The project
Reboot is a collective journey. Through an experimental process of collective intelligence, we propose to deconstruct in order to better rebuild, and to question in order to relearn together. Inspired by feminist and activist values, Reboot is a gentle revolution that invites us to take time for reflection and then for action. A synthesis of this project is presented on this website, in words and images, through thematic reflections, practical tools, and useful resources.
The origins of the comic project
The Reboot team
REBOOT is a collective of approximately forty people – artists, educators, researchers, technicians, writers – brought together by a shared goal: to rethink the pedagogical transmission of knowledge in circus arts, through the prisms of our situated experiences, from a critical, feminist, queer, and decolonial perspective.
We speak from a variety of social, cultural, and political contexts, and this plurality of perspectives has nourished REBOOT. The project was built on listening, dialogue, and the sharing of both practical and theoretical knowledge, in order to deeply question the ways in which we transmit knowledge and skills.
REBOOT is an open, ever-moving space, welcoming anyone who is interested and willing to participate, make suggestions, reflect, or share. The collective is not static but is continually reinvented with each new encounter. REBOOT is living, inclusive, and ever evolving.
The project was built through listening, dialogue, and the sharing of practical and theoretical knowledge, in order to deeply question the ways we transmit knowledge. REBOOT is an open, evolving space. Anyone who feels concerned and wishes to take part, by contributing, proposing ideas, reflecting, or sharing, is welcome. This collective is not fixed, it is shaped through encounters, within a living, inclusive, and ever-evolving dynamic.
Yaëlle Antoine
Co-direction of the project
Yaëlle Antoine first trained at the Annie Fratellini circus school, and then later at Esactolido, specializing in tightwire and contortion. She left behind her career as an acrobat after an injury, putting her years of stage experience to use as a director and teacher. The experimental ways in which she writes for circus are inspirated both by circus and language. She co-writes most of her creations with Marion Guyez, a hand-balancer, researcher, and associate professor at the Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès (France). Together the duo co-founded Les Tenaces, a collective of women fighting against sexism and for gender equality in circus and street arts. Driven by the desire to find spaces that correspond to her dramaturgies, Yaëlle invests more and more with urban and outdoor spaces. Engaging with public space remains her preferred artistic medium, allowing her to give concrete form to her social and political concerns through pedagogical outreach and artistic creations. Her taste for hybridization leads her to play with formats, spaces, and aesthetics. Yaëlle Antoine is part of the pedagogical team at Esactolido and teaches in numerous circus schools. Her work is supported by the region of Occitanie, France.
Sarah Simili
Co-direction of the project
Born in 1983 in Valais, Switzerland, Sarah Simili is a circus artist, director, teacher, and researcher. She’s been directing the company Courant d’Cirque since 2015, as well as the Encirqué project. She also oversees the production and administration of large-scale initiatives such as LABO’Cirque, Axé Cirque, and Jour de Cirque. She has a Diploma of Advanced Studies in Cultural Management and a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Dramaturgy and Text Performance, and she completed a Master’s degree in Gender Studies at the University of Angers (France) in 2023. She is also training as an equality advocate with the organization La Petite, in Toulouse. In 2024 Sarah began a Master’s in Educational Practices and Design, Artistic Education Management, at the University of Rouen (France). Alongside her artistic, pedagogical, and academic work, Sarah is deeply committed to the recognition and development of circus arts in Switzerland: she chaired the Swiss Federation of Circus Schools (FSEC) for seven years and co-founded the non-profit ProCirque. She created Reboot with Yaëlle Antoine in 2022. With this project, she aims to develop an inclusive and critical circus pedagogy, where students/learners can excel in their craft while also becoming aware and engaged citizens within a diverse society.
Constance Bugnon
Collaborator
Constance Bugnon is a versatile circus artist. She moves through the artistic world as an artist, performer, writer, and teacher. She trained at the École de Cirque de Québec (Canada), where she specialized in Chinese pole. Constance has performed with the Company Idem and Cirque Entre Nous. She has also collaborated with Compagnie Ici’Bas on several projects, as both writer and performer. She is currently working with the collective Sous le Manteau and works as an outside eye for the company Courant d’Cirque. She is also part of the pedagogical team of LABO’Cirque. Within her circus practice, Constance is deeply interested in questions related to pedagogy and the transmission of knowledge, and contributes to the Reboot project as both an artist and a teacher.
