::DANCER::DIRECTOR::AERIALIST::FREAKSHOW::MODEL::COSTUMIER::

::CHOREOGRAPHER::GEEK::CONSULTANT::COACH::MUSE::ARTIST::

Ladies & Gentlemen… Miss Amelie Soleil!

Half porcelain doll of delicacy, half frisky sex-kitten…

A young trainee theatre director with no desire to perform one day falls in love with a boy, with fire, with dance then together they run away with the circus. No, really.

During a mid-degree flit to Australia, Amelie played with the fire fairies of the East Coast, learning fire skills, acrobalance and most importantly the ability to busk. Five days after completing her degree (English Lit, specialising in myth & fairytale thanksforasking) Amelie and ‘the boy’ move to Spain, busking around the coast, seeing what would happen. Upon returning to the UK some months later, Amelie had enough savings to attend circus school in Sheffield, to train with reknowned coach Marcelo De Ramos at Polichinelo Circus.

Well & truly bitten by the circus bug, Amelie secured the first circus grant of it’s type from Arts Council England to attend circus school in Bristol for two years under the tutelage of ex-Cirque du Soleil artist Jacqueline Welbourne. Specialising in aerial loop and tight-wire, Amelie also became deeply involved in the structure & future plans for European circus. Alongside running the circus school during summer months, coaching both youth & professional classes, Amelie was also integral to the inaugural meetings of The Network for International Circus Exchange in Berlin.

With over a decade of theatrical experience, Amelie found a passion in circus performance, finding the joy in expression that acting and dance had previously lacked. Discovering a natural ability to clown, to perform in street shows across Europe and engage her audience when both sweet and sharp, Amelie began to develop artistic ideals that fitted in with the resurgent UK cabaret & burlesque scene. During a time of injury, Amelie performed her first ‘burlesque’ and relished the opportunity to direct, choreograph, costume & write her own body of work.

Slowly Amelie began to perform at more cabaret events than circus, despite now being an consultant  for circus for Arts Council England. Wrapping up her work with European youth circus, Amelie taught her last full youth sessions in 2009 and focused on developing herself as an Arts administrator and learning more about the history of music hall & burlesque.

Having worked as a solo performer in cabaret, she was delighted to be asked to join Newcastle burlesque troop The Jeepers Peepers Club after working on the development of Northern shows ‘House of The Golden Lotus’ and ‘Cabaret Excentrique’ Also in conjunction with Growling Clown productions, Amelie wrote, performed in & directed the acclaimed theatrical piece ‘The Midnight Circus.’

Growing in demand on the UK scene, Amelie had her first international headline in 2008. Since then, the bulk of her work has been based abroad including a 3 month stint in a German variete theatre.

Still heavily involved in youth circus & working internationally as a circus coach & coordinator, Amelie slowly introduced the idea of burlesque to her ‘boy’ Edd Muir through their company Frayed Knot. Due to their work in the youth circus sector, Frayed Knot have only just begun to work together on the burlesque circuit in 2010. Frayed Knot also produce & run a yearly street theatre festival in Newcastle attracting audiences of up to 50,000 over ten weeks.

Now well known in the burlesque & cabaret community, Amelie is often consulted on matters needing professional experience. Outspoken and proud to support her industry, she is often at the heart of debate and happy to offer advice & support.