COLLECTIVE

Collectif Malunés is a Franco-Belgian contemporary circus company. Founded in 2009, in Belgium, it was born out of the insatiable desire to enrich itself artistically on stage and in the street.

Whilst simultaneously following a higher education program in circus arts in Tilburg (ACaPA), four young artists — 3 Flemish, and one French — formed this collective, overflowing with ambition and energy. 2010 saw the first tour of the street show Sens Dessus Dessous in Flanders and the Netherlands.

In 2011 the show won the international street arts festival prize at MiraMirO (Ghent), with the Grand Prix du Jury and the Prix du Public.

In 2012, the show crossed the borders into Spain.

From 2013-15, after finally leaving school, the show responded to high demand and was taken under the wing of the renowned agency Frans Brood Productions. The tour dates tripled and the show continued to play further afield – in England, France, Lithuania, Austria, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, Venezuela and not forgetting, Belgium and the Netherlands – a total of 250 performances to date!

In autumn 2015, Sens Dessus Dessous gave way to the second show of the Collectif Malunés: Forever, Happily…

wherein the collective grew and now consists of 7 artists on stage, 3 techniciens, and 2 producers. The show takes place under a burgundy tent like the beautiful archaic caravan of its beginnings. Here the artists take great pleasure in deconstructing and reinventing the characters of the fairy-tales of yesteryear. Forever, Happily… is currently touring Europe. The show received the Cultural Prize for Circus 2016 in Belgium.

Today, as our society becomes increasingly individualistic, we want to defend a collective vision. Even if it may seem utopian, the Collective wants to continue to experiment, play and work towards solidarity between companies, artists, spectators and countries.

We are interested in research on falls, misfires, indispensable elements of safety (safety-lines and spotting), hence the need for solidarity and regular group work, which is the strength of the collective.

The idea of creating a collective artform is to share an honest, physical and real experience. Circus – especially the nomadic circus with the installation of its tent – changes the infrastructure of a town, and creates a new dynamic where people come to see a show on their doorstep, thus mixing all social categories.

Circus culture price 2016

Documentary Forever, Happily...

The team

Artists

Simon Bruyninckx

Co-founder, Teeterboard, Hand-to-Hand Base

Flemish by name and Flemish by nature he is the third of four siblings. He is originally from Mechelen, Belgium,

where he attended the Circolito Circus School at the age of 9, with his brother Vincent. It was love at first sight between

Simon and Circus. He started his professional career at the Academy for Circus and Performance Art in Tilburg where he met Arne Sabbe and together they specialised in Teeterboard and Hand-to-Hand. They then went on to the National Centre for

Circus Arts in Châlons-en-Champagne, from where they graduated in 2012.

After school Simon worked with Les Balagans (Monte Carlo Festival, Cirque du Soleil) and Planche A4 (Young Stage).

He is co-founder of the Collectif Malunés with Juliette Correa, Arne Sabbe and Vincent Bruyninckx, creating Sens Dessus Dessous, their first show together in 2010.

This man is a tamer of dragons. He raises and uses them to frighten the rabble, or lock-up the brave in the highest of dungeons.

Juliette Correa

Co-founder, Trapeze Artist and Aerial Cradle Flyer

She was born in Poitiers, France, to a French mother and an Argentinean father. Since a young age, she has been involved in everything from dance, to theatre, to taekwondo, to basketball. At the age of 14, she started at the circus school of Niort,

Cirque en Scène, where she had a revelation – « I will be a circus artist » – she promised herself.

So with her Baccalaureate in hand, she went to Toulouse to train at the Lido and La Grainerie. In 2007, she began training at Balthazar in Montpellier. Then she was accepted at the Academy for Circus and Performance Art, in Tilburg, the Netherlands, to train in swinging trapeze. Juliette is creative, optimistic and brings a crazy and beautiful energy to the group. She is at the origin of the creation of the Collective.

This red-hooded rider leads you to believe that she brings golden goods in her basket: water-of-life, brandy, wine, but no sausage!

Lola Devault Sierra

Hand-to-Hand and Aerial Cradle Flyer

The big top, the caravans, the sequined thongs, the flying trapeze, circus! That’s all she wanted to do when she grew up – well, except for the sequined thongs. The practicable, the beam, the leotards, that’s what she did for 10 years.

Afterwards she moved to a city with a sunny accent and a school with a spikey cat as its mascot: Balthazar in Montpellier.

She became a princess – translation: hand-to-hand flyer – and met Nickolas van Corven. They hit the road towards ACaPA then ESAC. Afterwards they joined Panama Pictures, a Dutch dance company, with whom they toured in many countries, even into the heart of China, and afterwards joined the company Hors-Pistes for their show Travelling Circus.

In the summer of 2014 the two acrobats landed in Switzerland to perform in the show Cyclope, before joining the Malunés family in the summer of 2015 for the last tour of Sens Dessus Dessous.

