- From April 28 to May 31, André-Joseph Bouglione will present the first of an "eco circus", without animals and with strong commitments in terms of the environment.
- This former trainer no longer wants to see animals on the track.
- On stage, he promises acrobats, fire-eaters, stuntmen, clowns, jugglers ... And holograms.
He was one of the most respected wildcat breeders of his generation. However, André-Joseph Bouglione, one of the heirs of the famous family of Circassians, put his whip in the cupboard. Animals on the track, he doesn't want them anymore. With his partner, Sandrine, he imagined an “eco circus”, “100% human”, the premieres of which will take place in Montpellier, from April 28 to May 31. A tailor-made show for the city, which in 2018 undertook to refuse any circus staging animals.
"We presented animals, we did it because it was natural, we didn't ask ourselves any questions," says André-Joseph Bouglione. We had always seen that, it was our life, our history, our culture. Little by little, we were touched by the animals with which we lived. We ended up saying that it was a problem to keep them in captivity. We did our best to give them the best possible care. But we realized that we were not doing much for their well-being. These arguments came logically to impose themselves on us. That is why we decided to stop. "
"You have to evolve"
"We entertained children with endangered animals, it was no longer very logical," says Sandrine Bouglione, who was also a tamer. We wanted to continue being acrobats. The circus has always evolved, you have to evolve. "
But André-Joseph Bouglione's “eco circus” is not just a circus without animals. “It's a circus in tune with society. It is not an announcement effect, we are not trying to be trendy, says Sandrine Bouglione. We have a very strong commitment. "The circus promises to favor the least polluting transport, and to use, once installed," green and renewable energy, to reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible ", continues the co-founder of the show. The artists' outfits will also be guaranteed "animal-free" and will be recyclable.
On-site hires
Local employment is also favored. "We just come with our artists and team leaders, the other employees are hired locally," says Sandrine Bouglione. Students, notably from Idrac, for marketing, will also be involved. And associations, which defend the animal cause, will be invited to present their actions in a village established around the marquee.
On stage, the Bouglione couple promises acrobats, fire-eaters, clowns, stuntmen, jugglers ... And holograms. With a live orchestra.
The @ Ecocirque will set up in mid-March at the Odysseum, at the entrance to #Montpellier #Animal #ICC #DirectMTP pic.twitter.com/qmI4HsNwlz
- Presse Montpellier (@PresseMTP) February 26, 2020"It's an isolated case, or almost"
For Magali Sizorn, lecturer at the University of Rouen, where she teaches, in particular, the sociology of the circus, "André-Joseph Bouglione is a pioneer". “It's new, in the traditional circus. This is an isolated case, or almost, says this teacher, who is part of a group of researchers working on the circus. In the world of the traditional circus, the place of wild animals is still defended. There is a reflection which is led on this question, but it is rather disparate. "
For Magali Sizorn, the “eco circus” responds to demands that are very fashionable in society, even if “circuses with animals still have spectators, who may wonder, but who do not desert them either. more ".
After his visit to Montpellier in the spring, André-Joseph Bouglione's “eco circus” hopes to start a tour in France, but also in Europe.
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- Languedoc-Roussillon
- Animals
- Environment
- Circus
- Montpellier