Troupe Vertigo
Symphony Pops
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Fusing together elements of cirque acrobatics, classical dance and contemporary theater, Troupe Vertigo brings audiences on a spellbinding journey through the world of artistic movement. Consisting of world-class aerial artists, contortionists, and ballet dancers, the Los Angeles based company was founded in 2009 by Artistic Director Aloysia Gavre, formerly of the internationally renowned Cirque du Soleil, and Technical Director Rex Camphuis, whose background is with the fabled Pickle Family Circus. Troupe Vertigo, whose “dizzying acts defy gravity and leave its lucky audiences in awe” (Los Angeles Times) has performed with major orchestras across North America.
Troupe Vertigo’s 2023-2024 season includes performances at Grant Park Music Festival, the Florida Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Dallas Symphony and Colorado Spring Philharmonic in the US and Winnipeg Symphony, National Arts Centre Orchestra and Calgary Philharmonic in Canada. Notable conductors that Troupe Vertigo has performed with include Jack Everly, Jeff Tyzik, Enrico Lopez-Yañez, Stuart Chafetz, Michelle Merrill, Sarah Hicks, Daniel Meyer, Nicholas Hersh, and Norman Huynh.
Troupe Vertigo’s recent seasons have brought them to the Detroit Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Tucson Symphony, Utah Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, and Vancouver Symphony and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Canada. The company is known for their collaborative custom thematic programs with symphony orchestras from Cirque Espana, Cirque Noir, Cirque Goes to Broadway, Cirque Goes to Hollywood, Cirque Dances featuring The Firebird to complete cirque- ballet presentation of The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Cinderella.
Their unique perspective on the circus arts have led to a variety of speaking engagements including with The Center Theater Group Los Angeles, Directors Lab West, TEDx Talk and The Chicago Contemporary Circus Festival. As well in publications for the cover story of Dance Teacher Magazine {August 2016} and in the book Ordinary Acrobat.
The ensemble premiered its first offering, Big Top for a New Generation, in 2010 at the Ford Amphitheater and has gone on to present Nighthawks: A Film Noir Circus, inspired by American jazz, Edward Hopper paintings, and crime novels. In 2016, they brought Tableaux, featuring five women grappling with the constrictions of society, to life at the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles. Husband and wife team, Aloysia and Rex, frequently bring their gifts and knowledge to the film and television industry, most notably with Rebel Wilson's aerial performance in Pitch Perfect 2 and with Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz in the film Water for Elephants.
Troupe Vertigo’s facility is also home to Cirque School Los Angeles, which inspires an appreciation for the circus arts for "Anybody with Any Body.” Cirque School uses training, performance, and community outreach to foster passion for the circus arts in a supportive, non-competitive environment. Encompassing over 50 weekly classes to the public, student performances, team building workshops, pre-professional intensives and television and film projects, Cirque School thrives as the premiere cirque training program in Los Angeles.
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CIRCUS MAGIC AT THE SYMPHONY: TROUPE VERTIGO PERFORMS WITH THE VSO
Vancouver is full of postcard-perfect views—hello, North Shore Mountains!—but Troupe Vertigo brings even more spectacular sights to the Orpheum Theatre. The LA-based troupe is in town for their Cirque at Symphony Hall Series tour of North America. The acclaimed circus performers dazzle audiences with awe-inspiring acrobatics, choreographed to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s performance of timeless pieces by musical legends such as Tchaikovsky. For one night only, aerialists soar through the air above the musicians, contortionists captivate with mind-bending physical feats and dancers sweep across the Orpheum’s elegant stage. Circus and symphony in a historic concert hall? Now that’s a sight to see.
– Chloe Lai, where.ca