Crittenden paves a path in cirque
Savhannah Crittenden has never had the life of a regular teenager, but she continues to chase her wild heart. The owner and director of a cirque company, Studio Cirque, which she founded in 2014 as a junior in high school, now has over a hundred athletes of all ages. And Savhannah now lives in Los Angeles, where she attends red carpet events and performs in televised shows. And does it all at the age of 19.
Savhannah has had the dream of performing cirque professionally since she was a little girl. At Studio Cirque, she performed at many events, raising money for London Children’s Hospitals, Miracle Movement and the Ronald McDonald Foundation. She saw the potential of having kids helping kids. Together, as a team, they have raised over $15,000 in the past four years. Savhannah believes that the art of cirque has the power to make an impact in the world.
While she was running a successful company, Savhannah was actively training and performing. She performed in Canada’s Got Talent, and was a focus athlete in the Amazing Kids TV broadcast. In 2016, Savhannah was accepted into the MWTB Academy in Melbourne, Australia. She accepted the offer and moved at the age of 17 to pursue her dreams. In 2017, she was specially recognized for all four of her routines and was presented a bid to represent Team Canada at Dance Worlds. She then decided to make the bold decision to move to Los Angeles and accept a contract with Le Petit Cirque.
She is living in Los Angeles training full time, managing her business from afar and working on her university degree with Athabasca University. Savhannah dreams of continuing to travel the world doing what she loves: writing, coaching and performing. She hopes to inspire others to follow their dreams and never give up on what makes them feel alive.
Contributions by Savhannah Crittenden
Nolan chasing cirque dream
Maya Nolan, a local grade 9 student, is pursuing her circus dreams in an exciting way – by joining California’s famous Le PeTiT CiRqUe (LPC)!
The talented teen packs power into her petite frame. Together with her best friend, Jordan Degeling, from Alberta, whom she met and trained with at Montreal’s National Circus School last year, the pair have performed for enthralled audiences in Los Angeles and Michigan as part of the elite children’s cirque troupe. They form a stunning acro duo, featured recently at Dream Halloween for Starlight Children’s Foundation in Hollywood.
Maya balances academics with her Cirque ambitions by studying at CCH, training locally, and travelling to LA to train with the troupe.
“Of 37 advanced international students at our recent casting, we selected only five artists,” said LPC’s Canadian creator, Nathalie Gaulthier. “… the only JR version of Cirque du Soleil in the world, and Maya Nolan is the only female in Canada that we selected.”
Maya’s mentor and Studio Cirque owner, Savhannah Crittenden, who recently signed with LPC’s young adults, describes Maya as a mature and creative artist. Savhannah is thrilled when Maya visits Los Angeles, since they can continue training and performing together.
This December, you can catch Maya flying high on aerial hoop at the Places Des Arts in Montreal in a major production with LPC!
Check out Maya’s amazing skills on Instagram @Mayaintheair
By Kylie Degeling – owner @Circus.International