Agathe Dumont
Contributor, expert
Agathe Dumont is a dancer and professor of artistic education at École supérieure d’art et de design TALM – Angers (France), where she teaches performance, movement, body and politics, and sociology of art. She holds a PhD in performing arts and conducts theoretical and practical research on artistic work: on the one hand, focusing on sociological issues, the relationship to “care”, and work organization; and on the other hand, developing practical research in the studio or on stage, looking at training and gestures of care and resistance. In 2015 she began a collaboration with Mariam Faquir for an artistic, experimental and practical research at L’L (Chercher en arts vivants) in Brussels, which led to the publication of the book Déclinaisons du quotidien, mettre le corps au travail (L’L éditions, “Questions ouvertes” collection, 2023).
Driven by her research and her experiences, and with a desire to explore pedagogical questions and re-evaluate her teaching methods, Agathe joined Reboot in May 2023. She is also co-artistic director with Johan Swartvagher of Terrain-L’incubateur in Pays de la Loire, co-author of the podcast “En finir,” and performer and author of À nos appuis, a solo about the fragility of political commitment. She is also a dramaturg.
Lise Lerichomme
Contributor, expert
Lise Lerichomme is an artist and senior lecturer in arts at the Université de Picardie Jules Verne (France). Her work explores the intersections between contemporary art, gender studies, literature, history, and social sciences, particularly in relation with objects belonging to material, popular, and vernacular cultures. She explores the emergence of new forms of heritage, indicative to utopian thinking, social struggles, and a return to the ornamental. She focuses on representations of collective female bodies through the prism of political physicality and gender studies, as well as their manifestations in urban and prison spaces. Her artistic work, which combines assemblage and installation, explores the relationships we have with everyday objects and material and cultural productions. She is a member of numerous feminist collectives.
Ophélie Naessens
Contributor, expert
Ophélie Naessens is an artist as well as a lecturer and researcher at the University of Lorraine (France). Her theoretical and artistic research focuses on the ways in which speech is represented through investigative processes and the creation of spaces for speaking/listening, as well as on discursive exchange conceived as an art form (“dialogical art”). She’s also interested in participatory art and the renewal of forms of engaged art (activist art, art and third ecology, art and VSS/Reboot, etc.). She recently published Entre affinités et complicités (un parcours de recherche-création féministe) with L’Harmattan in 2024.
Laura Terrancle
Collaborator
A multidisciplinary circus artist, Laura Terrancle specialized in aerial rope at ENACR – École Nationale de Cirque de Rosny-sous-Bois (France) in 2008 and completed her professional training in Toulouse in 2012. In her circus arts practice, Laura enjoys letting herself be shaped by space and various constraints, creating in response to current events, her own sensitivity, and her porous relationship with the world around her. She co-founded the company La Femme Canon, with which she developed the Freakabarets, followed by Journal de la Femme Canon, a solo aerial-rope piece about the female body. She also develops participatory workshops focused on playful, anti-sexist physical warmups: The Training of the Femme Canon. In 2024 she helped create the first edition of Les Incandescentes, a feminist circus festival. As a performer, she has worked on numerous creations with Cie d’iElles (Be Felice, Liesse(s)), Compagnie Libertivore (Brâme), and Compagnie L’Île de la Tortue (Les Flammes C’était Moi). She joined the Reboot project with a desire to learn and grow her pedagogical process, and to acquire new tools for the transmission of knowledge, allowing her to connect her projects organically, in alignment with a feminist vision and with commitment to deconstructing dominant models.
Alma Kaiser
Illustrations
After studying graphic design at the École Romande d’Art et de Communication in Lausanne, France, and then working in an advertising agency, Alma Kaiser established herself as a freelance illustrator in the Tarn-et-Garonne region of France, where she mainly works on arts projects and in the non-profit sector. She’s currently working on participative storytelling and illustration projects, where she transforms people’s stories into drawings – because what fascinates her most about her job is meeting new people. Her favorite format is the sketchbook! She spent three years chronicling the daily lives of adults with disabilities in a care home; she documented and illustrated the encounter between Yazidi refugee women and the inhabitants of a village in the Quercy region; and she explored the lives of women who shaped history at the Maison des Mémoires in Septfonds, creating an exhibit and an album with a team of historians. Today, she sails aboard the Reboot ship, sometimes below deck, sometimes above, seeking new, joyful, and brightly colored horizons.
