What Cirque Hors Piste does

Cirque Hors Piste is a Quebec-incorporated nonprofit (OBNL) founded in 1995 by Cirque du Soleil and Jeunesse du Monde under the Cirque du Monde program, operating independently since 2011. Headquartered at 3622 rue Hochelaga in Montreal's Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighborhood with a second site at the Édouard-Arthur-Doucet building managed since 2023, the organization delivers social circus programming combining circus arts instruction with professional social work intervention through a proprietary tandem model pairing circus instructors with social workers. It directly serves approximately 700 marginalized youth aged 15–30 per year free of charge, and runs the Cirkaskina national network spanning ~20 partner organizations across 17+ Canadian communities with ~100 young leader ambassadors.

The organization's product portfolio divides into core programs (Social Circus Workshops, Collective Creations, Circus Jam, Carnival de cirque social, Cirko-Vélo) and commercial/earned-revenue offerings (Creative Services for municipalities and enterprises, Open Training subscriptions for professional artists, Studio Rental of two spaces). The 30-year methodology is documented in peer-reviewed research, including a 2024 McGill Journal of Childhood Studies publication on the VOICE study, providing an evidence base that supports institutional credibility.

Revenue is concentrated in government grants from multiple levels (Quebec, Montreal, Canada, MSSS) and philanthropic donations, supplemented by modest earned income from facility services and Creative Services contracts. Governance is via a multi-stakeholder Board of Directors including representatives from partner organizations, employees, and program participants, reflecting a participatory civil-society model. The organization is led by General Director Karine Lavoie and was founded by Karine Lavoie as the Directrice générale.

Name

Cirque Hors Piste

Legal name

Cirque Hors Piste

Website

https://cirquehorspiste.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cirque Hors Piste is a Montreal-based nonprofit founded in 1995 that uses circus arts combined with social work intervention to support approximately 700 marginalized youth aged 15–30 annually, and runs the Cirkaskina national social circus network across 17+ Canadian communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Circus Programming & Youth Social Services

NAICS

Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (7139), Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Circus & Physical Theatre (MPAGABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Circus, Magic & Variety Shows (THAJAFAH), Family Entertainment Centers & Indoor Amusement (Arcades, Trampoline Parks, Indoor Play) (THAAAAAD), Adaptive & Para-Sport Training Programs (MPAKAJAK)

Keywords

• Social circus programs
• Youth social services
• Circus arts instruction
• Psychosocial intervention
• Community circus training

Headquarters

HQ city

Quebec

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and private philanthropy: Individual donors contribute to the organization; the organization reports that 93% of donations go directly to youth programs. No e-commerce or direct donation price point is listed publicly.
2. Government and public-sector grants: Funding from the Government of Quebec, the City of Montreal, the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve arrondissement, the Conseil des arts du Canada, the Conseil des arts de Montréal, PME Montréal Centre-Est, and other public bodies. This represents the primary revenue stream for a nonprofit organization.
3. Open Training (entraînement libre) subscriptions: Professional circus artists subscribe to open-training time slots (35 hours/week), managed through a booking platform with subscription tiers. Revenue is modest and supplementary.
4. Studio rental fees: Two studios (salle de danse: 84 m²; salle polyvalente: 36 m²) are rented to professional circus artists, dance teachers, and event organizers for rehearsals, auditions, and classes. Pricing is quote-based.
5. Creative Services (custom events, workshops, performances): Bespoke circus performances, workshops, team-building events, and consulting are sold to municipalities, arrondissements, enterprises, schools, and community organizations. Pricing is customized per engagement; no public price list exists.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels15 records

Core offering

Cirque Hors Piste delivers free social circus programs combining circus arts instruction (juggling, acrobatics, aerial, equilibristics) with professional social work intervention for marginalized youth aged 15-30 in Montreal. The organization also sells paid Creative Services (custom circus performances, workshops and team-building for organizations), operates subscription-based Open Training access for professional circus artists, and rents two circus studios at its Hochelaga-Maisonneuve hub.

