Troupe Vertigo
Fusing together elements of cirque acrobatics, classical dance, and contemporary theatre, Troupe Vertigo brings audiences on a spellbinding journey through the world of artistic movement. Consisting of world-class aerial artists, contortionists, and ballet dancers, the Los Angeles–based company was founded in 2009 by Artistic Director Aloysia Gavre, formerly of the internationally renowned Cirque du Soleil, and Technical Director Rex Camphuis, whose background is with the fabled Pickle Family Circus. Troupe Vertigo, whose “dizzying acts defy gravity and leave its lucky audiences in awe” (Los Angeles Times) has performed with major orchestras across North America.
Troupe Vertigo’s 2023–2024 season includes performances at Grant Park Music Festival, The Florida Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and Colorado Springs Philharmonic in the U.S., and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, and Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra in Canada. Notable conductors that Troupe Vertigo has performed with include Jack Everly, Jeff Tyzik, Enrico Lopez-Yañez, Stuart Chafetz, Michelle Merrill, Sarah Hicks, Daniel Meyer, Nicholas Hersh, and Norman Huynh.
Troupe Vertigo’s recent seasons have brought them to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Utah Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, and Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Canada. The company is known for their collaborative custom thematic programs with symphony orchestras from Cirque España, Cirque Noir, Cirque Goes to Broadway, Cirque Goes to Hollywood, Cirque Dances featuring The Firebird to complete cirque-ballet presentations of The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Cinderella.
Their unique perspective on the circus arts have led to a variety of speaking engagements including with The Center Theater Group Los Angeles, Directors Lab West, TEDx Talk, and The Chicago Contemporary Circus Festival, as well as in publications for the cover story of Dance Teacher Magazine (August 2016) and in the book Ordinary Acrobat.
The ensemble premiered its first offering, Big Top for a New Generation, in 2010 at the Ford Amphitheater and has gone on to present Nighthawks: A Film Noir Circus, inspired by American jazz, Edward Hopper paintings, and crime novels. In 2016, they brought Tableaux, featuring five women grappling with the constrictions of society, to life at the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles. Husband-and-wife team Aloysia and Rex frequently bring their gifts and knowledge to the film and television industry, most notably with Rebel Wilson’s aerial performance in Pitch Perfect 2 and with Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz in the film Water for Elephants.
Troupe Vertigo’s facility is also home to Cirque School Los Angeles, which inspires an appreciation for the circus arts for “Anybody with Any Body.” Cirque School uses training, performance, and community outreach to foster passion for the circus arts in a supportive, non-competitive environment. Encompassing over 50 weekly classes to the public, student performances, team-building workshops, pre-professional intensives, and television and film projects, Cirque School thrives as the premier cirque training program in Los Angeles.