This post is in defense of the female artists (including myself) who performed in Cirque de Demain this year, not in defense of the festival or the selection process which is clearly flawed. My argument is with this excerpt of the Circus Talk article that is getting so much attention: “…for the most part, the mixed-gender acts stuck to traditional gender norms, with stereotypical representations and narratives: women flew, not based (a noteworthy exception was Viivi R. & Fragan G. Duo, where the woman based the man on rope); most of the women’s costumes were dainty, revealing and full of Swarovskis; their figures petite….Beyond the lack of women’s acts, there was also a painful absence of representation that breaks the stereotypes of women in circus.” To me, this is an unfair, superficial, and very short-sighted review of the acts with fema...