Chantal Tremblay
Director of Creation (The Beatles LOVE, OVO)
Chantal Tremblay is hardly a newcomer to Cirque du Soleil. At the end of the 1980s, while living in New York developing a career in dance, she was drawn to a performance of the touring Cirque production We Reinvent the Circus. “I was blown away,” she says. She decided on the spot to join the company and has been with Cirque ever since.
Tremblay started out as a dancer on a Cirque project, then became choreographer Debra Brown’s assistant in the creation of Mystère. Her next position was as Artistic Coordinator of Alegría, and two years later, in 1995, she was appointed the show’s Artistic Director. During this effervescent period she undertook numerous other challenges, most notably participating in the first Cirque du Soleil feature film Alegría, directed by Franco Dragone, the television series Solstrom, and televised versions of various Cirque shows.
Building on these early achievements, Chantal went on to become the Artistic Director of La Nouba and Mystère. In 200I, she assisted the director in the creation of a highly-acclaimed Cirque du Soleil number featured in the telecast of the Academy Awards and was appointed Creation Director of the 2006 show LOVE and OVO.
As Creation Director, Chantal is the pivotal link between the Producer and the team of Creators, overseeing the day-to-day process of creation and making sure that the Creators have all the tools they need to deliver the show. This assignment, which is both technical and creative, calls for a total understanding of the project and a detailed familiarity with the Cirque du Soleil modus operandi.
Bringing a wealth of rich and diversified knowledge to the undertaking, Chantal Tremblay is in a unique position to combine her experience as an Artistic Director, her great sensitivity with her organizational skills to manage the demands of the operation with a master’s touch. Her solid credentials make her a key organizational and creative member of the team.
“Cirque 2009 is a very physical show,” says Chantal. “Everything is constantly in motion, which underlines the emphasis we’re placing on human performance. This energy draws on the movements, the rhythms and the cadences of insects – which were our key inspiration throughout the process of creating the show.”