The performers of Vague de Cirque might fly through the air with the greatest of ease, but they also want to convey the point that their feet are often firmly planted on the ground.
Circus life conjures magic, sure, but it comes with a good dose of the mundane as well.
As co-founder Noemie Gervais says: ''You still have to do your laundry.''
Hence the title of the Montreal-based troupe's show, Carousel and Clothesline, which will make its New Zealand debut at the 2014 Dunedin Fringe Festival from March 20-22.
It's as much inspired by the glamour and enchantment of circus as the everyday lives of the travelling performers.
''A clothesline is often behind the stage when we are on tour,'' Gervais says (in a thick French-Canadian accent) via phone from Australia, where Vague de Cirque has been touring for the past six weeks.
''For us, the show reflects the life we have as travellers; it's about everything that goes on backstage that an audience would not normally see. The `carousel' refers to the magic of the circus, but then you have this aspect of just basic life.''
Gervais, who set up Vague de Cirque with Alain Boudreau in 2009, knows a bit about being on the road. She and Boudreau have travelled the world for more than 15 years, performing in prestigious productions such as Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Eloize and Teatro Zinzanni.
Although Vague de Cirque originates from the Magdalen Islands, a tiny archipelago in the far east of Canada, the present troupe, which includes eight performers, met in Montreal, and the Carousel and Clothesline concept made its debut two years ago.
''There is a big circus school in Montreal. People from all over the world come to study.''
Gervais, who recently became a mother and thus is not performing in the show (''I was a flier - I used to get thrown in the air by my husband ...''
), now has a behind-the-scenes role.
''Instead, I organise everything,'' she says, adding Vague de Cirque has foregone any big top in favour of a more intimate approach.
For the Dunedin Fringe Festival, it is using the King's and Queen's Performing Arts Centre, where the performers plan to mingle with audience members.
''Humour is a big part of our show and we like to see the reaction on the faces of the audience,'' Gervais says.
''It's not a show with big lighting effects and big dance scenes that can be seen from far away. We need that connection between the artists and the audience.
''We do have a narrator but it's not like it's one big story. It is inspired by traditional circus, though it is a little bit of a parody, albeit with admiration for the art.''
Thus Carousel and Clothesline incorporates a range of circus skills, from acrobatics such as Chinese pole, Russian bar and tumbling to a contortionist routine and, of course, some clowning around.
''We have a lot of group acts. Our performers are multitalented so are quite often on stage at the same time,'' Gervais explained.
''Alain and I worked a lot with a comedy and clown director because it was important to us to put lots of comedy within the acrobatics.
''For instance, we might have someone doing a double somersault while there is a funny situation playing out in the background.
''That provides something a bit more unexpected.''
See them
Vague de Cirque's Carousel and Clothesline will be performed at the King's and Queen's Performing Arts Centre from March 20-22, as part of the 2014 Dunedin Fringe Festival.
