Where do Women exist?
By roving reporter and guest writer Simone O’Brien
It is 12.38am in downtown Montreal in Andrew’s Bar and the bartender is dutifully stoned and charmingly ignoring the paying customers. It is the local for Concordia University campus, where I am staying whilst I attend a short summer seminar on research in the creative process for contemporary circus. I need a little bit of ‘Dutch courage’ to write an assessment, so as I turn to my friend–in-the-glass, Stella Artois to help stave off the spectre of academic writing, I decide to write this article for Carnival Cinema instead – not only to procrastinate but also to share in the experience of being in Montreal, one of the world’s great contemporary circus cities, during Montreal circus festival or Montreal Completement Cirque (MICC) in July 2018.
Amy Patching & Simone, Montreal
It seems that Montreal is lousy with Australians. At the MICC there are two Australian companies headlining works, Company 2 with ‘Scotch & Soda’ and Gravity and Other Myths with ‘Backbone’, Lachie and Jascha participating in a fascinating MICC panel discussion on the circus collective. There are a quite a few Fruit Fly graduates and Australian students studying at the Ecole National du Cirque (ENC) including Amy Patching and Sandy Tugwood who performed outstandingly in their solo and trio acts respectively in MICC group shows ‘Les Minutes’ and ‘Phenix’. I felt like a proud mum. And then there are at least four ex-pat Australian friends, who have been performing, working, training and living their international lives in or from Montreal within and without the Cirque du Soleil mothership.
So, I am the only female in Andrew’s bar apart from the stoned bartender (cannabis becomes legal in Canada on October 17, 2018, so I guess she is ahead of her time). Serena Williams is winning on-screen at Wimbledon, Nina Simone sings ‘I put a spell on you’ and I reflect on a question from Australian circus academic Professor Peta Tait: ‘Where do women exist?’
Lightweight fliers
I think of the representation of women’s bodies in the MICC shows I have seen, and a predominant body type emerges – that is the lightweight flier; strong but thin, inordinately flexible, ever pliable, malleable and ductile. What strikes me is a discernible lack of strong, chunky, powerful-looking female bodies, except for one female ‘porteur’ (or base) in the ENC group show ‘Phenix’, the rest of the women’s bodies are of the lightweight flier. Locals tell me that this graceful porteur is only given this role for this show as her training at ENC is in another discipline. Rumour has it that there has only been 1 female porteur to come out of ENC because the school selection process prefers certain body types a, i.e. the lithe, thin, flexible, malleable, female body which is easier to chuck around.
‘Monstrous’ bodies
In comparison, I look at the Australian female body types of the 2nd year NICA students who are in Montreal on an excursion, I am happy to see a variety of body sizes and body types, reflecting a diversity of ‘corporeality’ where broad-shoulders, rock-thighs and chunky calves are normalised; where Hannah Richards, a recent Spaghetti Circus graduate, weighing in at 65 kgs is the flier in a female acrobatic duo, requiring her partner to be a veritable Louis Cyr of porteurs. Louis Cyr was a French Canadian strong man, known as the strongest man in the world.
NICA 2nd Years – Hannah & Cassia In ‘Le Sacre’
I wonder about the diversity of Australian female circus body types in comparison to what I see in Montreal. Is it because of the strong legacy of activists and feminists who helped to co-found Circus Oz in 1978 whose principles are still stated in their website today?
“the heart of the original Circus Oz philosophy are still reflected in our performances today: collective ownership and creation, gender equity, a uniquely Australian signature and team-work”
Chicks on top
Are the principles of gender equity and representation still a strong driving force in the Australian sector today? Obviously, they are for me as feminist and ‘emerging tribal elder’, so I am happy to see the tripling in female representation in the two Australian companies presenting at Montreal, from one to three women in both casts, but we have far to go. It is also worthy to note that both of these companies have a woman in a collaborative artistic leadership position, as both of these women Jasha Boyce and Chelsea McGuffin, were also responsible for co-founding their respective organisations, Gravity and Other Myths and Company 2.
A quick look at the rest of the sector reflects an over-representation of white, male, middle-class men in artistic director roles. It becomes more diverse in the youth and community circus sector, with more women in artistic director roles, however, it seems that the glass ceiling for ‘proper’ circus is alive and well. And shall we enquire about the difference in pay rates for male and female artists on the cabaret circuit, I will leave that for another time/colleague. I feel a little parched.
Is it true that of the twenty-seven Cirque du Soleil shows only one has had a female director? And that this show had an all-female cast, as if women are only able to direct women and not everyone else. Actions, policies and unchecked privilege such as this relegate women to the margins, as token, bubbling away as ‘Other’. Unfortunately, this is where women exist – on the margins, and will remain so until those in positions of power and privilege take action to check their privilege, invite change and help reset what happens at the centre. Makes me thirsty just thinking about it.
Poyo Rojo and Chute, were two delightful shows at the MICC that both playfully and skilfully examined male intimacy through pair work using virtuosic physicality, comedy, clowning, contemporary dance, skills, charm, timing, nuanced performance which seduced, charmed and delighted both audiences. I look forward to a time where more work with strong, funny, charming female leads is programmed at international circus festivals – bring on works like ‘Casting Off’ by Australian company ‘‘A Good Catch’. forward to seeing this intergenerational kick arse female trio at Edinburgh and hopefully Montreal and beyond.
But for now, Stella is calling.
– Simone O’Brien
Simone and circus mob at Concordia Uni in Montreal.
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Simone is a performance maker specialising in circus & physical theatre for over 30 years. She is passionate about social circus, making work in alternate spaces & creating large scale, site specific performance. She was Spaghetti Circus Creative Director 2014 -2017, Legs on the Wall Artistic Associate 2006 – 2012 and has worked for Circus Oz, Stalker, Urban Theatre Projects, NIDA, NICA and many youth circuses including Fruities, Brewarrina, Sandfly, Corrugated Iron, Aerialize and Catapult Festival and was co-founder of notorious ’90’s aerial group Club Swing. She recently co-founded the Not For Profit SeedArts Australia with Jacqui Levy to deliver quality community arts projects with, by and for regional and remote communities.
Aug 27 – 29, Simone and Dr Kristy Seymour will be presenting papers in Prague at the Circus and Its Others conference, an international conference exploring difference in contemporary circus with over 50 participants from 10 countries. Simone will present on ‘Con Colleano and the Cirque du Coraki social circus project’. Kristy will present on Women in Australian Contemporary Circus:
