Exhilarating. Eclectic. Essentially elastic. Angela Leigh McIlroy-Wagar is a multifaceted performing artist who mingles mind-bogglingly intricate circus aerial techniques with contortion, theatricality, and waacking, a disco dance style featuring dramatic poses and lightning-speed arm movements.  Specializing in aerial hoop, contortion, and aerial straps, Angie fuses her long limbs and elegant lines with skewed angles and surprise, often while playfully abstracting on femininity, high camp, and liminality.  

 

Discovering her love for circus at age 3, Angie grew up doing youth circus in Vancouver, BC before moving to Montreal at age 16 to attend the École Nationale de Cirque.  Graduating in 2017 with her aerial hoop thesis ‘Wonderland’s Debris,’ she has since worked internationally with companies such as Cirque du Soleil (‘Drawn to Life’), Spiegelworld ('The Hook'), Les 7 Doigts de la Main ('The Last Chapter'), Circus Monti (‘Dreambox’), Strut n’ Fret Production House (‘The Party,' 'Love Riot’), Cirque Éloize, and more.  She has also worked in the film industry as a performer/stuntperson/creature actor on TV shows (‘La France a un Incroyable Talent' & ‘Just for Laughs Gags’), feature films (‘L’Inhumain), and short films (‘Talk to Me,’ & 'My Layers').

 

Angie's creative process is majorly influenced by comic books, movie stars of the 1900’s, 50’s pinup art, fantasy novels, and animated film.  She is inspired by artists such as animator/filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, actress Bette Davis, writer Alan Moore, and her Waacking mentor Blak Kat of The Chapter (Waacking Crew).        

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When she's not busy twisting her body into confounding shapes, Angie can be found rock climbing, singing, crafting chainmaille & polymer clay jewelry, reading fiction, and doing Waacking sessions in parks.