Beware of this witch, small but crafty, who bewitches men and walks over them with cruel laughter.

Luke Horley

Aerial and Korean Cradle Catcher, Singer

He is the quintessential Englishman. Born in Epsom, always polite and smiling, and sometimes with moustacheod. He likes to learn and to make objects and small human beings fly. Luke is an actor, who trained in physical theatre, which left him with a taste for the physical and a more rigorous discipline. Luke thinks a lot and is always looking for new experiences.

He writes, composes, sings and plays the guitar. He met Juliette in Tilburg where he stayed for two years after a year at the Circus Space in London. They worked together on a trapeze number as part of the School’s end of year project. He worked with the British company, Ockham’s Razor, before joining the French company les Philébulistes, where he was a catcher in the « Little Brother Cradle » in the show Hallali, ou la 5ème de Beethov’.

Behold! a veritable giant who crushes bones with a flick of his wrist. Rumour has it that his favourite pastime is to enslave his victims and suspend them by their feet.

Gabriel Larès

Musical Designer, Trumpet, Guitar, Hand-to-Hand Base

Gaby is a graduate in audiovisual BTS from the I.N.A. He is a co-founder of the jazz septet « Hippocampus Jass Gang”, and musical creator of « Forever Happily » by Collectif Malunés, in which he is currently a musician and acrobat.

He seeks to bring together all the artforms that cross his path, and combine them with the one that has most

enamoured him since childhood: music.

This devious minstrel is capable of the worst incantations, he boasts of attracting the most distinguished wayfarers to his bed thanks to his seductive aubades.

Arne Sabbe

Co-founder, Teeterboard, Hand-to-Hand and Cradle Flyer, Acrobat

Originally from Torhout, Belgium, he was born an acrobat, always jumping around on his knees. Arne is a ball of energy, he has the qualities of a feline, and is passionate about martial arts and gymnastics. He discovered the Korean teeterboard

at the age of 18 and decided to make it his profession.

Arne met Simon at ACaPA, and they have been together ever since. In 2013, they toured the show Pulsions directed

by Laurent Laffargue of the Compagnie du Soleil Bleu. Then, in October 2013, he joined the company

Les Philébulistes where he learned aerial flying with Luke Horley.

He performed in Sens Dessus Dessous with Les Malunés until 2013.

This one is ungrateful. Unsatisfied with his size, he attaches springs to his boots in order to jump and fly higher.

Nickolas Van Corven

Hand-to-Hand Base, Musicien, Saxophonist

In the graceful year of 2008 – on a beautiful morning in a mild winter, as is often the case in these sunny midday regions –

Nickolas Van Corven, who knew nothing of the world of jesters, minstrels and other such vagabonds, embarked on a new adventure: the circus. He crossed mountains, valleys and countries to learn from the best masters at Balthazar, then ACAPA and finally ESAC.

As he was big and strong, they taught him the art of making the little ones dance and fly in his hands, high up in the sky.

With the fairy-like Lola, they formed a hand-to-hand duet that was invited to distant lands, accompanying the companies Panama Pictures, Hors-Pistes and Platzak. During his travels, he met many musicians, and learned to play the clarinet and saxophone with them, before training at the Jam, a jazz school in Montpellier.

Vile miscreant! It is said that one evening, this ogre was seen carrying three men on a tray, and placing them around a bottle.

Vincent Bruyninckx

Co-founder, Cyr Wheel

The youngest of four boys and born in Mechelen, Belgium.

Vincent started circus with his brother, Simon, at the Circolito Circus School at the age of 7.

A perfectionist by nature, he is always concerned with a work well done. He trained on

the Cyr wheel whilst studying Physiotherapy at Antwerp and working as a barista,

where he was Belgian champion, before joining ESAC to perfect his circus discipline.

He won the bronze medal at the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain in Paris,

and then joined the Czech company La Putyka to create the show ADHD.

Esse Vanderbruggen

Artistic Assistant, Choreographer, Dramaturg

She is a Belgian performer and dancer. With movement as her main tool, her collaborations have extended to dance, theatre and circus. She went through several training courses – Royal Ballet School of Antwerp, Dé!Kunsthumaniora Lier, CODARTS Rotterdam, intensive course @ SNDO Amsterdam – to finally graduate in 2012 from P.A.R.T.S. in Brussels, where she created a solo « In the name of V » and a duet « 1010 » with Marcia Liu. She then created « a Mozart of the Open Future » (2012) with Shosha van Kranendonk, an interactive installation, and « O, Mensch » with NonoC (2013).

Since 2014 she has been working as a performer for numerous choreographers such as Kuiperskaai, FLOK, Sacred Places, Kubilai Khan Investigations, Vera Tussing, Benjamin Vandewalle, etc.