Caroline De Cornière
Contributor
A dancer and choreographer, Caroline de Cornière founded C2C in 2007: a contemporary dance company based in Geneva, Switzerland, where she develops performance projects centered on themes of the female body, sorority, and the passage of time from a feminine perspective. Her company advocates for art that reconciles motherhood and creativity, supporting long-term feminist freedom and empowerment. She develops body-based outreach projects, choreography commissions, and performance work with various organizations and companies, including ASA Handicap Mental.
Noémie Pétremand
Communications
Born in Lausanne, Switzerland, Noémie Pétremand completed her university studies in Literature (French/Spanish) in 2012, then studied project management and communications. Passionate about words, their creative power and their ability to shape worlds that question and expose our everyday realities, Noémie has been writing and adapting tales and stories for children and adults since 2012. After ten years of experience as a project and communications manager in various sectors (migration and integration, arts and culture, nature and environment), Noémie has been working since 2021 as an independent author, writer, communications manager, and coordinator on selected projects and personal creations.
Carolina Moreno
Report writing
Carolina Moreno Haverlant is a PhD candidate in Performing Arts – Circus Studies at the University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès (France), under the supervision of Muriel Plana, Professor of Theater Studies, and co-supervised by Marion Guyez, Lecturer in the history and aesthetics of circus. Her dissertation is provisionally titled “Aesthetics and Politics of DIY in Contemporary Circus.” She has been actively involved with the CCCirque (Collective of Circus Researchers) since 2024 and co-organizes the seminar series Faire Corps, Nomadic Encounters for Circus Research. She has taken part in three Reboot workshops as a participant-observer, contributing to the preparation of the activity reports.
Marine Spengler
Report writing
Marine Spengler, born in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1996, has been working in the sector of childhood and youth for several years. With a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in law, criminology, and security from the University of Lausanne, she completed an internship at the Direction for Childhood and Youth (DGEJ) of the State of Vaud, Switzerland, between 2023 and 2024. She has worked as a project manager since 2024, contributing to the development and implementation of public policies for children and young people in the Canton of Vaud. Alongside her academic and professional career, Marine is heavily invested in work with non-profits, particularly in the areas of circus arts and youth. From teaching to project coordination and event organization, she is committed to passing on knowledge, creating connections, and fostering youth participation in the projects she leads.
Léana Valentini
Report writing
Léana Valentini graduated from the master’s program Éducation Tout au Long de la Vie at Paris 8 University (France), a program affiliated with the Experice laboratory. Léana now works in the fields of circus research and pedagogy. As of January 2024 she has been conducting a doctoral project, “Circus schools: what kind of arts pedagogy for children?”, in the field of education sciences, in collaboration with the city of Toulouse and the research laboratory Culture et Diffusion des Savoirs at the University of Bordeaux.
Ghislaine Heger
Report writing
Ghislaine Heger graduated from HEAD – Haute école d’art et de design, in Geneva, Switzerland. She’s an artist working with audio and visual mediums, creating work that explores social and societal issues. In 2017, she released the project “Itinéraires entrecoupés – les visages de l’aide sociale” (“Interrupted Journeys: The Faces of Social Welfare”), a book and photographic exhibit that toured throughout Switzerland for five years. In 2023, “Silver Power – Des Romandes fières de leurs cheveux gris” (“Silver Power: Romandes proud of their gray hair”) highlighted 101 women in the workforce, including Federal Councilor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, to highlight the demands placed on women regarding this particular physical characteristic, and the consequences on their careers and personal lives.
Anaïs Tillier
Report writing, expert
Anaïs Tillier holds a PhD in Performing Arts. She specializes in the portrayal of Antiquity on the contemporary stage, examining how artists draw on ancient forms and characters, particularly non-dramatic ones, and the aesthetic and political implications of these adaptations and rewritings. Her dramaturgical analyses are informed by methods from gender and cultural studies. In her work, she seeks to break down boundaries between the arts and to situate the study of each work of art within its socio-cultural and political context. She also teaches at the university level and collaborates regularly with theaters and other cultural institutions, working on educational materials, scientific and artistic outreach activities, introductions to performances and films, etc.
