If you're considering going to circus school, watch this.
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- čas přidán 27. 11. 2022
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I graduated from ENC (Ecole National de Cirque in Montreal), so in this video I tend to show lots of ENC videos and reference it, but there are a lot of circus schools out there that I could have used interchangeably- amazing circus artists come out of all of them, as well as many who never did circus school.
If you liked this video, please share it with someone that might be interested, the more people it can help the better!
For more information on ENC and circus school in general check out these videos:
Inside ENC:
• Inside the National Ci...
Everything you need to know about AUDITIONING for ENC:
• Inside the National Ci...
Clips shown in this video:
Le Bruit du Silence (cyr wheel artist Bobby Cookson, co-created with Naël Jammal)
• Le Bruit du Silence - ...
All That We Have (Handbalancer Marie-Eve Dicaire, A Professional Handbalancer's Origin Story)
• A Professional Handbal... - Zábava
I get asked a lot about how I managed to work professionally and particularly internationally without a circus school degree. I always say that you have to expect to train for the same amount of years with and without school. When it comes to exposure and contacts, I always recommend applying to festivals
to try to get the same level of exposure that circus students get. The networking is definitely the hardest part. And often I find that if you aren't in a school environment, you're probably going to end up specializing much more heavily considering that you need to pay a coach per hour of training. Your best bet is to hone your skills in one area to get to the professional level you desire. Anything is possible! Different paths for different folks. I've definitely seen circus students deal with injuries that I didn't have to deal with while I was focusing on one discipline. And there's always situations where certain schools push students towards disciplines that they ultimately don't enjoy performing. I think it's so important to take your own situation into account.
I also think it's a great point that there are incredible programs to kickstart your training. There are many schools that don't offer degrees where you can get foundational training to build upon as I did.
Great video Eric!!!! Glad you are responding to this for folks!
Thanks so much for sharing this. For those that don't know, Emily is a badass trapeze artist working for all the big dogs. A great example of someone making it without circus school in this day and age.
Why does being a circus performer have short life span? Is it because of the physical strain? Can you still perform as a contractor or smaller circus shows if you are in your late 20s?
Probably yes the strain on the body. The way a lot of athletes stop by kid twenties or so. Like I think LeBron James is an example of someone seriously pushing the societal expectations of an athlete. Like gymnast I recently learned aged 18 is usually when gymnast prepare to retire. All the impact on the joints. Maybe it's a liability
Your late 20s is still young in circus, school just avoid them because imagine your already 29, you can do from 2 up to 5 years of circus school (usually 3) you finish school at 32 and your career will probably end between 40 and 45 years old without severe injuries, it’s 13 years at best, it’s not enough so most of the time they don’t take people this old in schools (it depends on the discipline, clown or juggler for exemple have longer career and can enter circus school a bit older)
Hey, I'd agree with what the others said below. I'm 36 and still working a lot as a performer, but in general you'll notice a lot less performers in their 50s onstage. I'd say part of it is because of the physical demands this career takes, and part of it is that the career requires a lot of travel which can be hard with a family. So while I think you can continue to perform for a long time, it makes more sense for the schools to take younger people who can expect a longer career than someone who is just starting the intense training phase later in life.
Happy to see Cyr wheel represented, thats my gig! Las Vegas Circus Center will take anyone of any age as long as they can handle the physical stress. Have fun!
I didn't go to circus school- I was heavily involved in circus from a young age until I was 18, from there I went to university for costume construction and set design for theatre. I've always known that I wanted to pursue circus but I didn't want that to be my only option if something were to happen to my body - I also thought that having a more well rounded theatrical skillset would make me more desirable for smaller shows and would provide me insight on the creative process and how to tell stories visually. I was also very conscious of circus schools having their own "brand" and putting out performers that fit their mold, whatever it may be. Additionally, many schools (from what I've heard/seen) only train you in 1-2 disciplines- I wanted to be more of a generalist and I didn't want to be restricted by the artistic interest of the school. I wanted to have the freedom to pursue what I was interested in on my time- I think self motivation was important for me because it proved to myself that this was something I was passionate about. It was challenging but I really think it was the best choice for me - I left university with a full portfolio of technical costume work and theatre design, as well as a diverse repertoire of circus skills I had maintained over the years. The one thing I don't feel that I have is a polished act, but most of the work I'm looking for isn't after that. For me the decision really came down to the fact that I had so much training already and I knew I wanted a secondary career to lean on. Hope you're well Eric! Not sure if you remember but you based me in a banquine in some lake during the 2015 Smirkus tour- good times!
