Show must go on for Montral Compltement Cirque, despite heat wave

Montreal is in the throes of a heat wave, but the show must go on for the sweaty performers atMontral Compltement Cirque the city's annual circus festival hosts its first outdoor shows, starting at 5 p.m today.

Humidex values in the city will reach between 40 and 45 C, but Australian performerAmie Patching said she doesn't mind.

"I'm kind of used to thatbeing hot and sticky," she said.

She's one of 30 performers inPhnix, a twice nightly, freeoutdoor show at Jardins Gamelin, located outside Berri-UQAMMetro.

Amie Patching finds a shaded spot on St-Denis Street during the heat wave.

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"I put chalk and resin, and by the end of the day my hands are sticky," she said of the heat.

The circus festival runs untilJuly 15 and brings performers from around the world to Montreal.

Most of the programming is contemporary circus a style that incorporates performance elements like narrative, comedy and acrobatics.

Along with venue shows, there are free and interactive pieces in public spaces every day.

Most notably, St-Denis Street between Sherbrooke and Ste-Catherine streets will become an open air circus, says festival director NadineMarchand.

The road to international hotspot

MontralCompltementCirque is fairly young, having launched in 2010. It's a team effort between the heavy hitters in Montreal's circus landscape:TOHU, Cirqueloize,Les7doigtsde la main, Cirque duSoleil, the National Circus School and En Piste.

"It was a great show of force for the circus community,"Marchandsaid of the festival's inception.

Marchandpreviously worked for Montreal'sThtredu NouveauMondeand was contacted by theTOHUin 2009 to help create the festival from scratch.

"There was nothing there, there was a blank sheet. It was very, very exciting," she said.

But it hasn't always been recognized as an art, and it took industry teamwork to further its standing in the eyes of the government and audiences.

Over the past 20 years, local circus artistssuccessfully lobbied Montreal, Quebec and the federal governmentto acknowledge circus as an art worthy of the financial support other disciplines receive.

On Thursday, the provincial government affirmed its commitment to circus arts with a $3-million investment.

"We are right to be very proud of this environment, bubbling withcreativity and daring, and all the talent that abounds here,"CultureMinisterMarie Montpetitsaid.

What to see this year

That united front which has seen circus funded by the that also has driven the success of Montral Compltement Cirque.

The festival takes its community spirit to a larger stageby hostingmixers where newer companies can meet programmers from around the world who may be interested in buying their shows.

"We want the festival to be a showcase,"Marchandsaid.

Acts come from around the world to perform.Australian-madeBackboneis one of the showsMarchandis particularly excited to see.

She also said the world premiere ofLes7doigtsde la main'sSistersis generating a lot of excitement.

For one of the collective's co-founders, Gypsy Snider, working on the show has been an opportunity to showcase the kind of creativity, sensitivity and emotions circus is capable of,and to reconnect with old friends.

The show features Ayin de Sela and Miriam de Sela on stage, with music from their late sister Lhasa de Sela, who died in of breast cancer in 2010.

Snider attended the same high school in San Francisco with them and said that she and the de Selas' had strangely similar childhoods their parents both got the idea to refit old school buses they could live and travel in.

She has fond memories of being part ofa creative family in San Francisco in the1970s.

"I grew up in an era where art was about making the world a better place," she said.

Snider's parents were also the founders of the Pickle Family Circus, which is credited with the renewal of American circus a format that doesn't include animals or a three-ring layout.

Snider saidSistersis interesting because it showcases a female-driven narrative and performers over 40.

"I so wanted to work with circus performers of a certain age who don't rely on tricks," she said.

MontralCompltementCirque runs from July 5 to15 in venues and public areas across the city. For programing andmore information, click here.