Benjamin, from a scientific and musical family, Jef was born in Belgium in 1999. Throughout his youth, he practices both violin and percussion in many forms, within his family circle as well as in various orchestras and ensembles.
At the age of 15, after several years at the recreational circus school “Circolito,” he discovers the Cyr wheel and the professional circus world. Fascinated by this apparatus, he decides to pursue a circus career, as it seems easier to maintain a connection with music by becoming a circus artist than to maintain a connection with circus by becoming a musician.
He joins the circus high school “Cirkusin beweging” in Leuven, then the FLIC Scuola di Circo, where he meets and collaborates with artists such as Roberto Magro, Claudio Stellato, Francesco Sgrò, and Stefan Kinsman.
Having previously practiced diabolo before discovering the Cyr wheel, and maintaining a fascination for object manipulation, Jef develops with the wheel a full vocabulary of manipulation.
After two years, seeking international experience, he continues his training by joining the 34th cohort of the combined program between the ENACR and the Centre national des arts du cirque. He further develops his personal vocabulary with the Cyr wheel with the guidance of Marianna De Sanctis, Juan Ignacio Tula, Marica Marinoni, and Stefan Kinsman.
He also works with Kaori Ito on the performance Ça ira? in 2019, and with Guy Alloucherie on the revival of C’est pour toi que je fais ça! in 2021.
At the same time, he builds new connections with music. In 2020, he becomes interested in electronic music and music production. Outside of school, he takes part in the creation of Les Métamorphoses in 2021, a multidisciplinary performance led by the baroque ensemble L’Ensemble Masques, combining music, circus, and theatre.