Spotlight on Innovation at Festival Mondial Cirque de Demain

Innovation and connection have always been central to the Festival Mondial Cirque de Demain. Now in its 44th edition, the festival remains a premier platform for spotlighting cutting-edge talent and pushing the boundaries of international circus arts.
While countless circus competitions exist worldwide today, Cirque de Demain was one of the first festivals of its kind and has remained unmatched in its ability to uniquely blend artistic excellence with contemporary relevance. Over the past four decades, its programming has consistently reflected the spirit of the times, presenting artists that are not only skillful but socially resonant.
When Dominique Mauclair and his wife Isabelle Mauclair founded the Festival in 1977, the event was organized through just one or two landline telephones, a fax machine, and postal letters. In 2007, Alain Pacherie, as President, took the helm as the “organizing power” behind the festival. Under Alain’s leadership, the festival has embraced innovation and progress as part of its core mission—particularly since 2015, when the 35th edition marked the launch of Club PRO, a professional gathering event that meant to nurture collaboration in the circus industry and beyond.
Club PRO has transformed the festival into a nexus for networking and knowledge-sharing. From the early years of using landlines and fax machines, communication within the festival has embraced the digital age, now leveraging smartphones, apps, emails, and even emerging technologies like AI to connect its global network.
This year, StageLync returns to Club PRO to co-produce an engaging roundtable discussion exploring the transformative role of AI in the performing arts. Curated by Pascal Pierron, the Festival’s Vice President, and hosted by Stacy Clark, StageLync’s Strategic Advisor, the session will delve into how AI impacts creativity while addressing the challenges it brings to traditional artistic processes.
Stacy, a seasoned casting director, career coach, and co-founder of C-Suite Performance, is uniquely equipped to lead this conversation. Her extensive experience guiding artists and curating performances across circus and urban sports makes her an ideal moderator for this timely topic.
As AI continues to evoke mixed feelings of excitement, uncertainty and anxiety in the creative industries, this discussion offers a valuable opportunity to dive deeper and beyond these surface level reactions. From demystifying to redefining, the panel promises to illuminate current practices, explore opportunities and identify the challenges ahead.To gain insight into what’s in store, I spoke with Stacy Clark and Club PRO Project Manager, Frédéric Gilbert about the preparation, the panelists, and what participants can expect.
Andrea Honis: What inspired the theme of this event, and why do you feel it’s important to address AI’s role in live performance, especially in the circus arts right now ?
Frédéric Gilbert: Inside the world of live performances and the circus, we get the opportunity to watch a lot of acts. One of those, this year, was an act between a circus artist and a robot. It made us realize something: in French, we talk about “Spectacle vivant,” literally meaning “Alive Shows.” When should we stop calling it a live performance and instead call it just a technical performance? That brings us to another point: how can we use technology to develop a show and still keep it under the title of living performances? What are those limits, and how can we play with them without losing the uniquely human touch?
AH: With these ideas in mind, how does this event reflect the broader goals of the Festival and, in particular, your vision for the Club PRO program?
FG: For Club Pro, the main objective is to build strong bonds between people during the festival and, even more importantly, afterward. It aims to create a space for discussion and collaboration, a place for those who want to imagine what the circus of tomorrow will look like. We strongly feel that AI is becoming essential—it’s a new tool, and we want to explore its possibilities. A few years ago, Club Pro createdDemain’s Volunteers Academy, a social teaching platform. The primary goal is to make teaching circus remotely possible, which relies on a co-dependent relationship between technology and AI tools.
AH: If people still want to sign up to Club PRO how can they do it and what is included in the Club PRO membership?
FG: People can join the Club PRO at any time on our website. We offer multiple advantages with the Club PRO membership, such as:
- 1 invitation to show B on Friday;
- 50% discount on individual tickets in “Or, Prestige and Première categories for Thursday and Friday;
- 25% discount on individual tickets in “Or, Prestige and Première categories during the week-end
- Access to the 2 p.m. rehearsals on Thursday and Friday;
- 1 complementary program book;
- Early access to the Festival from 1pm on Thursday;
- Access to areas specially reserved for the Club PRO;
- Access to conferences and professional meetings;
- Opportunity to present your projects at a conference;
- Access to a virtual exchange space on our website (to plan and indicate your attendance during the Festival and interact with other professionals and competing artists);
- Your inclusion in the list of Club PRO Members in the 44th Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain program book (if you sign up before a certain deadline).
