Cirque Noël in Graz

“We artists are rarely at home at Christmas”

Lolita Costet and Naël Jammal from Cirque La Roux(Bild: Cirque Noël Graz / Nikola Milatovic)

A visit to Cirque Noël in Graz is already a regular Christmas tradition for some Styrian families. But how do the artists who spend Christmas far away from their families actually fare? We asked two performers from the French Cirque Le Roux.

Paris, New York, Berlin, Madrid, Salzburg - when Lolita Costet and Naël Jammal list the places where they have celebrated Christmas, you could be envious. At the same time, however, the two artists from Cirque Le Roux are not to be envied, as celebrating Christmas at home is something of an exception for them.

Christmas time is the "most intense phase of the year"
"The time around Christmas and New Year is simply one of the most intense periods of the year for us circus artists," says Jammal. He remembers his first Christmas on tour very well: "It was strange not being at home and celebrating with colleagues in a hotel or guest apartment," he recalls. "But we became artists to be on stage. When you do this job, you know what you're getting into," he adds.

The Cirque La Roux artists at work.(Bild: Cirque Noel Graz/Nikola Milatovic)

Costet agrees: "It's actually a sign of success as a circus artist if you're not at home during this time." And although her heart belongs to the stage, Costet's thoughts are also at home in France, with her two children: "In recent years, they have also been on tour with us at Christmas. But that's only possible when we're not too far from home. I also have to think about what's best for them. My parents take loving care of them and give them the Christmas they want as children," she says.

"We artists are also like a family"
And how do you celebrate Christmas far away from home? "We artists are also like a family. When we know we're on tour together, we always come up with something," says Jammal. The Cirque Le Roux troupe, which is spending Christmas in Graz this year, started making plans back in November: "We did our Christmas presents, everyone arrived with a present in their suitcase," says Costet. "And I also pack a bit of decoration every time to make my hotel room a little more Christmassy," she says.

They spend December 24th together - "very comfortably", says Jammal. And on Christmas Day, they are already back on stage at the Orpheum in Graz: "It's also nice to know that we are helping the people in the audience to have a nice Christmas with our performances," says Costet.