Blizzard

Christophe Magnan-Bossé is a pianist from Quebec. He holds a classical piano degree from the Conservatoire de musique de Québec and a jazz performance degree from the University of Montreal. Known for his virtuosity and deep sensitivity to the instrument, Christophe stands out in the jazz scene. He is a member of the Greenhouse Ensemble, a modern jazz collective whose debut album, Rez-de-chaussée, was released in March 2023. He also leads First Circle, a notable project paying tribute to the Pat Metheny Group. His versatility extends to diverse artistic projects, including theater and circus.

Professional circus artist since 2006, Jasmin Blouin is recognized for his versatility, creativity, and commitment to excellence. Specializing in trampo wall, fire cube manipulation, sway pole, and LED juggling, he has performed in over 20 countries with companies such as Cirque du Soleil, Catwall Acrobats, Les Productions Haut-Vol, and many others. His talent has been showcased at international festivals, high-profile corporate events, and in long-running productions across Europe, North America, and Asia. Alongside his performing career, Jasmin has shared his expertise as a coach at the École de cirque de Québec since 2004, notably within the DEC and Sport-Études programs. He has also held roles in artistic direction and tour management, in addition to founding his own performance company. A passionate educator, he places people and expressiveness at the heart of his teaching, fostering in his students not only technical skill and discipline, but also the joy of creation.

Theo LeBlanc is an energetic and creative circus artist based in Quebec city. Originally from Portland Maine he started performing at 15 years old with award winning youth circus Circus Smirkus. During his four years with Circus Smirkus he explored many circus disciplines and gained a well rounded skill set. Theo completed his formation at the Quebec Circus School specializing in cigar box manipulation with a minor in hand to hand acrobatics as a porter. He loves to explore new ways to use his boxes on stage and all things related to movement and expression.

Ben Kaufman is a circus performer from Brattleboro, Vermont based in London UK. They attended the New England Center for Circus Arts as a child and were drawn towards clowning, handbalancing, hula hooping, and acrobatics. They toured with Circus Smirkus as a teen and has since worked with with AIDA Cruises, Confetti Cabaret, Netflix, Metta Theatre, Cirque Du Soleil, Nimble Arts, and The Boston Circus Guild to name a few. Ben won the 2019 Windham County’s Got Talent competition and received a Develop Your Creative Practice Grant from Arts Council England in 2023. They perform and teach specializing in circus theatre across the UK and US. Ben is also a professional costume maker and dresser for The Royal Opera and Ballet.

I was accepted to the École de cirque de Québec in German wheel. It was there that I discovered a wide range of disciplines, including teeterboard (Korean and Hungarian), hand-to-hand, banquine, and also the Russian cradle. As time went on, I developed a true passion for the Russian cradle, which is why my partner and I decided to make it our specialty. Our adventure began in the summer of 2016 with Les Productions Haut-vol, where we performed the show Origin in Cincinnati over 200 times. We enjoyed the experience so much that we decided to do it again the following summer in Virginia, performing Origin more than 250 times. I love what I do, and that is the main reason I enjoy sharing it with audiences.

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Steele is a circus performer with enthusiasm far beyond her stature. Originally from Virginia, Lizzie danced and played viola during her youth before earning a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University. In her first career as a materials engineer, she remained firmly on the ground. After a serendipitous discovery of flying trapeze, Lizzie took a swing into the world of circus arts. She performs hand-to-hand, cradle, and flying trapeze, and is excited to continue to grow artistically and learn new disciplines.

I started competing nationally and internationally. I always loved what I did but at some point, the competition environment made me lose the joy and passion I’ve had for trampolining, so I decided to retire.  I started university and crossfit as a hobby and spend less than a year away from trampolines. Until one of my ex-team mates called me to join him for a new show in Vietnam, meaning going back to trampolining but in a completely different way. 19 years old me said yes and left everything to have a fun experience for a year and then come back to my studies in Argentina. But life had different plans for me and not only I fell in love with performing but also other opportunities starting coming up my way and I decided to go for it. I ended up doing the creation of a new show at Disneyland Paris where I also discovered trampwall. I performed more than 360 shows as trampolinist and trampwaller for the last 2 years and I’m looking forward to perform many more and keep growing as an acrobat, artist and as a person.