Elyme Gilbert: Dream on! We'll see later.

The circus

Who would have had the audacity to set up a circus at Pointe-Sèche, between two villages, wedged between a rock face and a road, facing a flats frequented mainly by mosquitoes?

It’s a magnificent spot, to be sure. But it took some genius to create a stage space suitable for the performances of a dozen acrobats, and the necessary distance for 300 spectators. And all without diverting the 132!

The idea of building bleachers in used shipping containers emerged from his former life. Previously employed by Cirque du Soleil, Elyme hauled some sixty containers a month… He played with plans for days. Superimposed on three floors, open to the cliff where rock anchors would be installed for the aerial acts, the viewing angles would be excellent for the audience. Mounted on piles, with no foundations, this construction was not subject to any municipal regulations. And doesn’t it evoke the wanderlust of the fairground world?

Circus performers

“Tell me your ideas, I’ll tell you if it’s possible”. Director and choreographer have free rein. Well, almost. The team agrees beforehand on the broad outlines of what we want to see. We don’t insist on a touching, clownish storyline. There may be some zany moments, but it’s the acrobatic acts that take precedence. The audience comes away happy.

The artists themselves come from all over the world. Depending on the discipline, such as tramp-wall or Russian swing, they may or may not change every year. Often couples in their thirties, they settle down with their families at Pointe-Sèche for the whole summer. They also come from elsewhere: Poland, Costa Rica, California, Vancouver… Circus people love singular experiences ….

Rebond, a multidisciplinary center

The church in Saint-Germain-de-Kamouraska, no longer used for religious worship, has been donated to Cirque de la Pointe-Sèche to house a circus school. Elyme and his wife, Stéphanie Friesinger, have surrounded themselves with motivated and competent people to manage the business.

There is a wide range of options. Open to the general public, individuals or groups can access the center with an annual or monthly pass. Meanwhile, in the former sacristy, Sacré Atelier, Espace céramique, welcomes some fifty students per session and offers free workshops.

People come from municipalities all over Kamouraska, and even Rivière-du-Loup. All the signs are that these projects are breathing new life into the village of Saint-Germain-de-Kamouraska, and even helping some people to break out of their isolation. Day camps, school programs, artists’ residencies, climbing competitions, etc. remain to be developed.

The Perchoirs

Another project! Led more specifically by Stéphanie, these are small, atypical habitats designed as bubbles clinging to the walls. They provide access to magical places and views. They are reached via the forest, without passing through a reception desk.

Rankin Manor

Everyone in the region watched with sadness as the elegant seigniorial manor house built in 1835 was abandoned, squatted and deteriorating. Renovation seemed an impossible undertaking. Elyme, who acquired the property, tackled the task by learning on the job. With the rescue of this jewel, he won the favor of everyone, including the municipality and the MRC, who took a positive view of his slightly crazy circus project.

The integration process took care of itself. It has to be said that the Kamouraska milieu was effervescent when he arrived. He found other dreamers who had built businesses from scratch. They became his friends.

Professional life

At 18, Elyme was doing sound and lighting on rock music shows. He then moved on to Cirque Éloise as a rigger. He continued in this profession for ten years at Cirque du Soleil. After sleeping in hotel rooms around the world, he dropped his suitcase at Pointe-Sèche. For five years, he worked alongside Jérémie Guay-Chenard to rebuild tin roofs the old-fashioned way, under the name Bâtis’art. While he already knew how to lead a team of twenty people, it was here that he developed his entrepreneurial spirit.

To live in the earthly paradise that is the Domaine de la Pointe-Sèche, he gambled everything. He’s proud to have dared to dream. And grateful that it worked! When in doubt, he takes his mechanical “shrink” and goes to his backyard to make firewood.