The Collective

Two artistes and teachers at the Lomme Circus School, together with four of their students, embarked on an ambitious journey to create both a new show and a performing troupe. This adventure came about as the natural progression of an ongoing project focused on sharing expertise and knowledge and, from the outset, embraced the challenges of working as a collective. Thank you Abdel, Mahmoud, Airelle, Denis, Mikis and Anne! But, where ever did the idea of the name “XY” come from?

The Trapezi Festival in Reus, Spain, was a milestone: this was the venue for the very first show by the 6-member troupe, who, by 2010, went on to deliver 141 performances across 15 different countries. It also marked the beginning of a great story with Bet Miralata, co-founder of Escarlata Circus and co-director of the Festival, who, a few years later joined our board of directors.

..at the Elbeuf Circus-theatre, directed by Roger Leroux. This also marked the genesis of the “large collective” as we understand it today, with 19 acrobats already on stage. The show was on tour for more than 5 years across twenty countries with a total of 314 performances. It also saw the influence of Catalan culture  with inspiration from the Castells and the introduction of the Fiaxa, a flannel belt that is used for acrobatics as well as a stage prop, and that can be seen in all of the XY Collective’s creations. Another major achievement was working for the first time with the choreographer Loïc Touzé. 

…at the Elbeuf Circus-theatre, directed by Yveline Rapeau. In less than five years, the show would be performed 384 times in twenty countries across the world. It was also the first time (at the invitation of Domminique Hervieu) that a circus show would be presented as part of an international spotlight at the Lyon Dance Biannial. Resounding success. The XY Collective grew and grew, throwing itself into a creative production brimming with vitality and festive energy. The now 22-strong group of acrobats performed one high-flying feat after another, while significantly enriching the vocabulary of their acrobatic “language.” A language that was taking physical form… against a backdrop of Lindy Hop!

For the first time in its history, XY received mutli-annual support from the Ministry of Culture, enabling it to expand its efforts and undertake simultaneous different artistic endeavours. Quite a revolution, as the XY Collective now grew from 22 to 35 members. Thus, alongside the performance touring, the first in-residence projects saw the light of day….these were to become Les Voyages. This was also the year when a 3-year cooperation programme with two Palestinian circus schools was launched (“Assirk Assaghir” in Naplouse and “Palestinian Circus School” in Bir Zeit). With the guidance of Martine Tridde-Mazloum and Jean-Jacques Goron, the BNP Paribas Foundation became a long-term sponsoring partner of the Collective and for all of its projects. 

We stepped outside…..and how! After a year of research and with renewed vigour, the XY Collective launched Les Voyages, a creative experiment for public spaces. Under the watchful eye of Olivier Comte (Cie Les Souffleurs) and working with a young photographer, Samuel Buton, this at-all-times participatory and in situ approach, was intended to rise to the challenge of lightening or alleviating the world through the universal gesture of “carrying.” Thirty years on, it’s as if everything still remains to be explored.

…at the Elbeuf Circus-theatre, directed by Yveline Rapeau. A first collaboration with the choreographer Rachid Ouramdane. For its fifth creation, XY explored the outer confines of acrobatics, through analogy, by seeking out concepts of natural phenomena such as murmurations. That form of communication that can be felt in the flight of starlings : a choreography of hundreds of birds, so well-timed and so dense that it sometimes eclipses the sun, even just for an instant… This aeriel ballet left a lasting impression, despite the Covid crisis….and to such an extent, that the XY Collective decided to keep this show as part of its repertoire. 

..at the Guildhall Square, Derry-Londonderry, United Kingdom. This show, commissioned by the Imperial War Museum London to mark the 25 years of the Good Friday Agreement with Northern Ireland, was the culmination of a collaboraton lasting virtually  two years between the Collective, In Your Space Circus (Derry) and Circusfull (Belfast), as well as Ulster University and Cian Smith, the project manager. Hard on the heels of Les Voyages and five creative in-residences, After the Rain brought together over 50 local professionals and amateurs (over and above the XY Collective’s own acrobats): musicians, slam poet, a huge choir and circus artistes..for a moment of celebration and togetherness with the people of Northern Ireland.

Everything started (again) with Dominique Hervieu, the then director of Olympiade Culturelle as part of the Paris Olympic Games, who had the vision to reunite the XY Collective and Rachid Ouramdane, to create a renewed and enhanced version of Möbius. This new interpretation, called  Möbius Morphosis would bring together the talents of the  Ballet de l’Opéra de Lyon and students of the school la Maîtrise de Radio France. Möbius Morphosis, at the Chaillot- Théâtre national de la Danse, symbolised the high point of this partnership, which had already enabled the XY Collective (going beyond its own shows) to twice take over the Palais as part of the Heritage Days in 2021 and 2022 (Chaillot Experience). Möbius Morphosis provided, above all, the opportunity to perform in spaces as varied as they were sublime: from the ancient theatre during the Nuits de Fourvière, to the Pâquier overlooking the lake at Annecy and the iconic Panthéon in Paris. 

As the crowning moment of these celebrations, the XY Collective took part in the opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, performing on the Pont Neuf. 

We’re looking forward to seeing you on the road with our sixth XY Collective creative production. This piece first saw the light of day at the Phénix, Scène national (Valencienne) – a theatre, a crew and director, Romaric Daurier, who have shown unwavering suppport for all of the Collective’s endeavours over the last 10 years against the inspiring backdrop of the European Centre of Creativity.

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