Plume – L'Envolée Cirque | Contemporary circus show in Antony and Elbeuf (2026-2027)

From 13 november 2026 to 31 hanuary 2027

Plume is a contemporary circus creation conceived by Pauline Barboux and the company L'Envolée Cirque, a sensitive, poetic, and spectacular show that pays homage to the history of the circus while giving it a decidedly modern twist. Blending family memories, aerial feats, live music, and scenographic inventions, this creation invites young and old alike to rediscover all the magic of the ring.

Born into a veritable circus dynasty, Pauline Barboux is a child of the circus. Granddaughter of a renowned conductor and composer of circus music, and daughter of acrobats, aerialists, and musicians, she draws on her personal history to create a deeply intimate show that resonates with the circus memories we all carry within us. With Plume, she celebrates a living heritage and offers a journey where emotions, sensations, and images take flight.

Under a big top erected in the heart of the Cirque-Théâtre d'Elbeuf, and later at L'Azimut – Espace Cirque d'Antony, the circus ring becomes a veritable dream machine. Pauline Barboux imagines a "pistography," a term she uses to describe the scenography specific to the circus ring. The circular space is constantly transformed, evolving with each scene to give birth to a universe where everything seems alive and in perpetual metamorphosis.

The audience is seated close to a ring designed like a beating heart. In this dynamic scenography, the aerial acrobat evokes the great universal figures of the circus while breaking free from traditional conventions. Ancient disciplines are reborn in a new form thanks to inventive apparatus specially designed for this production.

Throughout the show, Pauline Barboux explores, among other things:

the walk on the ceiling;
capillary suspension;
the flexible wire;
knife throwing;
unique apparatus designed specifically for the show;
numerous visual and mechanical surprises that constantly renew the perception of the track.

Oscillating between power, grace, fragility and vertigo, the artist constantly transforms, embodying different facets of the circus in a succession of poetic and spectacular tableaux where technical virtuosity is always put at the service of emotion.

This circus adventure is accompanied at all times by two musicians who perform live an original score blending percussion, piano, viola, and electroacoustic soundscapes. The music mirrors the acrobat's movements, amplifying the sensations of weightlessness and suspension, and creating a genuine shared experience between the artists and the audience.

The show questions our collective imagination: what do we see when we say the word "circus"? A horsewoman in a feathered costume? A ringmaster? A flying trapeze? A brass band? Colorful big tops? Plume evokes these memories without ever succumbing to nostalgia. He transforms them, reinvents them, and offers a contemporary interpretation where the wonder arises as much from the physical feats as from the delicacy of the staging.

Every detail contributes to this sensory immersion: the lights sculpt the space, the costumes accompany the metamorphoses of the artist, the scenographic inventions create permanent illusions, and the music guides the spectator's emotions in a contemplative journey where time seems suspended.

The creation is driven by an artistic team comprising:

Pauline Barboux: staging, track design and interpretation;
Bertrand Duval-Hérembourg: artistic complicity;
Étienne D'Angelo and Paul Julian Quillier: musical composition and performance;
Alice Longuechaud Barboux, alternating with a local accomplice, for the presence of children;
Erwan Moysan: lighting design;
Solenne Capmas: costume design;
Chloé Bensimon-Liatard: production and distribution;
Mylène Rossez: administration.

Premiering at the Circus Night at the Elbeuf Circus-Theatre, Plume is part of an exceptional evening dedicated to celebration. After the show, DJ'ITANE takes over, bringing the Circus-Theatre to life in a warm and convivial atmosphere. His musical style energetically blends flamenco, gypsy jazz, Romani music, Eastern European brass bands, electro rhythms, and Romani songs performed on guitar. Under the lanterns, the audience is invited to extend the evening by dancing or simply enjoying the unique ambiance.

For the occasion, the Cirque-Théâtre bar is also offering a special Circus Night menu. Dinner and Sunday brunch are served directly on the theatre stage, providing a unique experience in the heart of this historic venue. The bar opens one hour before and after performances on Friday and Saturday, and from 1 p.m. on Sunday. Meals and brunch, priced at €9, are available by reservation only, subject to availability.

In Antony, several events also enrich this series of performances. A meeting with the artistic team is organized after the performance on January 29, 2027, while a carte blanche for the L'Envolée Cirque company is offered after the show on January 30, 2027, allowing the public to interact with the artists and discover more about their creative world.

Naturally accessible to deaf or hard-of-hearing people, Plume is aimed at all audiences from 6 years old (from 4 years old during the preview in Elbeuf) and offers for 1 hour 10 minutes an experience where circus heritage, contemporary creation, live music and visual poetry meet.

Co-produced by numerous leading contemporary circus institutions, including L'Azimut – National Circus Center in Île-de-France, La Brèche – National Circus Center of Normandy, the Cirque-Théâtre d'Elbeuf, La Faïencerie – Théâtre de Creil, Archaos – National Circus Center of the Mediterranean, the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, the Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey, L'Atelier du Plateau, NIL OBSTRAT, and the Théâtre de Cusset, Plume also receives support from the City of Paris and the Île-de-France Region. The L'Envolée Cirque company is subsidized by the DRAC Île-de-France, a testament to the recognition of its creative work and its commitment to the renewal of circus arts.

Both a tribute to the circus of yesterday and a creation turned towards tomorrow, Plume is an invitation to look up, to rediscover your inner child and to let yourself be carried away on a journey where imagination, music and aerial feats become one.

• Site de L'Envolée Cirque
• Cirque-Théâtre d'Elbeuf
• L'Azimut
• Facebook L'Envolée Cirque
• Instagram L'Envolée Cirque
• Facebook Cirque-Théâtre d'Elbeuf
• Instagram Cirque-Théâtre d'Elbeuf
• Facebook l'Azimut
• Instagram L'Azimut

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