Raised in Maine, Sarah fell in love with the playful physicality and creative curiosity of circus at the age of six. Sarah is currently a student at École Nationale de Cirque, from where she is set to graduate in June 2024.
Sarah loves views that make you whoop and holler, books that make you stay up all night, and friends that make you feel at home in the world. She hates writing bios almost as much as she hates packing. Unfortunately her chosen career involves more than the average dose of both, which is perhaps the best testament to how much she loves circus.
About
Sarah Norden (she/her) is a Tiohtià:ke/Montréal based circus artist specializing in aerial hoop. She has significant experience with clowning, foot juggling, partner acrobatics, and dance, and enjoys engaging intellectually with circus, including as a dramaturg, researcher, and writer.
Before pursuing circus professionally, Sarah earned a BA from Wesleyan University, where she studied the intersection of science, art, ethics and the environment. Her approach to circus reflects this background: her process is anchored in the body, nourished by theory, and guided by pleasure, and her creations are thoughtful, irreverant, and moving.
During her time at ENC, Sarah worked as a researcher for the Center for Research, Innovation, and Transfer of Circus Arts (CRITAC), where she wrote an autoethnography about the ideological role of innovation in the lives of professional circus students.
Photos from top to bottom: Sylvie Fenderson, Lucille Audoineau-Maire, Hilary Packard, & Brit Keyser