Tania Simili
Report writing
A 2013 graduate of the École Supérieure des Arts du Cirque (ESAC) in Belgium, Tania Simili specializes in club manipulation and aerial silks. She co-founded the company Courant d’Cirque with her sister Sarah, in co-production with the non-profit organization Noùmeno. Tania has created three shows: Plasma (2017), which won the Valais State encouragement award, Boutès (2021), nominated for the 2023 Maeterlinck award, and Fluides, which has been touring since 2024. She also collaborates with the Lebanese artistic community, notably with Cirquenciel and the Kahraba Collective. Seeking to deepen her practice, Tania obtained a master’s degree in Performing Arts from the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, where her thesis focused on the artistic creation processes. She is now beginning a PhD on the “Cirque de l’intime” (“Circus of the Intimate”) at the University of Lausanne, while developing a lecture-performance to share her research with a wider audience.
Bérénice Hamidi-Kim
Contributor
Bérénice Hamidi is a professor of aesthetics and politics within the performing arts. A specialist in the political dimensions of cultural representation, her work brings together aesthetic analysis, sociology, the history of cultural policy, and cultural studies through an intersectional lens. Her recent research asks: How does art reproduce and/or transform power relations? How and why do the arts (theatre, cinema, TV series, popular music, literature) become amplifiers of the heated controversies shaping today’s political and media debates (“rape culture,” “blackface,” “cultural appropriation,” etc.)? To what extent does this context make it necessary to rethink certain conceptions about the aesthetic responsibility of artistic creations (i.e. tensions between artistic freedom and audience expression, or debates on separating the art from the artist, etc.)? She is the author of Le viol, notre culture (Rape, our culture) published by Éditions du Croquant (2025), and Les Damnés de la scène. Penser les controverses théâtrales sur le racisme (The Damned of the Stage: Reflecting on Theater Controversies About Racism), published by Universitaires de Vincennes, 2024.
Cyril Roussial
Contributor
A researcher and juggler, Cyril Roussial teaches performing arts at the Université Lumière Lyon 2 (France), where he’s also completing a PhD on transformations in contemporary juggling, under the supervision of Julie Sermon. A graduate of the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, he has spent fifteen years developing research grounded in his own artistic practice and in collaborations with other artists, companies, professional networks and cultural institutions. He has carried out several studies for the French Ministry of Culture and for circus networks across Europe and is committed to cross-disciplinary approaches that weave together research, transmission, and creation.
Marion Guyez
Contributor
Marion Guyez is a circus artist and lecturer in performing arts, as well as co-director of Cie d’iElles. In 2017, she defended a doctoral thesis on the hybridization of acrobatics and text in contemporary circus performances, as part of a research-creation project. A hand-balancer and dramaturge, she served as scientific coordinator for the Circus and Puppet Innovation Program at CNAC – Centre National des Arts du Cirque, and regularly publishes on circus aesthetics, gender issues, and street arts.
Teresa Maranzano
Contributor
Based in Geneva, Switzerland, Teresa Maranzano works with the association ASA-Handicap Mental, where she leads the programs “Mir’arts” (support for inclusive creation) and “Tu es canon” (“You are gorgeous”), an inclusive fashion manifesto co-written with Elisa Fulco. She also co-directs the Biennale Out of the Box – Festival of Inclusive Arts. Committed to the intersection of art and disability, she develops cultural projects that challenge aesthetic and social norms with audacity and kindness.
Jules Farce
Contributor
In 2012 Jules Farce founded La Mutinerie, a collectively run queer and feminist bar in Paris. In 2019 he co-founded Collectif Fracas, a group specialized in conflict management and interpersonal violence in activist spaces. Trained in transformative justice and institutional socianalysis, he works with collectives to accompany them in transforming crisis dynamics, power relations, and organizational transitions. His political commitment is expressed both through his support work and behind the bar or as a DJ, in service of the collective in all its forms.
Sophie Orlando
Contributor
An art theorist and professor at Villa Arson in Nice, France, Sophie Orlando examines artistic knowledge through a critical and intersectional approach. She published British Black Art (2016), edited the monograph Thoughtful Disobedience (2017), and co-edited Conceptualism: Intersectional Readings (2019). Her recent books (La part affective, Les fourmis courent en deux sens) combine research, critical pedagogy, and theoretical fiction.
She is editor of the collection La Surface démange (Sternberg Press) and contributes to a reinterpretation of contemporary artistic narratives through decentralized, sensitive, and process-oriented prisms.
