Today we’d like to introduce you to Jean-Luc Martin.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, and moved to Quebec when I was twelve to attend boarding school which changed my life in a positive way. I briefly went to university but discovered that it was not for me and began rock climbing and kayaking throughout North America. Most notably big wall climbing where I’ve climbed multi-day routes on El Capitan, Yosemite. I then started doing search and rescue, both in The United States and Canada, where I became the climbing program director for Outward Bound Canada. While traveling North America, I discovered juggling, handstands, tight-wire walking, and acrobatics. While visiting Montreal, I saw Cirque du Soleil in 1987 and was blown away… I visited their headquarters and they recommended that I audition for Pickle Family Circus in San Francisco. I then performed with this troupe for two years and auditioned for Ecole Nationale du cirque de Montreal where I trained for two years, followed by Cirque du Soleil’s European tour “Reinvente le Cirque”. After completing this tour, I joined Circus Knie in Switzerland, touring for one year. It was an amazing experience because it was different, more traditional, than what I was previously exposed to.
When I returned to North America, I auditioned and was accepted to Cirque du Soleil’s new show, Alegria, where I was one of the lead clowns “The Ugly Old Bird” as well as performed Russian Bar and tumbling. My experience in circus taught me so much that I felt there was more to explore in life, so I became a stunt man in Hollywood and from there met my wife and became a film producer. After producing 19 films and two kids, I felt that sustaining 18-19 hour days was hurting my family life. So what else does one do but start a circus school… In 2012, I started San Diego Circus Center. Because we grew, we relocated three times. During that time, I re-established my relationship with Cirque du Soleil, national circus schools and the circus community at large. SDCC is in partnership with Cirque du Soleil through their NexGen program. We are one of four schools in the world where CDS helps with our curriculum and coaching standards. After ten years, I am very proud that through our programs both students and teachers have gone on to receive higher education and are now performing with Cirque du Soleil, 7 Fingers, Cirque Mechanics, and many other shows. I am in the right place, doing the right thing, at the right time… and couldn’t be happier.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When I started the Circus Center, I was nervous but knew that the community needed higher education in the circus arts. I had some wonderful mentors that guided me with our mission statement and applying for a 501(c)3, which was more difficult than I thought, but we succeeded and moved forward. In the beginning, we started off in a small 1,400 square feet. Since then, we have moved twice and now happily reside in a 10,000 square foot facility with all of our rigging and high needs. I was smart to never over-extend myself and because I still work as a film line producer, we were able to put money back into the Circus Center. In 2015 I decided to keep the non-profit but to expand to a for-profit and focus the non-profit on scholarships, autism and limb differences programs. Other than the pandemic, our struggles were no different than any other company. One of the ways that we have been able to sustain such tight-knit program is that my wife and I wear many hats. Mara focuses on HR, scheduling and being a very strong foundation to our students and parents.
After being married for 22 years, we are great partners and understand our vision. We have been so fortunate to have amazing teachers for all of our courses and recreational programs. The San Diego circus community has grown over the years and we are very proud to have been part of that growth. One of the struggles that I wouldn’t consider a struggle, but it took a lot of time and effort, was establishing a strong relationship with Cirque du Soleil and some of the national circus schools throughout the world. Four years ago, I started dialogue with Cirque du Soleil on building a relationship where we can share curriculums and teaching standards of which now is called NexGen. We are one of four schools in the world that work directly with CDS headquarters. So as you can see, I don’t have many struggles other than my own time management… I give a lot to the students, even after they have gone and I am very proud of every one of them. Whether they go to college, higher education, circus employment, or just decide to live their life.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
One of the things I so enjoy about running the Circus Center is that we are always challenged creatively. Not just in putting on three shows a year, but to watch the students find their own voice. As program director, I have the opportunity to challenge my own imagination and to be influenced by the people around me. Everyone has an opportunity to take on new challenges, whether that be performing on their apparatus or creating an act and being in charge of all aspects of that act. If someone has the will to challenge themselves, then I always support that. At the Circus Center, we focus on five pillars: aerial, ground, rebound, dance, and clown. We also focus on the artist pathway, which is act development and career development, along with injury prevention and nutrition. So, I would say my specialty is taking an athlete to become an artist. What sets us apart from other schools is not just our international connections and status but our ability to offer classes and courses to help prepare a student to enter the professional world and sustain a solid career. As far as what I am known for personally, is owning one of the best circus schools in The United States and teaching handstands, hand-to-hand, Russian Bar, teeterboard, and clown. What I am most proud of are our students and teachers and of course, the community. I believe that SDCC has grown as much as it has because I’ve had the fortune of learning over the decades how to run an organization. In my past, I have had to become an accountant, an insurance broker, a line producer, circus performer, executive producer, direction coordinator, and many other things that have taught me in every difficult situation to slow down, breathe, and know there is always a solution to every challenge. You can usually count on the solution to be, listening to others, and believing in oneself.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
The minute we were shut down, I diverted all of my energy into bettering our program. I knew eventually, we would open up again. As difficult as it was shutting down for such a long period of time, it did give me the opportunity to re-energize. My wife and I had a funny moment where we sat down together for dinner consecutively for three months, which we had not done in 12 years for even once a week. An important lesson that some of my employees realized is such a valuable one… Self-worth. I think we all have to sit back every once in a while and realize the impact we have on our students and community.
Contact Info:
- Email: JL@SanDiegoCircusCenter.org
- Website: https://sandiegocircuscenter.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sdcircuscenter/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SanDiegoCircusCenter
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SDcircuscenter
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/sandiegocircuscenter
Image Credits
Melisande Martin Rob Riingen
