Cirque du Soleil alumni hit Edinburgh with new high-flying circus show

Kelly Apter chats to Bruno Gagnon about Flip Fabrique’s exciting new circus dance show, a vibrant mix of acrobatics, aerial and rubber balls

credit: Joe Rondone

When Bruno Gagnon and his friends graduated from Quebec City Circus School, they had a lot of tricks under their belt. But it wasn’t until hitting the road with world-renowned companies such as Cirque Éloize and Cirque du Soleil that they fully honed their craft. ‘To be part of an industry giant like Cirque du Soleil helped us understand about logistics, travelling, and the world in general,’ says Gagnon. ‘It also taught us how to improve our methods as artists. Overall, it was the best school ever.’

Suitably educated, Gagnon formed Flip Fabrique and began touring Canada with his dynamic brand of contemporary circus. Making its Edinburgh Fringe debut, the company will perform Attrape Moi (‘Catch Me’), a show filled with acrobatics, hula hoops, aerial work and big rubber balls. Like all circus troupes, repetition is the name of the game, practising the same routines over and over until they achieve that perfect balance of safety, precision and wow factor. The groundwork of all that was laid when the Flip Fabrique gang was still in school.

‘When we were all at circus school, we would train for 25 to 30 hours a week,’ recalls Gagnon. ‘We spent between six and 15 years in circus school before going on tour as professional artists. Now we work about 40 hours a week for three months to create a new show and have it ready in our bodies, then warm up for two hours before each show.’

Once on stage, if it looks like they’re having as much fun as the audience, that’s because they are. ‘We’ve all known each other for more than ten years. We had fun together back in circus school, and still a true value of Flip Fabrique is to make joyful shows that people can connect with, and that make you want to jump on stage and play with us.’

Attrape Moi, Assembly Hall, Mound Place, 6–29 Aug (not 10, 15, 22), 6pm, £15–£16 (£13–£14); Previews 4 & 5 Aug, £10