Tommy was born on the island of Réunion in February 1993, just a few days after Cyclone Edwina passed through (which earned him his second name). His mother is “Zoreille” (from mainland France) and his father “Kaf” (of Réunionese origin). As a child, his dream was to become a hospital clown.
After spending a few years in mainland France, he quickly returned to Réunion with his mother in order to see his father more often, and it was there that he developed a passion for music alongside him. After trying capoeira and moringue (a combat sport practiced in the Indian Ocean), he eventually enrolled at the Saint-Leu circus school with Olivier Racca and the clown Carotte. His interest in clowning then expanded into circus as a whole.
In 2006, he returned to Montpellier, where he joined the Balthazar Circus Arts Centre, first as an amateur student and later, after completing a vocational STI baccalaureate, as a professional trainee. After two years of partner acrobatics, he began a solo specialization in the Cyr wheel.
It was with this apparatus that he joined the National School of Circus Arts in Rosny-sous-Bois (ENACR), where he also began playing the bass guitar, and later the National Centre for Circus Arts (CNAC) in Châlons-en-Champagne, where he also experimented with “capilotraction.” In his third year, he bought his dream instrument: a double bass.
For him, the Cyr wheel is a living apparatus that can exist on its own. This is why he loves it so much—the unique relationship it allows, like a duet. How can one exist without being interdependent? One can see Tommy, the Cyr wheel, or the duo they form.
Passionate about life, circus alone is not enough to satisfy his curiosity. Open to different cultures thanks to his Réunionese roots (Réunion Island—formerly Bourbon—known for its multicultural harmony and “vivre ensemble”), he seeks, through cuisine, music, languages, and human relationships, to understand how differences can be beneficial and help us grow.