Jacky Qrunngnut is a circus artist and currently resides in Iglulik (Igloolik), NU. He is a member of Artcirq, a nationally and internationally acclaimed Iglulik-based circus arts collective.
Qrunngnut initially joined the company as a technician in 2004, and later became part of the collective as a performer. He has travelled to Timbuktu, Greece, Guinea, France and Mexico with the troupe. He is also the coordinator of Artcirq’s Black Box programming, which includes an extracurricular arts program for youth [1].
Qrunngnut has performed at many notable events. In 2007, he was part of Artcirq’s Indigenous Film Network (IFN) Tour with other artists Solomon Uyarasuk (1986-2012), Bruce Haulli and Terry Uyarak. They travelled with Isuma representatives to present The Journals of Knud Rasmussen in Inuit communities within the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, Nunavik and Nunavut [2]. In 2010, he performed at the Inuit Circumpolar Council, 11th General Assembly – Inoqatigiinneq (Sharing Life) in Nuuk, Greenland, which hosted delegates from Alaska, Canada, Russia and beyond to discuss issues impacting Inuit communities. Qrunngnut and Artcirq joined other performing arts organizations in the North, such as the Inuvialuit Drummers and Dancers, as well as throat singers Sylvia Cloutier and Akinisie Sivuarapik. Qrunngnut also represented Nunavut at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC. Qrunngnut collaborated with other Artcirq members to create the album Artcirq Jam in 2012, and completed video editing for Maana (2007), a short film produced by Artcirq that presents the story of a young Inuk who attempts to reduce his community’s energy consumption after considering the impacts of climate change.