Marie-Andrée Robitaille
Contributor
Marie-Andrée Robitaill is a circus artist, researcher, and educator who’s been developing a transdisciplinary approach to circus for 25 years. Trained in Canada, she’s worked as a performer, director, and artistic director for Cirkus Cirkör and Cirque du Soleil. She later directed the circus program at the Stockholm University of the Arts (SKH) from 2009 to 2018. Her research focuses on posthuman aesthetics, embodiment, new materialisms, and epistemic practices in circus. She is currently leading the Circus as Practices of Hope project, while directing the non-profit CirkusPerspektiv Sweden AB.
Tatiana-Mosio Bongonga
Contributor
Tatiana-Mosio Bongonga is a high-wire walker and co-artistic director of the company Basinga. She discovered high-wire at the age of eight and has devoted her life to this art, which she’s now been reinventing for more than 30 years. Trained by big names in the field such as Rudy Omankovsky and Tony Gardin, Tatiana performed with various companies before founding Basinga with Jan Naets. Curious and constantly evolving in her high-wire research, Tatiana explores related disciplines such as highline and tightrope, and collaborates with other artists to experiment with improvisation on the wire. She holds a State Diploma in Circus Pedagogy (Diplôme d’État de professeur de cirque) and is a certified mental preparation coach through the Minnd school, which offers education in mental preparation. Through her teaching, she shares her art while paying close attention to its key issues: responsibility, risk, and emotional regulation.
Claire Balbo
Development and fundraising
Claire Balbo is driven by strong values of inclusion and sustainability. She works to support individuals and institutions that build meaningful bridges between culture and positive social impact. A specialist in project development and fundraising, Claire holds a degree in political science from the University of Geneva (Switzerland) and a Master’s in Social Entrepreneurship from London (United Kingdom). Claire spent several years in sub-Saharan Africa working with NGOs and the United Nations, where she deepened her commitment to linking culture, environment, and development.
In 2013 Claire founded DESTINO Dance Company in Ethiopia, a project combining artistic expression with social impact.
In 2022 Claire joined CULTURL and the Cie Courant d’Cirque alongside Charlotte Garbani and Sarah Simili, contributing to transdisciplinary cultural projects with her expertise in strategy and fundraising.
With her experience in partnership development, community engagement, and socially driven cultural initiatives, Claire aims to strengthen the reach and impact of the organizations she works with. She collaborates with committed individuals and institutions, bringing a collaborative, human-centered approach to fostering cultural innovation and sustainable artistic practices.
Charlotte Garbani
Financial development and management
A specialist in cultural and financial management, Charlotte Garbani began her career in the banking sector before turning to the cultural field following an experience in professional reintegration and the co-direction of the X-Project youth center in Bienne, Switzerland (2010 – 2013). With a Master’s degree in Cultural Project Management (IESA/EAC Paris, 2015), Charlotte has developed expertise in the administration of artistic projects, particularly in the performing arts. In 2020 she founded the association CULTURL, a platform dedicated to providing structural and financial support to companies and events. In parallel, Charlotte contributes to the development of the Théâtre de la Grenouille in Biel, coordinates the transformation of the plusQ’île festival (2021-2022), and provides administrative management and financing for festivals such as Les Amplitudes and Usinesonore. She has been based in Ticino, Switzerland, since 2019, and works with numerous Swiss companies active in theatre, circus, music, and cultural mediation (Cie Courant d’Cirque, Reboot, Cie glitch, Stradini Theater, Pas de Deux, etc.). In 2023 Charlotte took part in the “PAM Factory” residency organized by Reso – Swiss Dance Network, furthering her commitment to a sustainable and thoughtful organization of artistic practices.
Teresina Ribeiro
Occasional administrative support
Previously a special needs teacher, Teresina Ribeiro was stage manager and led production and administration for the Compagnie d’iElles from 2017 to 2023.
Audrey Vozel
Administration
Audrey Vozel is a production manager. In 2017 she co-founded the Compagnie Neuve with Jeanne Garraud. In parallel Audrey co-directs the Compagnie Apaches (with Rodolphe Brun), an organization dedicated to artistic creation for children and young people. She’s been collaborating with Yaëlle Antoine and the Compagnie d’iElles since January 2024. With over fifteen years of experience, Audrey Vozel supports artistic teams in the areas of administration, production, and distribution. She’s also co-president of doMino, a platform for young audiences in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region (France), and is part of the board of directors of LAPAS – L’Association des Professionnel·le·s de l’Administration du Spectacle (The Association of Performing Arts Administration Professionals).