AH: The AI conversation will be open to a broader audience, not just Club PRO members. Thank you for making this discussion accessible and inclusive to everyone. What do you hope the wider audience will gain or take away from this conversation?
FG: For us, reaching a wider audience means a lot for the conferences, the Club PRO, and the festival. It’s a way for people to experience the Festival in a different way. For Club PRO, it’s an opportunity to provide access to the talks for those who don’t want to sign up, aren’t familiar with Club PRO, or can’t attend the Festival in person.
AH: Stacy, what fascinates you the most about this topic and conversation as a moderator?
Stacy Clark: While preparing to facilitate this panel I did a deep dive into AI across a handful of channels: apps, websites, podcasts, and industry newsletters. I am a neophyte and wanted to approach the subject with a wide-open, “dazzle me” attitude. This quote from music composer Lucas Cantor resonated, so I am borrowing his words!
“I think it is the job of the AI-assisted composer today to think about what we know and to guide our audience to rethink what happens inside their own minds. I think it’s our job to question orthodoxy. I think it’s our job to use new tools to make new art. Today’s artists are not on the verge of being replaced. On the contrary, we are possessed of powers so great that we will expose more truth about the human mind and the human soul than any generation before us. We stand on the shoulders of giants. They have given us the language, they have given us the blueprints, they have given us the technology. What we build with these tools will be more powerful, and more beautiful, and more profound than anything we can now imagine. Artificial intelligence is nothing like us than a prosthetic for the human mind. It will enhance art the way writing enhanced memory, the way printing enhanced literature, the way the steam engine enhanced travel. So will AI kill creativity? NO.”
AH: Can you share any details about the presenters or panelists participating in the event? What perspectives will they bring to the table?
SC:The session is designed to foster conversation and inquiry about what for some folks is a daunting topic. We’ll be encouraging participants to share their experience, curiosity, knowledge, and concerns. Additionally, Vegas-based circus artist, inventor, and creator David Matz, and Dutch multidisciplinary artist Daniel Simu will join us online to share examples of their work and creative process.
AH: How can people join the live-stream and participate online?
SC: Although folks on the West Coast will have to set their alarms and bring their coffee to the live stream session, we encourage anyone interested in participating to join the conversation. We also invite questions in advance by email, and will be recording the session for anyone who wishes to view it later.
AH: How do you think conversations like this can influence the future of performing arts artistic development or industry practices?
SC: Conversation like this offers a valuable starting point and can act as a catalyst for expanding artistic processes. Simply put, the world is evolving in this direction, and for the performing arts—and all forms of creativity—to remain relevant and competitive, engaging with these developments is essential.
When I asked ChatGPT this same question that you just asked me (and then in a second prompt, asked it to be more succinct!), it listed these outcomes:
“Expanding Creative Boundaries: Technologies like AI, VR, and immersive media are blending traditional and digital methods, enabling new forms of performance and storytelling with experimental approaches to narrative, movement, and audience interaction.
Enhancing Collaboration: Technology breaks down geographical barriers, enabling virtual rehearsals and AI-driven tools that connect artists worldwide, leading to more diverse and globally enriched works.
Audience Engagement and Accessibility: Tech makes the arts more accessible through live-streaming, immersive experiences, and interactive performances, breaking physical and economic barriers and reshaping audience development.
Sustainability and Resource Management: Tech-driven digital and hybrid performances can reduce environmental impacts, cutting down on travel and resource-heavy staging for a more sustainable industry.”
It is a comprehensive list, isn’t it? More than I could think of. Conversations about the power and potential of AI and technology are more than just discussions, in my opinion. They are vital touchpoints to explore this evolving landscape. We, humans, are generators here. The blend of creativity and innovation opens up endless possibilities to rethink what’s possible in live performance. Whether AI and technology pushes artistic boundaries or boosts collaboration, I think it has the power to bring about some truly game-changing transformations – and that excites me.
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The roundtable,“Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the Heart of Live Performance: Creative Revolution or New Frontier?”is a co-production between StageLync and Club PRO and will take place onJanuary 24th 16:00 CET as part of the Club PRO program at the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain in Paris. Unlike other Club PRO events, typically exclusive to members, this session will be open to the public.Interested participants can sign up to attend in person, or join from anywhere in the world via live-stream on Zoom.
Editor's Note: At StageLync, an international platform for the performing arts, we celebrate the diversity of our writers' backgrounds. We recognize and support their choice to use either American or British English in their articles, respecting their individual preferences and origins. This policy allows us to embrace a wide range of linguistic expressions, enriching our content and reflecting the global nature of our community.
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