ABOUT

Julien discovered the circus and the stage during his youth at the Cirque Plume school starting in 1987, before training at the National Circus Arts Centre. He joined the Collectif Petit Travers in 2006 for the creation of Pan-pot ou modérément chantant. Since 2011, he has been co-artistic director of the Collectif and has participated in the staging of Les Beaux Orages qui nous étaient promis, Les Moissons, NUIT, Dans les plis du paysage, followed by the duets Formule (2017) and S’assurer de ses propres murmures (2020) with drummer Pierre Pollet. Julien regularly leads training courses for young jugglers and for larger audiences in France and abroad. He has been an artistic assistant on Kosm (Simon Carrot), Celui qui tombe (Yoann Bourgeois), Portrait de quelqu’un qui fait quelque chose (Boris Lozneau), L’or blanc (Bonthoeun Houn), Fragments and Dehors. He is equally the rehearsal assistant on Encore la vie.

Nicolas first trained at the Cirque Plume school as a child before devoting himself to university studies in mathematics and philosophy. He joined the Lido creation studio, a circus arts training centre in Toulouse in 2001 and created Le Petit Travers with Denis Fargeton.  In 2004, he co-founded the Collectif Petit Travers during the creation of Le parti pris des choses, which won the European Young Circus Talents Award that same year. Since 2011, he has co-managed the company with Julien Clément. He is co-author of : Le Petit Travers, Le Parti pris des choses, Pan-pot ou modérément chantant, Les Beaux Orages qui nous étaient promis, Les Moissons, NUIT, Dans les plis du paysage, Ornements and Encore la vie. He collaborated in the staging of S’assurer de ses propres murmures.

Ursula Alvarez Heredia is a graduate of the CNSMDL (National Superior Conservatory of Music and Dance) in Lyon, France, with degrees in Piano and Accompaniment. Eager to share her experience, she also obtained a master’s degree in Education and has been teaching at the CNSMDL in Lyon since 2016. Her versatility has led her to take part in various chamber musical formations and to enrich her musical universe by bringing it closer to the worlds of dance and circus. Pan-pot ou modérément chantant, with the Collectif Petit Travers, thus became the perfect opportunity to bring these two worlds together.

Rémi discovered the circus arts at the Lido Circus Arts Training Centre in Toulouse and then at the National Circus School in Châtellerault. He then joined the prestigious Kiev State College of Circus and Variety, where he created a cabaret number under the direction of Yuri Pozdnyakov. Rémi toured extensively abroad before collaborating with several circus companies in France. He joined the Collectif Petit Travers in 2011 for Les beaux orages qui nous étaient promis. He is equally a co-author of NUIT and Dans les plis du paysage. In 2018, he created a solo piece entitled Fragments.

François is our technical director and tour manager for Pan-pot ou modérément chantant, tour manager for Nuit and in charge of lighting for Encore la vie.

Gautier is our tour manager for Nuit and Pan pot ou modérément chantant. He is also in charge of lighting for S’assurer de ses propres murmures.

Bastien has been juggling since the age of 13. The curves, the lines, the rhythm, and the visual universe immediately made sense to him. His practice in the discipline has been constantly enriched by his sensitivity to movement and his aesthetic awareness. He trained at the “Imhotep” Circus School near Bordeaux and took his first steps on the stage in the School’s troupe. Numerous encounters during “juggling conventions” of “Masterclasses” have strongly inspired and guided him in his artistic career, notably with artists such as Stephan Sing, Guillaume Martinet, Maksim Komaro… He works in various multidisciplinary companies (Compagnie Idéosphère, Cirque en scène, Compagnie Ezec le Floch…) while intervening for professional training courses at the Bordeaux circus school on a regular basis or in short training courses. He is performer in Encore la vie.

Olivier is the technical director and co-director of the scenography for Nuit and co-director of the scenography for Encore la vie. He also served as co-director for the set design, sound design and engineering for S’assurer de ses propres murmures.

Juliette trained a the Circus School in Lyon and at the National Circus Arts School in Brussels, after having completed a master’s degree in literature. Following her degree, she specialized in ball juggling and joined the Collectif after various stage experiences which enabled her to fully explore the work of a circus artist, notably with the Boustrophédon company. She is a performer in Les beaux orages qui nous étaient promis, co-author of Dans les plis du paysage and created Dehors in 2018, a duo with trumpeter Emmanuelle Legros.

Nina studied classical percussion at the Conservatory of Clermont-Ferrand. She then discovered juggling and completed programs in circus schools in Lille, Lyon and Toulouse, followed by dance courses in Belgium and Spain to complete her training in music and circus. She then worked for the Cirque Romanès, the company La main de l’Homme/Clément Dazin, and the company Chant de balles/Vincent de Lavenère. Having often crossed paths with the Collectif Petit Travers during her training, she joins the company today as a performer for the creation of Encore la vie with her dual skills in percussion and juggling.

Taïchi started juggling when he was 12 years old and continued to progress as a self-taught artist. He then started training in modern dance and created solo shows with juggling and choreography. In 2017, he moved to France ans studied for one year at the Regional circus Arts Centre in Lomme. He met Nicolas and Julien at a CNAC training session and in various auditions. His juggling and dancing artistry can be seen in Encore la vie.

Jazz trumpeter Emmanuelle Legros hails from Lyon and gained experience on the stages of the region. She is now the leader of the new trio Tatanka. Surprises are in store with this trumpetist who he also been heard singing and playing trumpet in the Tempus Fugit show by Cirque Plume, performing body percussion in the Very Big Experimental Toubifri Orchestra, and in composition work alongside singer Loïc Lantoine. She joined the Collectif Petit Travers in 2017 for the creation of Dehors with Juliette Hulot, for which she composed the music.

