{"id":2211,"date":"2024-12-26T08:17:41","date_gmt":"2024-12-26T13:17:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quartiercirque.com\/a-propos\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T09:31:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T13:31:03","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/quartiercirque.com\/en\/about-us\/","title":{"rendered":"About us"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Circus Art District<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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The Circus Arts District (QUAC) is a community where citizens, artists, researchers, and entrepreneurs work together to create a prosperous and inclusive Saint-Michel neighborhood by implementing innovative urban, ecological, and social solutions\u2014driven by culture\u2014that benefit the community, young people, and nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What drives us to take the stage<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Since Cirque du Soleil established its headquarters in 1997 on the outskirts of the Miron Quarry\u2014a former open-air landfill in Montreal\u2014the area has become a hub for the production, training, and promotion of the circus arts, and has been built on environmental and human values. Since then, the waste has given way to greening and the creation of Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Back Park. The next generation of circus artists is trained at the National Circus School, and TOHU\u2014North America\u2019s only presenter specializing in the circus arts\u2014offers multidisciplinary activities, including a cultural program (performing and visual arts), with a focus on social and community inclusion and environmental education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Circus Arts District thus builds on 20 years of collaboration, social and environmental innovation, international influence, training, and research. Drawing on this experience, the founding members are proposing a second phase of urban transformation that will address contemporary challenges, including the climate emergency and territorial equity.
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Based on the model adopted twenty years earlier for the creation of the Cit\u00e9 des arts du cirque, the renewed vision for the transformation of the Saint-Michel neighborhood centers on the circus as a catalyst and tool for urban development. Circus, as a living art form, is the result of a collaborative process and the convergence of various forms of expertise mobilized for the benefit of the public and society. It embodies the values of inclusion, solidarity, acceptance, and trust as the prerequisites for a successful performance. For its second phase of implementation, the Cit\u00e9 des arts du cirque is therefore positioning itself as the Quartier des Arts du Cirque (QUAC), inviting the entire Saint-Michel community to carry out a social, environmental, and economic project that places people at the heart of decision-making. The circus will be the central element ensuring the harmonious development of the region through culture and the performing arts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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What Drives Our Performance<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Collaboration<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

QUAC is defined by co-creation and co-governance among residents, artists, institutional partners, and private organizations in the pursuit of an ambitious shared project that places people and the earth at the heart of decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Multidisciplinarity<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A delicate balance will need to be struck to carry out a cross-disciplinary project that encompasses all the performing arts and draws on a diverse range of expertise, from economic development to architecture and social innovation. The project\u2019s success will depend on transcending disciplinary boundaries to deliver innovative solutions that are committed to the socio-ecological transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Performance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Since magic cannot happen without dreams and pushing one\u2019s limits, QUAC will explore new possibilities through ambition and innovation. It will give itself the freedom to explore, experiment, and test models that do not yet exist but are necessary for the resilience of a community and its environment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Creativity, innovation\u2026 and jobs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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For nearly 30 years, the neighborhood adopted by Cirque du Soleil, TOHU, and the \u00c9cole Nationale de cirque has played a leading role in the economic vitality of the Saint-Michel area:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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+2 000<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

people come there every day to study or work<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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+435 000<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Annual visitors attend a paid or free show<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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+5 000<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

jobs (full-time and part-time) created each year by the circus arts in Quebec<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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2e<\/sup> p\u00f4le<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Eastern Montreal Recreation and Tourism Area: TOHU \u2013 Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric-Back Park, featuring the TAZ and the soccer stadium<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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QUAC is a nonprofit organization focused on economic development, founded in 2022 by:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Recently at QUAC<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n
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History of the Neighborhood<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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1920s<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The Cit\u00e9 de Saint-Michel develops around the quarrying of gray stone<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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1960<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Opening of the metropolitan highway<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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1963<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The Miron Quarry becomes a landfill site<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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1988<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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After years of citizen advocacy, the City of Montreal takes ownership of the land and embarks on a long-term environmental transformation<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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1995<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Cirque du Soleil acquires part of the land, marking the beginning of the area\u2019s redevelopment<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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2003<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The National Circus School is inaugurated and becomes the largest of its kind in the world<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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2004<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Opening of TOHU, the only venue in North America dedicated exclusively to the circus arts<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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2017<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Inauguration of Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric-Back Park, whose development is ongoing<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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2022<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Creation of the nonprofit organization Quartier des arts du cirque<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The Circus Art District The Circus Arts District (QUAC) is a community where citizens, artists, researchers, and entrepreneurs work together to create a prosperous and inclusive Saint-Michel neighborhood by implementing innovative urban, ecological, and social solutions\u2014driven by culture\u2014that benefit the community, young people, and nature. What drives us to take the stage Since Cirque du […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2211","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAbout us - QUAC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Le Quartier des arts du cirque est un territoire o\u00f9 la nature, l\u2019humain et la culture s\u2019\u00e9mancipent dans un quartier vibrant, ouvert et cr\u00e9atif\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/quartiercirque.com\/en\/about-us\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"About us - QUAC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Le Quartier des arts du cirque est un territoire o\u00f9 la nature, l\u2019humain et la culture s\u2019\u00e9mancipent dans un quartier vibrant, ouvert et cr\u00e9atif\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/quartiercirque.com\/en\/about-us\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"QUAC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-18T13:31:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/quartiercirque.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/vueensemble.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2160\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t \"@graph\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/quartiercirque.com\\\/en\\\/about-us\\\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/quartiercirque.com\\\/en\\\/about-us\\\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"About us - 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