Today we’d like to introduce you to Monique de Villier.
Monique has been performing since she was a child. She grew up outside the Savannah area studying dance and theater. She danced and competed at national competitions, and after high school, she interned with a Broadway producer and talent scout, facilitating workshops in New York, Los Angeles, and England.
As much as she loved to perform, she also loved teaching and hoped to open her own performing arts studio one day. With that in mind, she moved to Michigan and went to school for Business Administration.
In 2011, Monique took her first aerial silks class. Within a few months, she began teaching and performing throughout the United States and Canada.
While teaching at an aerial acrobatics studio in Michigan, she developed a student showcase program, acting as the choreographer and artistic director.
Monique went on to work with the Daredevil Circus, Grand Rapids Ballet Company, Bacchanal Promotions, Top Hat Side Show, and Bangarang Circus. As Monique continued to teach and perform, she could not help but miss the southern culture where she was raised.
In the Spring of 2017, she packed up everything and moved to Savannah, GA with the hopes of starting her own circus school. Having a love for the circus arts and a desire to share her passion, Monique had spent years developing a curriculum that was fun and challenging for all ages and skill levels. On August 14, 2017, Monique opened Vie de Cirque and held its first class. Since then, Vie de Cirque has continued to grow with more students and class options.
Has it been a smooth road?
While Monique has had support from both friends and family, one of the biggest challenges was believing in herself enough to take the leap of faith and accept the possibility of failure. Monique knew it was easy to talk about this dream of opening her own studio, but for the longest time, that was all it was – a dream. Everyone around her knew that she loved to teach and perform, so no one questioned the idea. However, Monique questioned herself and the possibility of running her own business.
Monique had become comfortable in her life. She had worked in insurance for the last eight years and had become complacent. She was good at her job and appreciated the stable income. The job in insurance had allowed her to go to college and to teach and perform on nights and weekends with the local circus groups. In many ways, Monique tried to convince herself that this was enough, but she knew that it wasn’t. She knew that she wanted her own studio that she could shape how she had dreamed.
She had made a promise to herself as a child that she would not settle and that she would live pay check to pay check if that is what it took to do the thing she loved. Remembering that promise, it was as if someone had flipped a switch.
In the spring of 2017, Monique left her job and the comforts she had known to open Vie de Cirque – the first circus only training studio in Savannah, GA.
While Monique, to this day, still fears the possibility of failing, she realized that many people fail or struggle doing something that they do not even enjoy.
Therefore, she will struggle and possibly fail going after the things she has always wanted. While the idea of failure is still intimidating, Monique is finally chasing her dreams, running her studio, and living without regret.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Vie de Cirque – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Vie de Cirque is Savannah’s premier circus training studio offering classes in aerial and ground acrobatics for youth and adults. Vie de Cirque offers a variety of classes including aerial silks, lyra, dance trapeze, and group acrobatics. The classes offer a fun and challenging workout and a unique fitness program that improves strength, flexibility and confidence for all ages and body types.
Vie de Cirque’s goal is to provide circus classes that are fun and educational in a safe setting for people of all ages, skill levels, and aspirations. To help enrolled students learn the language and moves from class, Vie de Cirque is one of the only studios in the country to provide students with binders including class curriculum information for taking notes. Vie de Cirque aspire to be the leading circus school in the Southeast, and to do this, the company hopes to offer an even wider variety of circus arts classes, bring in guest teachers from around the world, providing a highly educational training program, and sharing these arts with the community through various showcases and performances.
Vie de Cirque has a strong sense of values and creates a freeing experience built on being Fearless, Respectful, Entertaining and Educational.
Fearless – We believe that some of the scariest things in life are also the most rewarding. Our classes push our students to overcome their fears in a safe, supportive, and encouraging environment.
Respect – We believe in respecting one another and treating each other with courtesy, politeness, and kindness. Everyone is encouraged to share opinions and ideas in a positive manner.
Entertainment – We believe that what we are doing is an art, and art is meant to be entertaining and shared. Routines are choreographed to evoke emotions and tell a story.
Education – Whether training for fun or training to pursue a career in the circus arts, our students and teachers are given the highest level of training and education.
What were you like growing up? Personality wise, interest wise, etc.
Since I was a child, I loved two things – teaching and performing. I grew up in a family that appreciated the arts. My mom taught music, theater, public speaking and debate at a private school, and I wanted to be just like her. Whenever I had a day off from school, I would go with her to work and watch in admiration. When I was three, I sang my first solo in my mom’s show choir and learned to act as I sang. When I was ten, I started taking dance classes, and while music and theater had been fun, dancing moved me unlike anything else had.
While dancing, I could express myself completely. I was also a perfectionist and wanted to be the best dancer possible, which is why I began dancing all the time. When I was eleven, my parents went through a divorce, and I used dance to channel my emotions and communicate what I was unable to say.
My instructors were incredibly supportive. Not only did they help me hone my skill, they let me live with them on the weekends, since I lived over an hour from the studio. They also allowed me to dance on scholarship, since my mom could no longer afford for me to take classes. Through their kindness, I was inspired to open my own studio where I would be able to give back to those who needed it.
When I was fifteen, my mom remarried, and I was forced to move to Michigan in the middle of the school year. I was unhappy with the move like most teenagers would be. However, the first day I attended my new school, there were auditions for the dance team. Not only did I make the team, I became the dance captain. A few weeks later I auditioned for the musical at the high school and was also made dance captain of that. Once again, I was able to use the arts to overcome a difficult situation and to make friends. That same determination that motivated me to be the best possible performer, motivated me to graduated summa cum laude at seventeen with a job lined up in New York.
Pricing:
- Aerial class sessions run once a week for 5 weeks – $100
- Aerial class drop-in – $28
- Group acro class sessions run once a week for 5 weeks – $55
- Group acro class drop-in – $15
- Open gym – $10
- Private lesson – $60
- Semi-private lesson (2-5 people) – $35 per person
- Circus party (6-12 people) – $30 per person
Contact Info:
- Address: 7210 Skidaway Rd
Savannah, GA 31406 - Website: VieDeCirqueArts.com
- Phone: (912) 574 – 4477
- Email: Info@VieDeCirqueArts.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vie_de_cirque/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/viedecirque/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/vie-de-cirque-savannah
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