Estelle Borel
Podcast producer
Estelle Borel is a circus artist, director, and pedagogue. She graduated from FLIC (Turin, Italy) and trained at the École de cirque de Québec and the École Zofy. With a degree in Modern Literature from the University of Dijon (France), she is the artistic director of the company Cirqu’en Choc, which she co-founded in 2009. Estelle specialized in tightrope with high heels or pointe shoes, and her work blends circus, contemporary dance, and acrobatic partnering. She explores social issues with a mix of audacity and sensitivity, and creates and choreographs for a variety of venues and companies, including Circus Smirkus (USA), the Casino de Saxon, and with TAG in England. In 2017, she created Scintilla, a political performance focused on human rights, supported by Amnesty International. In 2020 she co-created Gnoko Bok with Tania Simili, for which they received several writing grants. As a performer, she tours with Cie Dans le Ventre in Carte Noire Nommée Désir (2022-2025), and joined Cie Madie Bergson in 2024 for Les Essentielles. Through Cirqu’en Choc, Estelle continues to pursue an artistic path that is true to her convictions: inclusive, political, and deeply human.
Sarah Faillétaz
Web designer
Trained in graphic design and web design at ERACOM (École romande d’art et de communication) in Lausanne, Switzerland, Sarah Faillétaz further refined her skills by completing a Swiss Federal Diploma in public relations. These experiences gave her behind-the-scenes insight into the worlds of culture, watchmaking, and luxury jewelry. She went on to found FTZ Studio in 2018, in order to fully reconnect with creative work. Since then, she has been offering sensitive support to small companies and independent organizations in their graphic, web, and creative projects. Balancing aesthetic rigor with narrative intuition, Sarah crafts singular visual identities that reflect the people and organizations behind them.
Nicolas Froment
Graphic designer
Nico Froment is a multidisciplinary artist based in Toulouse, France, whose work spans graphic design, photography, video, and music. He teaches page layout at the Université Toulouse 2 Jean-Jaurès as well as at the Institut Supérieur du Journalisme de Toulouse. Trained in art history and visual communications in Paris, Toulouse, and Valencia (Spain), he founded the Cartblanch studio in 2005, dedicated to graphic design for organizations working in popular education, culture, urban planning, architecture, and landscape. As a craftsman of image and sound, Nico develops an artistic approach centered on human relationships, experimental freedom, and sharing, expressed through his various media.
Frieda Gerson
Contributor
Circus artist, director, teacher, and dramaturge, Frieda Gerson began circus at the age of seven at the San Francisco Circus Center, later crossing the Atlantic at 18 to deepen their circus skills and explore new cultural horizons in Europe. Frieda studied trapeze and physical theater (École Jacques Lecoq, Paris, France), masked theater (with Matteo Destro in Italy), the Viewpoints technique (SITI Company; Mary Overlie), and circus dramaturgy (CNAC – Centre National des Arts du Cirque). This eclectic and trans·disciplinary journey was further nourished by collaborations with directors Firenza Guidi, Yaëlle Antoine, and the collective Ampersand Variations. Co-founder of the Collectif en Cours (2016) and the company Kallisti (2009), Frieda has developed a hybrid approach combining circus, theater, and dramaturgy. As an aerialist, Frieda created the trapeze solo How to be Good, which explores gender, and directed and co-wrote the show PARASITE, which premiered at the National Theatre of Luxembourg. Frieda teaches the Viewpoints theater method and holds a State Diploma in Circus Pedagogy (Diplôme d’État de Professeur de Cirque). Their pedagogical approach, combining artistic rigor and playfulness, is embodied in projects such as Roots / Routes (LUGA 2025) and insomnia: dreams for the end of the world, a work in progress exploring metamorphosis and desirable futures. Frieda shares their expertise in numerous international contexts, while continuing their training in new magic (magie nouvelle) at CNAC.
Marie Romanens
Contributor
Marie Romanens is a costume designer, dramaturge, and researcher whose work moves between artistic creation and collective activism. Trained in dressmaking at ERACOM (École romande d’art et de communication) in Lausanne, Switzerland, and later in dramaturgy at UNIL/La Manufacture (Université de Lausanne, Certificate of Advanced Studies, 2021), she began her career in fashion with a recycled clothing brand while writing for the French-speaking Swiss press (Femina, L’Illustré, Profil). Marie then collaborated on audiovisual projects as a stylist and production assistant (RTS, 23bis, Nousprod). She’s been creating for the stage as a costume designer and dramaturge since 2015 and in a wide variety of contexts, including contemporary dance, in-situ theatre, work for young audiences, and performance art. She’s collaborated with the Cie du Bouc, Mélanie Gobet, OUINCH OUINCH, the CLAR collective, and the CCC Collective. Co-founder of the cultural venue La Dérivée in Yverdon, Switzerland (2017 – 2019), Marie integrates political issues into her artistic practices. In 2023 she launched the Collective Tools Project, an action-research initiative at La Manufacture, focused on tools for group cooperation. That same summer, a child she met while on tour renamed her “MOZ 4000.”
