Abstract

In this thesis, I explore the nature of character in Québec (Canada) contemporary circus focusing on two case studies: Patinoire (Patrick Léonard, 7 doigts de la main) and The Whore of Babylon (Andréane Leclerc, Nadère arts vivants). Given that circus studies is a relatively new and interdisciplinary research field, I rely on the theory from other art forms. Circus theory provides circus performance analysis models that I use to study circus shows and companies from Québec (Hurley, 2016, Batson, 2016). Theatre provides a rich theoretical framework for understanding and representing character ranging from Aristotle to Lehmann. Louis Patrick Leroux’s “Conceptual Model for Circus Dramaturgy” is useful for studying how the performer’s persona and body influence circus character (Leroux, 2016). My research also draws on interviews with Patrick Léonard and Québec contortionist Andréane Leclerc on the intentionality and execution of their shows, and the relationship between their performance experience and spectators’ reception.
After analyzing the performances, their dramaturgy, aesthetics, and artistic intentionality, and informed by the interviews, I argue that the contemporary circus character becomes manifest through its striving to unite the represented character, the performer’s body and the performer’s persona. Though only two shows were analyzed, these two were distinctive case studies of current trends in contemporary circus in Québec beyond the well-known Cirque du Soleil’s own aesthetics and narrative.