Galapiat Cirque

Pétaouchnok Collective

circus / territory / local projects / artistic creation and popular education

Artistic and sociocultural project in a big top in the Brittany region, toured from 2009 to 2015.

© Sébastien Armengol

© Sébastien Armengol


Pétaouchnok has criss-crossed territories, roamed across fields and sneaked into the gaps, using the big top as an effective stage, a travelling, living space. Pétaouchnok invented and drove experiments with those who were willing in Brittany.

Pétaouchnok consisted in setting up local federative projects around the circus arts in relationship with the local actors and organisations as well as territorial bodies. The collective originally composed of a solid base of associate artists joined sometimes by other artists, created original productions for the occasion. The collective appeared as a strong actor locally, motivated by its energy and a desire to share and transmit with others.

In 2013, Pétaouchnok toured around Brittany with a new artistic team and a new show. The team has changed but the scheme is the same: to create a buzz and get the local actors involved during a whole month.

A travelling auditorium that toured from the cities to the countryside. A magical place where anything could happen, everything could be invented. Artists and technicians that wanted to share some poetic and fraternal moments, quite simply.

They ‟modeled” Pétaouchnok:
François ALAITRU, project coordinator since 2013
Maud AMBROISE, Chinese weeble pole
Claire ARDOUIN, aerial frame
Sébastien ARMENGOL, teeterboard acrobat, musician
Émilie BONNAFOUS, writer-clown and director
Laure CLAPIES, multifaceted intern
Antoine CLEE, juggler, dancer, acrobat and musician
Chloé DERROUAZ, circus artist, contortion and acrobatics
Jean-Pierre DEWALS, cook
Benoît FAUCHIER, circus artist, acrobat on a hoop
Barbara GAY, clown, comedian
Mika KASKI, handstands
Maho LEGAC, technician
Kévin LEGRAS, musician

Cyrille LEPENVEN, musician
Madeg MENGUY, musician, saxophonist
Lucile MULLIEZ, office manager until 2014
Emmanuelle NONET, office manager since 2012
Odilon PINDAT, acrobat on a sledgehummer and trebuchet
Angélique REBOLLEDO, aerial frame acrobat
Federico ROBLEDO, circus artist, object manipulator, dancer and acrobat
Guillaume SAUZAY (Gus), circus artist
Alain SÉRADIN, project coordinator until 2014
Lucho SMIT, acrobat, musician
Véronique TUAILLON, clown
Céline VALETTE, circus artist, cloud swing and contortion
Frédéric VETEL, juggler, handstands
Renaud VINCENT, musician