Giulia Sorenza
Contributor
Giulia Sorenza Crescenzi graduated from the Teintureries theatre school (Lausanne, Switzerland) in 2020. Since then she’s worked with various theatre companies, including Cie STT, Cie Angledange, Cie Larmes de Jobes. In November 2023 she presented Pièce sans titre pour rivière sans lit, created by the collective l’Alg, at the Quarts-d’heure festival. In 2024 she co-created Gasoline Motel at the Week-end prolongé festival in Fribourg, Switzerland and then at the CDD festival at Maison Saint-Gervais in Geneva, Switzerland. She has been working with the collective de la Nef since 2019, including a public performance in August 2023 in the forest of Crissier. Her personal work focuses on opening a spectrum of sensitive resonance with the “other,” both the human and non-human. Giulia has been collaborating with Anina Jendreyko on various intercultural theatre projects in Iraq, including the creation Em şanogerin in autumn 2021 in the Kurdish refugee camp of Machmur, and the performance Hiwôt in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She has worked with Théâtre Sévelin 36 since 2022, collaborating on dance workshops for young people, notably with EVAM (Établissement vaudois d’accueil des migrants – Vaud establishment for the reception of migrants), and performing in the show Grimaces, which tours in primary schools. She directs performances for the summer children’s workshops at the Théâtre de Vidy in Lausanne, Switzerland, with Stéphanie Kohler. Giulia has been part of the research collective de la Colle since 2021, and she teaches at La Manufacture, HEAD (Haute école d’art et de design), and within Reboot, leading workshops on collective collaboration and group dynamics.
Maïra de Oliveira Aggio
Speaker at round table discussion
Brazilian artist and researcher Maïra de Oliveira Aggio remains deeply rooted in her native region of Nordeste (Salvador, Bahia), though she’s lived between Europe and Brazil for over a decade. She trained in trapeze at ESAC – École Supérieure des Arts du Cirque (Brussels, Belgium) and Escola Nacional de Circo de Rio (Brazil), as well as in contemporary dance at UNICAMP – Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and at the State University of Campinas. Maïra sees the body as central to her artistic and existential journey. A teacher (CIAM – Centre International des Arts en Mouvement, Archaos) and yoga instructor, Maïra is currently developing her first solo piece, MACACADA, a multidisciplinary project focusing on ecology, feminism, decolonial knowledge, and all forms of life. A resident at the Cité internationale des Arts in Paris, France, with the support of the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation, Maïra has been awarded several writing grants (Beaumarchais, Latitude 50). Her research is split between stage creation and theoretical reflection.
Sabrina Sow
Speaker at round table discussion
Poet, dramaturge, and equestrian, Sabrina Sow founded the company Equinoctis – La Négresse à Cheval, in Brussels, Belgium, in 2006, before moving to France in 2013. Trained as a neuropsychologist, Sabrina explores a hybridized form of socially engaged live performance, where the horse becomes a political figure and a poetic mediator of power relations. Through Afro-eco-feminist creations such as Salopette and Dresse-toi, Espèces d’Espaces as well as La Bête et l’Animale, Sabrina questions the connections between animality, femininity, the urban environment, and marginalized bodies. Her latest piece was presented at the Born to be a live festival in 2024 and also led to a publication with Les éditions de l’Espèce, the publishing branch of her company.
Andrea Vergara
Speaker at round table discussion
Andrea Vergara is a multidisciplinary circus artist working between Mexico, Canada, and Europe. Her practice includes aerial straps, whip work, contortion, acrobatics, hand balancing, clowning, singing, and percussion. She trained in acting at the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes Adolfo Prieto in Monterrey, then pursued circus and clown training at the National Circus School of Montreal and the Jules Verne Circus School in Amiens, France. Andrea collaborates with companies and collectives such as Cie AA3, BYK Cirque, Cirque Queer, Cabaret La Vénus, Collectif Skip Ad, and the Geneva Chamber Opera.
