Contemporary Circus: Cyr wheel (and more) with Rachel Salzman

Hey everyone!

This is me doing cyr wheel (photo by Shena Tschofen):

What is cyr wheel? Well here's a video:

Me in a snapshot:

• I was born and raised in New York City where I grew up in dance, but always dreamed of circus.
• At 16-years-old, I happened upon an aerial silks workshop and something clicked, but I wasn’t ready to give up dance just yet.
• Over the next few years, while performing with contemporary dance companies such as CorbinDances and the Sean Curran Company, my interest in circus grew leading me to start to create and regularly perform my own work, which combined dance and circus, in various cabarets, nightclubs, and for special events all over the US and in Italy and the UK as well.
• In 2012, I moved to Montreal and discovered cyr wheel at the National Circus School of Montreal https://www.ecolenationaledecirque.ca/en. It was the perfect melding of dance and acrobatics.
• While at the National School I also go to learn many other things: handstands, juggling, ground acrobatics, aerials (aerial hoop, duo trapeze), banquine, singing, acting... in short like a liberal arts degree in Contemporary Circus.

This is banquine cause I know you're wondering:

• I also got to travel while at school to perform festivals in France (at Cirque-Théâtre d’Elbeuf and at Circa in Auch) and created the show "Méandre" as part of the Atelier de recherche et creation, which was performed at the TOHU in Montreal. This opening my eyes to a whole world of contemporary European circus I didn't even know existed.

Wanna see some of "Méandre"?

• Flash forward years after graduation, after doing street shows with "La Belle et ses Bichons", at festivals in Quebec, Switzerland, Germany, and France and participating in the creation of the new Cirque du Soleil show, "Luzia" and touring the US and Canada, I ended up right back in France.

This was my act in Cirque du Soleil's "Luzia":

• I'm now based in Lyon and have reunited with my friends at Cie. Puéril Péril (https://www.puerilperil.com) in creating their new evening-length show, "L'Autre", which will premiere September 2018.

Check out Cie Puéril Péril's perilous work:

• I also had another life where I studied anthropology at Columbia University and I hope to someday return and continue my studies.

Any questions? I hope you enjoy! Feel free to check out my website: https://www.rachel-salzman.com