pulse of house music rises slowly as the audience settles in. In the center of the circus ring we see a large white parachute bubble, and underneath there are shadows cast by  slowly moving bodies who seem to pick up the pace a bit just as the sound level rises. It happens over a matter of minutes, but soon the whole tent is filled with the thrum of bass and the small tent full of shadows before us is thrashing around as if at their own private dance club. That is how the show begins.

The last phase of the CNAC student experience is called professional integration and it consists in the creation and presentation of the graduation show which validates the student’s circus degree. It’s the ultimate hands on experience for graduates about to launch their professional career, and a bumper between the intimate world of circus school and the wider playing field of circus professionals. The show plays a short ti...