Marthe Calvaire
Speaker at round table discussion
Marthe Calvaire trained at CNAC – National Center for Circus Arts and has performed in several circus productions as a flyer on Korean cradle. She won the gold medal at the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain in 2020 and joined the Cirque Queer collective in 2021.
Mona LaDoll
Speaker at round table discussion
Mona LaDoll, a French-German cabaret artist, is a unique presence in the contemporary burlesque scene. Moving between pain and sensuality, her work blends physical performance, visual poetry, and subversion. Creator of the shows My Bloom Hurts (2020) and Endless Burlesque (2023), Mona has made a name for herself with her raw, radical, and uncompromising aesthetic. Mona is self-taught and elaborates her projects Very Confused and Mona LaDoll outside of academic frameworks. She’s active with the Cirque Queer collective (France), Venus Boys, and House of Lunacy (Berlin, Germany). Mona also directs the cabarets Pins & Needles, The Doll House, Cabaret Saccage, Le Doute, and Cabaret Furieuse, thus rethinking the codes of queer and transgressive cabaret across Europe.
Hashka
Video creation and production
Web designer, artistic director, motion designer, photographer, and filmmaker, Hashka is a multifaceted artist. For over 20 years he’s been exploring a wide range of fields, continually renewing his practice in step with the evolution of the internet. In 2010, at a time when social media was taking off, the feature film Mix-Age Beta – on which Hashka collaborated – was released. The film traces the general public’s relationship with digital tools from the 1970s to the present day. Through this film, Hashka deepened his interest in social issues and began orienting part of his work in this direction, advising clients in the communications sector and helping them develop digital strategies adapted to their needs. Alongside his activities as an artistic director, Hashka continues to work as a photographer and filmmaker. He collaborates with numerous musicians and performing artists in the Paris area, often supporting them in their digital development. Hasha directs music videos and provides photography and video services to help artists build their identity and visibility on social media. He also shares his expertise through workshops focused on social media and video tools, enabling people to better understand the workings of the digital world.
ANDA, Anne-Danielle Furrer
Guest illustrator
Born in 1986 in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, ANDA’s parents wanted to name her Danielle, but due to a misunderstanding she ended up with a compound first name that makes her sound older: Anne-Danielle. This name led to much teasing and many nicknames, including ANDA, but despite this she’s always loved her name. A native German speaker, ANDA grew up in Tramelan, Switzerland, and is fluent in English, though her preferred language will always be drawing. She thus creates stories that are mostly wordless and open to interpretation. ANDA now lives in a remote part of Jura, France, surrounded by goats and cows, where she tries to find a balance between work that feeds the belly and work that nourishes her spirit.
Jennifer Skolovski
Contributor
Jennifer Skolovski grew up in Leukerbad, Switzerland. After studying at the Haute école pédagogique (Higher University of Teacher Education) in Brig and St-Maurice, Switzerland, she taught for a year in Leukerbad while simultaneously training as a theatre pedagogue at the Haute école de musique et de théâtre de Zürich, Switzerland (Zürich University of Music and Theatre). Jennifer attended the Conservatory of Sion, Switzerland, where she obtained a semi-professional diploma in music and toured with the Swiss rock band “Glen of Guinness” for seven years. In 2006 Jennifer began studying at the Swiss theater and movement school Scuola Teatro Dimitri, where she graduated in August 2009, returning in 2019 to complete her master’s degree. She’s been directing the Treffpunkt Tschüdanga venue since 2014 and has led and developed the KinderKultur program at the ZeughausKultur Theatre in Brig since 2018. Jennifer founded Compagnie Digestif in 2015 and also works as an independent artist in several disciplines: acting, dance, singing, acrobatics, and equestrian arts.
Financial Support
Partners
École Nationale de Cirque de Rosny-sous-Bois – ENACR (FR) ∙ Festival de la Cité (CH) ∙ LABO’Cirque (CH) ∙ Centre national des Arts du Cirque de Châlons en Champagne – CNAC (FR) ∙ Théâtre Les Halles (CH) ∙ La Verrerie d’Alès (FR) ∙ Axé Cirque (CH) ∙ École de cirque de Lyon (FR) ∙ Les Incandescentes (FR) ∙ Projet(s) encirqué (CH) ∙ École de cirque Toamême (CH) ∙Zirkusquartier (CH) ∙ Créatrices ! (FR)