In addition to her work as a performer, she collaborates with a drummer on 2 short pieces, and works as an outside-eye for Alexander van Tournhout and Collectif Malunés.

Office / technicians

Eugénie Fraigneau

Administration

After a master’s degree in Administration from the Cultural Institution in Arles, she worked from 2009 as a Production Manager for the Coopérative De Rue et De Cirque and then as a company administrator in the field of street arts, contemporary circus and digital arts in the public space (Cie n°8, Cie PM, Groupe LAPS). Her skills are multiple, ranging from administration, team coordination, logistical and technical organisation, communication and management.

Still administrator of the LAPS Group, she shares her time and joined the Collectif Malunés in 2017.

She is the fairy-godmother, the magician, the wizard. Few people possess her knowledge, and her head is full of treasures tucked away in hidden drawers.

Anthony Caruana

Technical Director, General Technician

After his studies, Anthony went on a concert tour for 4 years as a sound technician. Little by little he was entrusted with the general management and then the technical direction of music festivals. After the technical direction of the Coopérative de Rue de Cirque and other circus festivals, he went to work for the company Quotidienne and Collectif Malunés. Now, as part of the Collectif Malunés, Anthony feels good in his pants.

Olivier Duris

Lighting Designer, Lighting Technician

After a first collaboration with the contemporary circus company Les Oiseaux Fous in 2000, Olivier spent almost 20 years travelling from one place to another,

from one company to another, always or almost always around a big top. He has travelled far and wide with companies

such as Les Colporteurs and Collectif AOC. It is in 2017 that he met the Collectif Malunés.

More than one trick up his sleeve and more than one life to his credit, genius of darkness and light, we can see or be blinded, according to his will.

Direction Associative

Micheline Bruyninckx

Président Be

Charlotte Duchamp

Président Fr

Tiphaine Bellanger

Treasury Fr

Pascal Fournier

Secretary Fr

Thank You's

The Collectif Malunés would like to thank, from the bottom of its heart, all the people who have crossed our path and helped us get where we are today :

Bauke Lievens

Frans Brood

Charlotte Peyskens

Gie Baguet

Floriane Soyer

Jan Daems

Claude Couffin

Rozenn Auger

Tiphaine Bellanger

Charlotte Duchamp

Micheline Bruyninckx

Circolito

Joppe Wouters

Pascal Fournier -Kalou-

Circus Ronaldo

Association de Meilhan sur Garonne – Sylvie, Rodolphe & Romane Pomade, Richard Leme, Nicolas Dalla Valle

Nos stagiaires Zoé, Eliora, Rémi, Baptiste, Tanguy, Hernan, Amélie, Tomas, Anna, Lucie,

Nicolas Flacard

Bernard Molinier

Bram Dobbelaere

Dominique Bettenfeld

Koen Allary

Julie Descamps

Maarten Verhelst

Célyne Van Corven

Mélinda Mouslim

Emma Auzanneau

Maurice Lellouche

Lise Sierra

Emmanuelle Van Corven

La famille Correa

Camille Fonteret

Bernard Vigier

Laurie

Marcel Vidal Castells

Eline Vyncke

Thomas, Nadir, Pierre, Erwan, Richard, Marco, AnSo de groupe Laps

Hippocampus Jass Gang -Joseph Vu Van, Pierre Bayse, Heykel Bouden, Gildas Le Garrec, Simon Laurent, Alexis Chauvelier

Quentin Vigier

Michto

Dirk et Fien

Dok

Liesbeth Vlerick

Pascal Lejeune -Calou-

Sarah Lys

Muriel

Circus Planeet

Patrick De groot

Gwendolien Sabbe

Kasper Verhelst

Gaëtan Lévêque

Les frères Troubouch

La burrasca

Alan Sartori

Adelaïde et Jean

Christophe Pavia

Pikz Palace

Manu Morris

Lies Timperman

Griet Deschamp

Tim Billiet

Marec Zeghers

Marc Celis

Martine Linaert

Gert Nullens

La Machinerie – Joris et Maarten Janssens

Wendy Moonen

Marc Eyesink Smeets

Bert Heylen

Le cirque du bout du monde – Samuel Rieubernet

Guy Waerenburgh

Jonas Van soom

Letni Letna – Jiří Turek, Anna Vondrackova

Jatka – Betka Hokova

Kathleen Keymeulen

Marc Fouilland

Jo Mcintosh

Jeff

Mara Pavula

Constance Paris

Lieven Leemans

Machteld De smedt

Marleen Platteau

Sven Gatz

Sophie Bardet

Sophie Caruso

Florence Laumond

Sophie Tooten

Benoit Martrenchar

Frederick Guerri

Benoit Dochy

François Labetoulle

Babshka Moonkovitch

Aurelia Braylowski

Laura Lafon

Esteban Gonzalez

Richard Fournier

Lieven Clarysse

Remy Bovis