Dope! Sounds like a cool path. What sort of shows/ work did you end up doing? I think the one thing I've thought about (i'm 35 now) is that although the circus career has been amazing for travel, crazy experiences, meeting amazing people, I've always been afraid of living only 'one life' so to speak. One career/ way of living. Do you feel like you've gotten to experience some circus and some theatrical set/ costume design, or has it all blended together?
a bit of both for sure! Getting to work in costumes/dressing for theatre/ballet is a nice break from circus but also a great learning experience- i find its made me a more humble and understanding performer because i’ve seen the other side of it- it’s also made me a better costumer because i better understand the needs of the performer- there aren’t that many people that are well versed in circus and costumes so I’ve had the opportunity to consult for shows and build costumes for them just because i know both well- i definitely knew what i wanted my niche to be which helped immensely
@@ben.handstand Yea for sure. Making my own show basically turned me into the easiest performer in the world to work with because I know what all the other roles take and how much work it is. Definitely punctual and positive and appreciative when I'm just juggling these days haha. But also, circus costumes are super tricky, so many specific requirements and just things most clothes are not meant to go through.
thanks so much for this!
Well said.
I wanted to work with animals. But I now after choosing cosmetology over circus. I'm wondering if background work is something that's available, make-up costumes etc.
Didn't go to school as I needed to start working as soon as possible. At the end of the day people around are the most valuable ressources. I've been lucky and manged to get well surrounded. Kinda jealous at time of how easy it is to acess equipment when you in those school... but if you are motivated enough i think there is no excuse and anyone can get just as good with or without being part of the program.
Definitely agree with your last statement. Did you have to go somewhere to train or were you already somewhere that had facilities etc?
@@EricBates I had to open my own gym in 2020. It was always something i wanted to do and was lucky enough and was able to use my circus money to do so. Before i was lucky enought to have gyms nearby but ever since FIG changed their politics and closed open gym it's been a challenge
Also my main discipline need specific equipment wich I get mostly on gigs. Otherwise it is a challenge, but if you travel a bunch and connect with people from different places I think everything is manageable!
Hii! I am from Argentina and I want to apply for ENC next year. I have been watching your videos and I find them really helpful, so thak u so much for make them
I have 2 questions:
Is there a dress code for training in the ENC?
And also, does it matter if you don't have a big background in French?
Hey Fiore, thanks for reaching out. I don't know of any dress codes at ENC. People basically just whatever they're comfortable training in.
Some background in French might help, but there are LOTS of anglophone students (and people with other first languages) too, and you have mandatory French as second language classes anyways.
I think if you're a native Spanish speaker that already speaks English you would have no problem, and French would come very quickly.
I always wonder about these extreme athletes whether they have awareness of the degenerative effects of constant extreme repeated back flexion (affecting back disks particularly lumbar) and extensions (affecting the facet joints). For example, like any material the outer shell of a lumbar disc (annulus fibrosus) can wear out (like a tempered piece of plastic) then rupture at some future point causing herniation and all the neurogenic issues that then come with that. No matter how strong you are, fit you are, biomaterial failure probably is an issue for these athletes and though not an issue in short-term , could be and issue later in live. Of course, there is always a sample pool of athletes to pull from should a performer be side-lined so for the company it isn't an issue,, but for individual athletes it is. Given Cirque du Soleil has a presence , a base in Canada do the director, therapists ever consult say Dr Stuart McGill from University of Waterloo who specializes in understanding the back injuries of high performance athletes?
Why is the career so short lived? Is it because of the physical toll the work takes on the body? At what age is it recommended you stop these types of activities? I was thinking circus type training would be fun and help with strength and longevity, because I am getting older in a physically demanding work environment, trying to heal strain injuries etc. Just hoping it is not curtains yet as they say haha.
you can do circus until you die. but often around 50 years you will not be good enough anymore to be proffesional.
Hey I think it's a combination of the physical toll and wanting to travel less and start a family, for example, or try something else. You can do it as long as you want for sure! But professionally maintaining a high level can be hard as you get older and accumulate injuries, or start to prioritize other aspects of your life
Question about ENC - is 25 too late to audition/be considered? Thank you and really appreciate your videos 🙏
hey Angelica, it's not unheard of, but I'd consider the cost/ reward ratio. You'd be 28 when you graduate and still need to make contacts, get yourself out there, etc. I think at 25 you might be better at this than someone that's younger, but there are no magic bullets. Depending on the circus discipline you want to do you might be better off going hard at one discipline and really focusing on that, getting out into the marketplace and then building up more skills on the side while working rather than taking 3 years to get well rounded. Depends on your experience performing and marketing yourself already too. It's so hard to say as a generalization what the right path for anyone would be. If you haven't already, I'd suggest reading Emily Tucker's comment below as an alternative route. Hope that helps.
@@EricBates hey! Sent a response but I think it never posted!
