marseille its been a tough year for the performing arts in most countries with virus lockdowns cancelling shows and shuttering venuesbut the worlds top circus festival has found a way to flourish between the cracks in the rules even without the huge crowds that would normally have attendedending saturday in the mediterranean port city of marseille the fourth edition of the circus biennale biac held every two years in the south of france celebrates the injurydefying and spinestretching arts that fuel the storied spectaclemore than 110000 people attended the last biac in 2019 this year it had up to 2000 visitors all professionals who work in the circus or are looking to buy showseven that is a testament to the grit and determination of the organizers who skillfully adapted their festival to the french authorities rules and regulationswe started with a plan a then plan b then plan c then plan d and finally we decided to do plan e which was a biennale for professionals that was possible we were allowed to do it said biac organizer raquel rache de andradethe dozens of performances featured upsidedown tutus acrobatic bicycles multicolored parachutes and enough contortionism to shock a chiropractorvirus safety signs put up at the portside venue showed a clown with red nose bow tie and mask and the accompanying text having a big nose does not exempt you from wearing one in france theaters concert halls and other venues have been shuttered since oct 30 due to covid19 before that they were shut from midmarch to late juneno one knows when the performing arts will be allowed to begin againbut its important to show that culture is essential according to yoann bourgeois a dancer and choreographer who trained in the circus arts and is the flagship artist of this years biacthe management of this crisis has had an extremely violent impact on poets artists people who dedicate their lives to culture in general bourgeois said it has categorized what is considered essential or nonessential we are convinced that poetry is essential to live