Erika Lemay (born 23 March 1983,

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada) is a Canadian artist, aerial dancer, actress, and author. She is a show director specialized in luxury events, and creator of ''Physical Poetry''.

Biography

Lemay began ballet when she was four years old. She was a

gymnast Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

until the age of 11, when she became the youngest member of Cirque Eos, a Canadian circus company. At the age of 14, she performed for the first time in Europe in ''"La Piste aux Espoirs"'', Belgium's International Circus Festival, winning the gold medal and the Public's Choice Award. This boosted her international career, touring Canada, US, Europe, Middle and South America with international circuses. In 2003, Lemay became a freelance artist, presenting at various international events. Lemay is also an

inspirational speaker A motivational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. Such speakers may attempt to challenge or transform their audiences. The speech itself is popularly known as a pep talk. Motivational speakers ca ...

and Arts Ambassador for the nonprofit organization ''"Thinking ahead"''. In 2020, Lemay staged Aerial models for Valentino. In 2021, she published a book titled ''Almost Perfect: The Life Guide to Creating Your Success Story Through Passion and Fearlessness''. In March 2022, Lemay made an appearance in the spin-off America’s Got Talent: Extreme, winning Unanimous Golden Buzzer for her act and becoming a Grand-Finalist.

LEMAlab

Lemay is the founder of health and wellness company LEMAlab. The company features a supplement line for physical artists and joint health. After having suffered a serious shoulder injury, doctors told Lemay it was the end of her career. She made a full recovery and returned to perform. That inspired her to start the company.

Physical Poetry

Physical Poetry is an art form created and performed by Lemay in theaters. The art form is a physical language created from the fusion between acrobatics, aerial arts, dance, and theater.

Performances

Performances by Lemay include: * Inauguration of new Milano Malpensa Airport – MilanoExpo2015 *

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

66th at Quintessentially VIP Terrace with

Douglas Kirkland Douglas Morley Kirkland (August 16, 1934 – October 2, 2022) was a Canadian-born American photographer. He was noted for his photographs of celebrities, especially the ones he took of Marilyn Monroe several months before her death. Early life ...

70th at Spazio Cinecittà Luce, Soundtrack Stars Awards opening ceremony *

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

in London,

Varekai Varekai was a Cirque du Soleil touring production that premiered in Montréal in April 2002. Its title means "wherever" in the Romani language, and the show is an "acrobatic tribute to the nomadic soul". The show begins with the Greek myth of Ica ...

Red carpet A red carpet is traditionally used to mark the route taken by heads of state on ceremonial and formal occasions, and has in recent decades been extended to use by VIPs and celebrities at formal events. History The earliest known reference to ...

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Ju ...

Marlborough House Marlborough House, a Grade I listed mansion in St James's, City of Westminster, London, is the headquarters of the Commonwealth of Nations and the seat of the Commonwealth Secretariat. It was built in 1711 for Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marl ...

in London at Ark Fundraising, with

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

. * Opening ceremony of the International Autodrome

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...

Imola Imola (; rgn, Jômla or ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, located on the river Santerno, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. The city is traditionally considered the western entrance to the historical re ...

, Italy * FIBA 2010 Basket World Championship Opening by

at Arena

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

. * 10th Monte Carlo Film Festival ceremony awards. * TV movie

The Half Brother ''The Half Brother'' ( no, Halvbroren) is a 2001 novel by the Norwegian writer Lars Saabye Christensen. The story follows a man who grows up in Oslo after World War II, with his mother, grandmother, great grandmother and half brother. The novel wa ...

NRK NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting Aksjeselskap, AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and ...

On Cirque du Soleil special events

Erika Lemay appears as guest star of

in different events, including: * Press launches of Alegria,

and

Quidam ''Quidam'' ( ) was the ninth stage show produced by Cirque du Soleil. It premiered in April 1996 and has been watched by millions of spectators around the world. ''Quidam'' originated as a big-top show in Montreal and was converted into an arena ...

* World Premiere of Worlds Away 3D at

Tokyo International Film Festival The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. Along with the Shanghai International Film Festival, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals, and is considered to be the ...

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

Opening Ceremony *

Ritz-Carlton Montreal The Ritz-Carlton Montreal is a luxury hotel located at 1228 Sherbrooke Street West, on the corner of Drummond Street, in Montreal, Quebec. Opened in 1912, it was the first Ritz-Carlton hotel in North America. Its name was originally licensed by C ...

100th Anniversary

Awards and recognitions

* Golden Circus in Roma * Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain in Paris * Festival International du Cirque de Massy * Festival International du Cirque de

Monte-Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...

* 1st Planetary Carnival of Stage Direction in St.Petersburg * Nominated as the Queen of Circus by Vanity Fair * Portrayed in video ''Objet de Desir'' by Hollywood icon maker

Publications

* Almost Perfect: The Life Guide to Creating Your Success Story Through Passion and Fearlessness * Physical Poetry Alphabet: Starring Erika Lemay

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lemay, Erika 1983 births Living people Acrobats Artists from Quebec Cirque du Soleil performers