Interviewing Marie-Ève Bisson
Marie-Eve Bisson est considérée comme une pionnière en cerceau aérien, et avec ses 20 ans de carrière comme une virtuose de cette discipline.
Avec plus de 35 pays à son actif, c’est avec plaisir qu’elle vient à Montréal présenter son numéro pendant Coups de coeur!
TOHU: Tell us a little bit about your journey.
Marie-Ève Bisson: I was initially a gymnast and dancer when I was invited by Cirque du Soleil to join Quidam in 1998, to replace an injured artist. I had zero experience with an aerial hoop! I spent three days of assessment, training for the discipline and learning the act… and was selected. It was the beginning of a great passion. After Quidam (4 and a half years), I created my own act for Dralion. Since then, I’ve been juggling between Cirque du Soleil shows, my personal projects and those of other companies. During Quidam, I met Jonathan Morin, who invented his apparatus, the crossed wheel. We have created together a successful act which we performed in many festivals. Finally, I was asked to create an act for Kooza, which will be part of the Coups de cœur show.
TOHU: What makes you passionate about your discipline?
Marie-Ève Bisson: I’ve always loved being in the air (she laughs). Feeling the void underneath me is exhilarating. With the aerial hoop, I feel closer to a dream I’ve had for years… flying! The circus also gives me the opportunity to live out my other passion: creating a character, telling a story, expressing emotions and being in communion with the audience.
TOHU : Tell us about your act in the show.
Marie-Ève Bisson : For the past two years, I’ve performed this act, which is evolving carefully. Over time, we can become jaded and want to change things just for the sake of change, and that’s not always the wise thing to do. We must remember that the combination of sequences and movements originally created is perfectly balanced with what the audience wants to see and appreciates. For example, we change a movement to challenge ourselves and, during the show, the audience doesn’t react as much as before. We must always respect the audience’s reactions, they know what they want.
TOHU: What does your participation in Coups de cœur represent?
Marie-Ève Bisson: I have not performed in Montréal since 2011, so I’m back to the source! And it’s an honor to take part in this highly anticipated show, which my family and my friends can attend. Over the last twenty years, I’ve worked a great deal at mastering my art and I learned to control danger. Even though I’m always aware of it, I now feel comfortable and stress-free in the air. I can control what I want the audience to feel. The goal of my performance is never to scare, but rather to share beauty, a sense of wonder, magic, emotions.
TOHU: What is your perception of the Québec circus in the world?
Marie-Ève Bisson: We are perceived as “the modern circus”. In our desire to stand out, we bring a new way of doing things. It’s, I believe, what people know about us: our ability to make them experience different emotions through a story and characters. And that’s really inspiring.
Interview reported and edited by Anne-Marie Desbiens
