In Difference

Maker	Jef Everaert en Marica Marioni
Duration	60 min
Part of	Cirque Mania Ticket to Utopia

Who knew a Cyr wheel could do that?

How can we live together despite our differences? In In Difference, Jef Everaert and Marcia Marioni explore the complexities of human relationships while pushing the Cyr wheel far beyond what seems possible. Even our circus programmer saw things she had never imagined could be done. The result is cruel, tragicomic, and deeply moving. But also hopeful, because everything comes together as the boundaries of circus are stretched to their limits.

A human journey with breathtaking partner acrobatics
Jef and Marcia are constrained by their differences in the way they think and in the way they see the world. Their duet seems unable to find common ground. They’re too different to truly align, yet too connected to ignore each other. And between them stands a metal wheel: the Cyr wheel. A fault line and a meeting place. Through remarkable partnering, they learn to communicate through this object, falling and getting back up again, only to start over once more.

While the Cyr wheel is often used as a solo device in circus, in In Difference it becomes the thread that connects two independent souls with an extraordinary gift for acrobatics and storytelling.

Marcia and Jef first met in 2018. Drawn together by a shared fascination with the Cyr wheel, they each developed their own artistic practice The similarities and differences in the way they think, move, and experience the world form an important source of inspiration for the work they create together.

Marica Marinoni (Milan, 1995)
Marcia spent seven years competing in trampoline gymnastics while also studying drawing, illustration, and art history. She later discovered circus in Turin and chose to specialize in the Cyr wheel. After finishing a preparatory circus program, she was accepted into the 31st graduating class of France’s National Center for Circus Arts (CNAC), where she graduated in 2019.

Since then, she has worked with companies including Galapiat, Scom, and Les filles du renard Pâle (Révolte!, 2023). Together with Juan Ignacio Tula, she also co-created the solo work Lontano (2022).

Jef Everaert (Belgium, 1999)
Jef grew up in a scientific and musical environment and plays the violin and drums. He discovered circus and the Cyr wheel at an early age. After attending the circus arts high school program in Leuven, he continued his training at the preparatory school FLIC in Turin.

In 2022, he graduated from CNAC as part of its 34th graduating class with Balestra, directed by Marie Molliens of Rasposo.

Concept and performers: Jef Everaert & Marica Marinoni
Artistic collaboration: Juan Ignacio Tula and Francesco Sgrò
Dramaturgy and artistic supervision: Alexander Vantournhout, Marie Ballet, and Guillaume Servely
Lighting design: Bernard Revel
Sound design: Francesco Sgrò
Costumes: Iorhanne Da Cunha & Emma Assaud
Production: Joséphine Théoleyre and Manon Gagnepain / Cirq’ônflex Dijon

Project support: Quint’Est – réseau spectacle vivant Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Grand Est / 2025 circusnext laureates
Co-financing: European Union • DRAC Bourgogne-Franche-Comté • Région Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

With the Ticket to Utopia line-up, you escape into worlds that are more loving, more equal, and more free, moving toward a hopeful future.