Circus cabaret
Let the bell tower of Le Monastère guide you to the Cabaret du Jugement Dernier!
Taking place in Le Jardin, and in partnership with Montréal Complètement Cirque, this circus cabaret is a friendly competition between the most impressive artists in the province.
As night falls, enjoy the light summer breeze while the best of the circus scene perform their new acts in a magical atmosphere at the bottom of the church tower. Who will win the Golden Chalice or the Crowd Favourite?
The suspense will remain until the final night, when the jury members and you – the public – choose the winners.
Will you join us in seventh heaven?
THE ARTISTS
ANTHONY VENISSE
As a graduate of the École Nationale de Cirque de Montréal, and a trained artist at the Rudra-Béjart dance school and Circus Space in London, Anthony Venisse has a passion for creation and staging.
As a clown and stage director, he has worked on projects for European cabarets as well as local ones, such as the Festival Montréal Complètement Cirque, for which he developed the Minutes Complètement Cirque concept and the Place Émilie Gamelin show over a ten-year period.
Also, as an avid magician, he developed a burlesque act based on the quick-change performance style along with his sister, Amélie. He is also a Master of Ceremonies for various circus events, an artistic trainer, and a choreographer for Cirque du Soleil.
EMCEE
ANNA KICHTCHENKO
A Canadian with Russian origin, Anna discovered the world of circus at the age of 12 through traditional Russian circus artists in Toronto. As a graduate of the professional program of the École Nationale de Cirque de Montréal in 2011, she expresses herself through aerial fabric acts, contortion and hoop manipulation.
In 2019, she graduated from the École de Cirque de Québec and embarked on a contemporary circus duo project with Pablo Pramparo, named The Chita Project.
She also works regularly with the company Les 7 Doigts de la Main and has collaborated with international companies such as Cirque Eloize and Cirque du Soleil.
Over the years, she has acquired experience in many other disciplines and contexts, making her a versatile multidisciplinary artist.
HULA-HOOP
FERNANDO TORRES
"Extrait, le dernier souvenir de mon horloge"
Born in Punta Arenas, Chilean Patagonia, Fernando Torres started juggling over 10 years ago, just for fun. This game quickly turned into a practice, when he realized that he was creating a space to grow in creativity and kindness.
This allowed him to travel all over his country, as an apprentice, teacher or interpreter, thus learning from many different points of view.
To professionalize his approach, he studied at ESACTO-Lido, which led him to question his perception of the stage.
Who creates the protagonist – the artist or the materials on stage? He will try to respond through his reflections on stage.
CLUB JUGGLING
SARA SABINA ARIZMENDI
Sabina was born in Spain, but was raised on a boat with her family. She discovered the world of circus with Cirque du Soleil’s “Alegria” show, and at the same time, found her calling.
She began with recreational classes in a small studio on the island of Majorca. It was there that she also auditioned for the ENC. In 2020, she began studying aerial silks as a major, but also familiarized herself with aerial hoops and contortion.
After graduation, she took her first steps into the professional world, drawing inspiration from her childhood memories for her creations on stage. Indeed, she finds similarities between working with fabric and the ropes of a boat.
This allows her to approach the stage with calm and intuition, in a suspended moment of solitude and warmth.
AERIAL SILK
LOUIS THOMAS GAUTHIER
A young Quebecer, Louis Thomas fell in love with hand balancing a few years ago when he saw a show by the company Les 7 Doigts.
Having begun his apprenticeship with dance – mainly ballet – he branched out to the École Nationale de Cirque de Montréal at the age of 15 to develop his skills and flexibility. He began with preparatory recreational classes before obtaining his DEC.
It was here that he developed both professionally and personally, while perfecting his technique.
His favourite moments are those when his head is… upside down. He is one of the up-and-coming artists and will be performing at Le Monastère for the first time.
HAND BALANCING
MAI YAMACHI
"Breath in, dance out"
Brazilian artist Mai has always felt the stage as a warm and familiar place. This is likely due to her discovery of the theatre at an early age… in the womb of her mother, who was an actress.
She began by practicing capoeira, which taught her to be aware of her body and its movements. As a teenager, she branched out into contemporary and Brazilian dance, and fell in love with aerial hooping later on.
She took technique classes before landing her first job as an aerial acrobat with a major Brazilian company at the age of 26. Since then, she has never stopped evolving and perfecting her technique, with the help from her coaches.