Trained initially in dance in the Bordeaux region, Marie continued her studies at the CNSMDL (National Conservatory of Music and Dance in Lyon) the joined the training program « From performer to author » at the National Choreography Centre in Rillieux-la-Pape / Cie Maguy Marin. She has performed for various companies including the Maguy Marin company, in May B, The Nouveau Jour company, the Étranger Théâtre, the Rhizophages, the Wejna company and the Parc company. In 2008 she premiered her first show WibstückR, then Ahwa which she premiered in Lebanon as part of an international collaboration project. Since 2010, she has co-managed the LIEUES – a shared workspace in Lyon. She joined the Collectif Petit Travers in 2013 for the creation of Dans les plis du paysage and has greatly developed her approach to pedagogy in creative workshops associated with the shows.

After completing a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, Audrey began the Masters in Cultural Management degree program at the University of Lille, specializing in artistic productions and cultural audiences. While completing her degree she worked with the teams from Lieux Publics, the National Centre for Creation in Public Spaces and The Merlan, National Theatre of Marseille as a production assistant. In 2013, with her master’s degree completed, she became the general manager of the Ici-Même [Gr.] Collective in Grenoble until February 2016. At the same time, she carried out administrative missions for the company Epiderme which is associated with the BADA-Office for the Support of Artistic Approaches. In 2016, she moved to Lyon and collaborated with the Dance Biennial, the Albatros circus company and the Théâtre Oblique. Since October 2016, she has overseen tour logistics and coordinated artistic interventions for the Collectif Petit Travers.

Pierre trained in drums and percussion at the Agostini school and then at the National Conservatory of Toulouse before continuing his training alongside John Tchicaï, Pierre de Bethmann, François Theberge, Stéphane Fouché and Peter Giron in Montpellier. Very active on the jazz scene, he is currently an in-demand drummer with several groups, such as PULCINELLA, Initiative H, MOWGLI and others. Pierre works regularly in the world of contemporary dance, theatre and cinema and joined the Collectif Petit Travers in 2015 for the creation of Dans les plis du paysage. He co-authored Formule (2017), a short intimate piece, and S’assurer de ses propres murmures (2020), a piece for a juggler and a drummer alongside Julien Clément.

Emilio Quief joined the Collectif Petit Travers in 2025 as Head of Administration and Development.

After completing a preparatory literary course at the Lycée Pierre-de-Fermat in Toulouse, he entered the Performing Arts Administration program at ENSATT, from which he graduated in 2025.

During his studies, he trained at the Théâtre des Clochards Célestes, at La Grainerie (Balma) as a production assistant, before joining the utoPistes festival – organized by the prefiguration association of the Cité internationale des arts du cirque, the MPTA company and the Lyon Circus School – as an administration and production assistant.

Alongside his professionnal path, he is also a musician : he plays the trumpet and the euphonium in several ensembles in Lyon.

Alexander Koblikov is a juggler of Ukrainian nationality. Since the end of his training (in 2008), he has received awards from major international circus festivals (gold medal at the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain, Silver Clown at the The Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival) and has worked all over the world (Big Apple Circus in New York, in Roncalli in Germany, and in famous cabarets such as the Palazzo in Munich and the Krystallpalast in Leipzig). His juggling act Le Marin, created in 2008, is exceptional in its technique, but also extremely soft, poetic, precise, and fluid. He has been living in France for a number of years and seeks to develop projects other that his own number, and to place his juggling skills in the service of other shows. He joins the creation Nos matins intérieurs as a performer.

Amélie Degrande is originally from Belgium, where she became familiar with the circus while very young. She specialized in juggling when she was 16 and has never stopped. In 2019, after six years in China, she settled in France to train at the Centre Régional des Arts du Cirque in Lomme. She joins the Collectif Petit Travers as a performer for the creation of  Nos matins intérieurs.

After studying business and law, his career first took shape through various entrepreneurial experiences in the luxury and art objects sector between France and Asia. He discovered contemporary dance and the performing arts in 2000. Initially working as an administrator for several companies, and later contributing to the development of a subsidized company in France and Hungary, his responsibilities in production and touring became more clearly defined in 2011 with the Blanca Li company, with whom he collaborated for 11 years on production and tour organization in France, Europe, and Asia.

Between 2011 and 2024, he also collaborated in these core areas with many nationally and internationally recognized companies, including the Basel Ballet, the National Choreographic Centre of Angers (Merce Cunningham repertoire), Mummenschanz (visual theater), and Compagnie 14:20 in magie nouvelle.

He also worked with institutions on production assignments, such as Grrranit, Scène nationale de Belfort, and the Arts and Theater Institute in Prague.

He regularly takes part in numerous international markets—Cinars, Tpam, Pams, Apap, and Ispa—to support the development of the companies he represents.

Since 2024, he has been in charge of Production and Touring for Collectif Petit Travers.

Mouss Suraniti started dancing at the age of 5, and at 8 joined the Groupe Grenade, a contemporary dance company led by the choreographer Josette Baïz. Mouss trained 10 hours of dance a week, and toured as part of semi-professional shows until they was 18. Mouss trained rhythm in parallel by taking drum lessons for 7 years. The idea of broadening their artistic range led their to discover circus and juggling. They continued to train at the circus school of Lomme where they met Rémi Darbois. Mouss joins the Collectif Petit Travers as a performer in Nos matins intérieurs.

Born in the heart of the Swiss Alps, Carla Kühne was attracted to movement from an early age, whether it be in sports, nature, or with the creation of cartoons. She discovered juggling in 2015 at the Flic scuola di circo in Turin and continued her studies at ESAC, the circus arts school in Brussels. She joins the Collectif Petit Travers as a performer in Nos matins intérieurs.