Thank you for your reply :) I’m a professionally trained ballerina (Royal Winnipeg Ballet School graduate) and working actor. I discovered aerial hoop a year ago and would consider myself a low level intermediate.
I am familiar with what ENC would be like as I did the same level training for 6 years in ballet. Another concern - do I want to do 3 more years of this difficult training? Currently I’m self taught in hoop, doing some lessons/privates, and doing a professional acrobatic 4 month intensive on the side (dynamo theatre)
In my eyes I need 1 year of professional hard core training to get my hoop up to a high level. I say this because I excel faster due to my previous training and my deep understanding of my body.
I saw on the ENC website that they offer a 1 year program: Tremplin DEC Program
Candidates with strong potential, but whose skills do not quite meet the eligibility criteria for higher education, may be offered our DCS Immersion program following the auditions. This one-year program offers refresher courses in basic techniques and the various circus disciplines. After conditional admission, the student will have to redo the auditions for higher education.
Do you have any information about this? I sent an email to inquire further but maybe you can give some insight. I agree that 3 years is too long/too much and I don’t think it’s necessary. Im very curious about this 1 year program, because it could be a really good fit..
I audition in MTL in February - just for fun and to put myself out there. If I don’t get it I can sigh with relief knowing that I know where I need to take my path next, aka keep self training ;) but you and I both know that it’s hard to compare to a professional program with a hardcore schedule like ENC or RWB.
Thanks so much!
@@AngelicaZuenko hey yea I think we’re on the same page then. A one year program could be interesting to you, otherwise I’d say keep working on your own or take classes or something with people in montreal. The one year program at ENC used to be called mis a nouveau, not sure if they changed it or it’s something different but usually it was a prep program from which people usually went on to do the DEC. Not sure if that’s still the case but that’s what usually happened more than people doing one year and leaving (unless they auditioned again and didn’t get in). But not much to lose going to the auditions and seeing what’s what and meeting some folks. Good luck!
Salut Eric, merci pour une autre vidéo très intéressante! La question est bonne. Selon mon expérience en tant que coach, metteur en scène et pédagogue, avoir fréquenté une école se reflète aussi dans la souplesse et l'ouverture aux apprentissages. Les "self-made artists" développent sûrement des qualités qui leur permettent de réussir, mais quand vient le moment de s'adapter à une vision artistique nouvelle ou différente, il m'a souvent semblé qu'ils n'avaient pas "appris à apprendre". Il peut arriver que des qualités d'entrepreneurship ou de ténacité deviennent malheureusement des limites ou des résistances. //
Hi Eric, thanks for another very interesting video! Good question. According to my experience as a coach, director and pedagogue, having attended a school is also reflected in flexibility and openness to learning. Self-made artists surely develop qualities that allow them to succeed, but when it comes time to adapt to a new or different artistic vision, it often seemed to me that they had not "learned to learn". It can happen that qualities of entrepreneurship or tenacity unfortunately become limits or resistances.
Cheers!
Great point. I was wondering about that since you spend so little time actually performing while in circus school (at least at ENC, schools like fratellini or circadium have different focuses on creation and performing. Even now ENC is changing models to more quick creations, if i understand correctly). I wondered about that being a disadvantage compared to being out in the market, but then the trade off might be learning less skills since you're forced to put whatever's ready onstage and not take the time to learn new things.
Learning to learn is a really interesting point, adaptability and flexibility can really show the breadth of your skills/ training, that's kind of what I was getting at when I said "you can probably make a really good act" as an autodidact but it might be harder to be more flexible. But I"d love to hear more counter arguments from people that have different experiences.
I feel like this comment is pointed at me! I was able to sneak my way into a spot on the cast of iD as an autodidact acrobat but I had basically no experience acting at that time. Renald was my first acting coach while already on the job! Imagine his frustration working with someone so shy and inexperienced! I realized I had to figure it out quick and being surrounded by people who had gone to ENC was very helpful in helping me learn how to do that. In a sense I benifitted from people who had gone to school without ever having gone myself.
I feel like every self-taught artist has a wildly different path, especially in circus, and it's a hard thing to generalize. The willingness to be vulnerable in being bad at new things and curiosity in expanding oneself as an artist are qualities that people have in different amounts. That's what will ultimately decide how far someone goes whether they went to school or not!
@@RyanShinji Hey! Thanks for sharing, I really agree with your second paragraph and last sentence especially!
@@RyanShinji Un éclairage très pertinent dans cette discussion!
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Personal oppinion. With a NEGATIVE PRESPECTIVE. People can feel your energy doesnt make you happy, dont do it. We pay hardworking money to go and to feel that negativity ruining the magic it just isnt civil anymore. thank you for reading. Circus=Magic. Dont ruin it for everyone else. Stay at home and read instead. Artist are delicate people