Here, life is simple. We get up, we rehearse, we do school, we eat together, we train, we prepare for the show that takes place in the evening. Life is communal, we speak several languages and we discover a new place every two months. “We're not rolling in gold, but it's an exceptional life, confides Nicolas Bouglione. We form a real family with people from all over the world, and we live together all year round in this real village that we move from city to city to meet the public. It’s fabulous.”
There is no age to get started in the circus! “It can be practiced from 3 years old”
A nomadic life in caravans
In people's imagination, circuses still travel every week with their old caravans. However, today things have changed a little. “We still live in our trailers all year round, but they have changed a lot, explains Célia Berthier-Caroli. Today they are real 40 m2 apartments on wheels, with all modern comforts, energy self-sufficient and fully equipped! “When the circus sets up, a whole village arrives and needs to be set up. “We stay between one and two months per city, for ecological reasons; we have to keep up with the times! And then, the life of the circus evolves: it's exhausting to move a mini-city every week!”
The arts of yesterday and today
Since its birth, the Bouglione circus has evolved significantly. Originally, it was not a menagerie circus, but an… equestrian circus. The wild animals won't arrive until a little later. Since 2014, Belgium has banned exotic animals in circuses. True DNA of Bouglione, the circus had to reinvent itself. “It was a page to turn that we also chose to reinvent ourselves and head towards the cabaret circus, explains Nicolas Bouglione . This was achieved thanks to an audience that has followed us from generation to generation, but also thanks to a new audience for whom the animal cause is important. The circus has never stopped reinventing itself! And then, our DNA is so much more than animals.”
A global family
In the past, circuses were made up of traveling families who stayed together for several years. Today, if the members of the family, like Nicolas and Célia, stay from year to year, the artists change. “Each season means new show and therefore new artistssays Nicolas Bouglione . They come from all over the world! It's hard to say goodbye at the end of the year, because we become a real family. We do everything together: eat, celebrate birthdays, do activities on days off… The advantage is that our family grows every year. When you travel to any country in the world, there is always a member of the Bouglione family to see again.”
Daily life of a circus child
Artists travel with their children to circuses and countries . “They attend correspondence school with their parents and have a school teacher who follows their education, explains Célia Berthier-Caroli. It's very important that they have a plan B, it's a difficult job. They also train with their parents, or an artist according to what they like. It’s like a sports class.” And ask the child of an artist what he wants to do when he grows up, he will tell you: circus! Sofia, 9 years old and from Italy, is here with her parents. “I practice roller skating, like my parents, and I can't wait to take part in the shows. It's a life that I love, we're a big family, we live in lots of countries. Thanks to that, I speaks 5 languages!”