Product overview

Cirque Hors Piste operates as a single integrated social circus organization offering both direct youth intervention programs and commercial creative services. Its core programs include Social Circus Workshops, Circus Jam, Collective Creations, the annual Social Circus Carnival, and the national Cirkaskina network. Complementary commercial offerings include Creative Services (custom circus performances and workshops for organizations), Open Training (gym access for circus artists), and Studio Rental. All programs share circus arts as a vehicle for social transformation, with the organization's facilities centralized at the Circus Hub in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cirkaskina: The Canadian social circus network launched in 2019, meaning 'circus' and 'everyone together' in the Atikamekw language. Cirkaskina encompasses approximately 20 organizations across Canada using circus arts as a tool for social transformation.

Products and services

• Social Circus Workshops (Ateliers de cirque social) Regular twice-weekly circus workshops for marginalized youth aged 15-30 offering a safe space to learn circus techniques (acrobatics, juggling, aerial arts), receive social support, and develop life skills and self-esteem.
• Collective Creations (Créations collectives) Group circus creation process for youth experiencing homelessness or precarity, culminating in public performances, combining circus instruction with social work intervention in a structured selection and commitment process.
• Carnaval de cirque social (Social Circus Carnival) Annual inclusion-focused event organized within the Montréal Complètement Cirque festival since 2010, featuring street circus performances, music, interactive activities, and youth involvement in event production.
• Cirkaskina National Network Canadian social circus network spanning approximately 20 organizations across the country, supporting national mobilization, youth leadership development, and knowledge sharing among marginalized youth through circus arts.
• Creative Services (Services créatifs) Custom circus performances, workshops, and team-building activities offered to municipalities, arrondissements, businesses, schools, and organizations, combining professional circus artists with social circus principles.
• Open Training (Entraînement libre) Autonomous training program for professional and emerging circus artists offering 35 hours per week of gym access with basic circus equipment, managed via a tiered subscription booking platform.
• Studio Rental (Louez un studio) Two rentable spaces for circus-related activities: an 84 m² dance studio with mirrors and sound system, and a 36 m² multipurpose room with rubber flooring, available exclusively for circus arts, social circus, or related activities.
• Cirko-Vélo Social circus program combining circus arts instruction with cycling activities, expanding CHP's social circus offerings to youth.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 700 youth supported annually
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Caravan Circus NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020European circus network facilitating international knowledge exchange in social circus. Listed as a resource partner and collaborative organization for the global social circus community.
• TohucoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Environmental circular economy circus venue and event partner; hosts Cirkaskina national gatherings and Carnaval de cirque social performances, providing physical venue and co-organizing events.
• Cirque du SoleilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Founding partner of Cirque Hors Piste in 1995 through the Cirque du Monde program. Provided the original methodology, training, and legitimacy that seeded the social circus movement in Canada. Relationship has evolved from parent organization to founding partner.
• Festival Montréal Complètement CirquecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Annual Montreal circus festival that has hosted the Carnaval de cirque social organized by Cirque Hors Piste since 2010, providing the public platform for youth performances and community visibility.
• Université ConcordiaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Montreal university collaborating with Cirque Hors Piste on research and knowledge-sharing related to social circus methodology and outcomes.
• Université de MontréalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Montreal university partnership for academic research collaboration and knowledge development in social circus practice.
• Les 7 doigts (7 Fingers)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Montreal-based contemporary circus company collaborating with Cirque Hors Piste on action initiatives and youth mentorship in the circus arts.
• En Marge 12-17coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Montreal youth shelter and social intervention organization; key community referral partner for the social circus workshops and collective creations. Executive Director Tristan Delorme serves on the Cirque Hors Piste Board of Directors.
• Dans la rueminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Montreal nonprofit providing assistance to homeless and at-risk youth; one of the community organizations that refers youth to Cirque Hors Piste's social circus programs.
• Refuge des jeunesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Montreal youth shelter organization that refers homeless youth to Cirque Hors Piste's circus programming as an alternative pathway for personal development.
• CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-MontréalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Regional health and social services authority partnering with Cirque Hors Piste to host the TEVA circus program for youth with physical disabilities within the circus hub. Represents a core institutional partnership.
• Centre Sablon (Petit cirque Sablon)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Social circus organization co-locating within the Cirque Hors Piste circus hub to maximize interactions between young people, practitioners, and managers across the social circus field.
• SDC du Village and SDC Hochelaga-MaisonneuveminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Business improvement areas (sociétés de développement commercial) in Montreal supporting community events and local economic development; partnered on Carnaval de cirque social and other community activities.
• CirqiniqminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Indigenous circus organization serving Inuit and Northern communities in Canada; part of the Cirkaskina national network, extending social circus to Indigenous youth.
• Conseil de la Nation AtikamekwminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Indigenous governance council for the Atikamekw nation in Quebec; co-organized a social circus event at Wemotaci with Cirque Hors Piste in 2024, engaging 16 communities across Canada.
• En piste — Regroupement national des arts du cirqueminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Quebec's national circus arts association providing sector representation, networking, and professional development support for circus organizations including Cirque Hors Piste.
• Green Fools Theatre (Calgary)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Calgary-based circus and theatre organization; part of the Cirkaskina national network connecting social circus organizations across Canada's geography.
• Halifax CircusminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Halifax-based circus school and social circus organization in Nova Scotia; part of the Cirkaskina network extending social circus reach to Atlantic Canada.
• Artcirq (Iqaluit)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Circus arts organization in Iqaluit, Nunavut serving Inuit youth; part of the Cirkaskina national network extending social circus to Canada's North.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cirque du Soleil: Founded the original Cirque du Monde program (CHP's origin) and remains the dominant global circus-arts brand; relevant as the founding ecosystem and a comparable circus-based organization, though commercial and far larger in scale.
• Les 7 doigts (7 Fingers): Montreal contemporary circus company collaborating with CHP on youth mentorship and action initiatives; comparable as a Montreal-based circus-arts producer operating at the professional level.

