She is an American with an elite gymnastics background having earned herself a full athletic/academic scholarship to Louisiana State University in the United States.
She studied Mass Communications (with a focus in Broadcast Journalism), Sociology, and Psychology all while also competing for the University.
Upon graduating in 2011, Summer auditioned for Cirque Du Soleil and was offered a contract for the then new show, "Amaluna". Summer participated in the creation of "Amaluna" and toured with the show until 2016.
After leaving Cirque du Soleil, she picked up an Aerial Hoop and joined her partner/companion, Raphael, in Brussels, Belgium where they soon created the company
Double Take - Cinematic Circus.
She loves to perform and to film and is simply captivated by how much these two worlds both collide and compliment one another. She believes that Double Take - Cinematic Circus is built on and around this beautiful mashup of art forms.
Summer
The Team
Founded in 2016 by professional circus artists, Summer Hubbard and Raphaël Herault, Double Take - Cinematic Circus is a circus and filmmaking company where art is created and brought to life both on the stage and on the screen.
Always at two, Summer and Raphaël spend their time creating circus acts and shows while simultaneously creating unique, relevant, and high quality [circus] videos/films.
Based in Belgium, the duo travel extensively throughout Europe collaborating with a broad spectrum of artists/performers/clients whose artistic backgrounds vary from circus, dance, theatre, music, and more.
Driven by passion, innovative ideas, and a thirst for knowledge, Double Take - Cinematic Circus challenges themselves with each new project; all in pursuit of reaching their full artistic potential.
He is French with a circus background having first studied at Ecole Nationale de Cirque de Châtellerault, then at Ecole de Cirque Balthazar, and finally at Ecole Supérieure des Arts du Cirque.
The focus of his studies fell mainly on Floor Acrobatics, Teeterboard, and Banquine.
Upon graduating from ESAC, he co-founded the company Acrobarouf with which he travelled the world for about 10 years performing many different acts/shows in many different environments.
Raphael has performed on the streets, in the cabarets, all the way to the big stage of Cirque du Soleil ("Amaluna").
With a life-long passion for cinema, Raphael picked up his first real camera during his two years on "Amaluna" and never looked back.
He is fascinated by circus and by cinema and he is on a quest to build bridges between these two beautiful art forms which was the original source for creating Double Take - Cinematic Circus and that still drives the company today.
Raphaël
Filmmaking
Developed in an effort to create unique and high quality video material for other artists, Double Take - Cinematic Circus established the filming and editing sector of their company.
As performers themselves, Summer and Raphael have a personal and advantageous understanding of what other performers may want and/or need, therefore, in order to meet the situational demand of every artist and client, Double Take - Cinematic Circus provides an array of video options.
Equipped with top of line filming and editing equipment, they are able to record and display images and sounds that not only capture the physical aspects of ones work, but also the subtle nuances that are the essence of it.
Since 2016, the company has filmed and edited over 40 videos for both domestic and international artists, companies, and institutions like Circostrada/ARTCENA, Dirque&Fien, Akoreacro, Circus I Love You, The Ratpack, Bert&Fred, Duo Kaos, Pierre Guillois, and many more.
They have also produced a number of short films, some of which were nominated, selected, and/or won prizes in several short film festivals.
The goal of the company will always be to work alongside fellow performers, however, running parallel to this, is the company's big dream of ultimately producing a full length circus feature film.
Both personable and professional, Summer and Raphael approach every video project just as they would approach a performance: artistically, adventurously, and passionately considering every video a little work of art.
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Shows
The second branch of Double Take - Cinematic Circus is dedicated to creating and performing [contemporary] circus acts and shows.
Between the two of them, Summer and Raphael have performed in many different environments; from the street, to the theatre, all the way to the big stage of
Cirque du Soleil.
Polished and equipped with a plethora of knowledge, experience, creativity and drive, the pair now aims to create acts and shows together that not only draw inspiration from circus but also from cinema.
In 2016, Summer and Raphael merged and explored these two art forms (circus and cinema) for the first time on stage during the creation of “Billie” (an Aerial Hoop Act performed by Summer). It was at this moment that they understood three things: one, that this concept is very complex; two, that it is filled with a surplus of untapped [artistic] potential; and three, that they were undeniably drawn to and inspired by both art forms.
So, just as they use their knowledge and skills as professional circus performers to film and edit videos, they similarly aim to create circus acts and shows using their knowledge and skills as professional film makers.
Pedagogy
The last sector of Double Take - Cinematic Circus is designed to provide complete and comprehensive circus classes, workshops, and private lessons.
Using their knowledge, experience, and creativity, Summer and Raphael create tailor-made pedagogical programs that introduce students to concepts and methods that aim to challenge habitual thought processes.
The hope is to bring a different, and perhaps new, awareness to the creative and acrobatic capabilities each and every student possesses while simultaneously helping each student attain their own personal goals.
Workshops / Masterclasses
Classes
"
It was a real pleasure to work with Raph. I had a very clear goal and he helped me very much to tackle it down. Raph has a very clear understanding of acrobatics, with his nomenclature, methodology, and preparation exercises. All of it with a clear passion for acrobatics and a lot of positive energy.
"
--- Maya Peckstadt
Acrobatics