Thanks to the pandemic, she trained in hair suspension and subsequently developed an act with her husband. Since then, she has used straps and her hair to keep flying.
HAIR SUSPENSION
JOHN WITTE
John discovered his interest in juggling at an early age, starting out with… stones!
Later, he specialized in this discipline at the National Circus School of Montreal, with a minor in acro-dance and Chinese mast. His perseverance and determination has led him to collaborate with numerous circus companies in Montreal and abroad.
At the same time, he continues to develop his projects to emulate his childhood love: magic.
Combining his two passions, the artist sees his acts as an investigation of movement, along with a fascination for physicality. John’s daily inspiration comes mainly from film and dance, but also from all creative media.
JUGGLING
CLAIRE HOPSON
Born in Vancouver, BC, Claire learned the basics of circus at the age of 9, when her parents enrolled her in a program at CircusWest.
She studied there until she was 18, when she moved to Québec to join the professional program at l’École de Cirque de Québec.
She chose aerial straps as her main discipline, but also worked on her skills in Chinese mast, hand-to-hand, and banquine, a group acrobatic discipline.
As a circus artist, Claire wants to be able to travel all over the world, and soak in every opportunity that comes her way, such as festivals, circus companies, cities, along with all the meaningful connections that she makes along the way.
AERIAL STRAPS
ALEXANDRE LANE
Alexandre grew up in Montreal, where he was inspired by the electric energy of the world’s circus capital.
He has devoted himself to practicing the Cyr wheel since 2007, when he began studying at the École Nationale de Cirque. While this discipline was still in its infancy, he devoted years to researching and perfecting the art, exploring new creative possibilities through innovative stage technology.
With his partner Émilie Fournier, they formed the aerial duo Chilly & Fly and performed together for almost a decade. Their exceptional skills and expertise earned them the Silver Clown award at the 41st Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival, one of the most esteemed awards in the circus world.
Since then, they have toured internationally, captivating audiences with their performances and winning numerous festival awards.
CYR WHEEL
LOUIS-MARC BRUNEAU DUMOULIN
"Odyssée aérienne"
From an early age, Louis-Marc wanted to be a circus artist. To make this dream a reality, he trained at the École de cirque de Québec before continuing his studies at the École Nationale de Cirque de Montréal.
In 2011, he graduated in handstand. Since then, he has performed in over 25 countries. Reviews of his performances emphasize the emotions he evokes in audiences. It is clear that his desire to entertain and share intimate moments with audiences was what first brought him to the stage.
His passion for the circus drives him to constantly innovate and share his work in different contexts. He has created a number of acts: aerial duo, rotating platform and an aerial double rope solo.
After experiencing international success, Louis-Marc now wishes to stay closer to his roots, in Quebec, where it all began…
AERIAL DOUBLE ROPE
DJ JOSIPOP
DJ JosiPop shines as bright as a disco ball and brings enough energy to keep her audience dancing for hours. But that wasn’t always the case.
As an extremely shy child, Josie’s mother encouraged her to take acting lessons to help her overcome her fears. Mission accomplished! Little Josie fell in love with the stage and devoted her career to acting.
After graduating from the Collège Lionel-Groulx drama school with a diploma in Theatrical Interpretation, she went on to train at a number of different institutions, constantly adding to and enriching her artistic practice.
Her most recent passion project is the DJ. Her sparkly alter ego was born during the 2020 pandemic, as part of the Lèche-vitrine project. She continues to expand her practice, performing in a multitude of contexts.
DJ
Monastère's team
Godwin Sam Joseph
Technical Director and sound Technician
BREAGH LUNN
Stage Manager
Marzio Picchetti
Light Operator
Jérémy Vituper
Stage Technician
Annie-kim déry
Co-artistic Director and Casting
Guillaume Blais
Co-general Director
Rosalie Beauchamp
Co-general Director
Alex Pham
Marketing and communication director
alizé honen-delmar
Sponsorships and Partnerships manager
Carolyn Auclair
Public funding manager
Léa Orlandini
Marketing and communication coordinator
PAULINE PENET
Ticketing and reception coordinator
Anaëlle gérard
Sales and event coordination
Melina teppe
Special events coordination assistant
kathy maguire
Project coordinator
Hélène Nguyen
Administrative assistant
Luis edgardo molina medina
Administrative coordinator
Our Partners
We acknowledge the support of the Government of Canada for the renovation of the Centre St Jax.