Direct peers

• TOHU: Montreal-based environmental circus arts venue and CHP's venue/strategic partner for the Carnaval de cirque social and Cirkaskina gatherings; operates in the same Montreal circus-arts ecosystem with shared audience and partner networks.
• Petit cirque Sablon / Centre Sablon: Social circus organization co-locating inside CHP's Circus Hub; the closest functional peer, practicing circus-for-social-transformation with marginalized youth in Montreal.
• Cirqiniq: Indigenous circus organization serving Inuit and Northern communities; member of the Cirkaskina national network and a direct social-circus peer running community-based circus programs for marginalized youth.
• Artcirq: Inuit youth circus organization in Iqaluit, Nunavut; part of the Cirkaskina network, practicing social circus in remote Indigenous communities—comparable mission and delivery model.

Others

• En Piste (Regroupement national des arts du cirque): Quebec's national circus-arts association providing sector representation; not a direct operator but the formal body in CHP's professional ecosystem and a partner for advocacy and funding.
• Caravan Circus Network: European social circus network referenced as a knowledge-exchange partner; an international comparator illuminating the broader social circus movement in which CHP participates through Cirkaskina.

Regional players

• Green Fools Theatre: Calgary-based circus and theatre organization in the Cirkaskina network; comparable social-circus practitioner serving a different Canadian region.
• Halifax Circus: Nova Scotia circus school with social circus programming, Cirkaskina network partner; comparable practice offering circus training with community/social aims in Atlantic Canada.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC3FbAbYrt1GS50FbGXRJcCA
• Facebookfacebook.com/cirquehorspiste
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cirque-hors-piste
• Instagraminstagram.com/cirquehorspiste
• Xx.com/CirqueHorsPiste

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cirque Hors Piste