AT HOME IN THE PLATEAU
Circus star has family ties to triplex
Some people fantasize about running away and joining the circus. Sofranie Trencia realized her dream and did just that. As a young woman she was an accomplished athlete, specializing in the martial art of tae kwon do. She competed all over the world, won numerous awards and was good enough to be considered for the Olympic Games.
When it came to her education, it was a toss-up whether to continue on the path to Olympic glory or to join Montreal’s National Circus School, where her athletic skills could be put to good use. The latter won out, and when she graduated, Trencia found a job with Cirque Éloize.
At Cirque Éloize she was known for her aerial silk performances (acrobatics executed while hanging from a length of fabric), which, at the time, was a relatively new art. Soon, however, another type of entertainment caught her fancy. On one of her overseas tours, she’d seen cabaret shows in Germany and, as she puts it, “fell in love with the synergy between the meal, the live music and the entertainment,” a concept she wanted to be part of.
She managed to secure a threemonth contract with the famed Wintergarten in Berlin, which, in turn, led to a decade working as a circus performer and entertainer in the German capital.
In 2011, Trencia moved back to her native Montreal. Since then, she has run her own company — Box5 Création (creationbox5. com) — which specializes in highend dinner shows and special events.
Trencia shares her 1,300-square-foot apartment in a Plateau triplex with her partner, Line Bergeron, the sales director of a BMW dealership; Winston, a golden retriever puppy; and Jazz, a chatty African grey parrot.
Q: How did you end up in the Plateau? Is this where you lived before you went to Germany? A: My family is here. This triplex and the house next door were built in 1921 by my great-grandfather. While I was in Germany, my grandmother, who had been living here died, so I decided to buy the house as an investment. That was in 2008, but I didn’t move back until three years later. I bought the whole building. This is a complete floor and there are two floors below me.
Q: I’m assuming you rent those out? A: I do. I have good tenants.
Q: When you took over the building, did you have to modernize it? A: Oh yes! A lot. I took down walls on every floor and replaced all the wiring and plumbing. We sanded and refinished the floors. We repaired the stairs and the terrace. Every year I do something.
Q: Was there one job that was more challenging than all the others? A: The kitchen. I designed it myself, from A to Z. I made everything new, including the ceiling. The space was much smaller before — very dark — and it was laid out differently.
(The renovated kitchen has white glass-fronted cabinets. The countertop is grey granite. The backsplash is made from crimsoncoloured mosaics and the floor is covered with porcelain tiles in varying shades of grey. Windows along one wall and a glass-paned door let in loads of light, reflected in the glass-topped dining table where the couple takes their meals.)
Q: Your glass table is very elegant. Did you ship that over from Germany? A: No. I left everything behind. When we renovated, we bought everything new. Our furniture is a mix of my taste and Line’s.
(She walks into the living room. This space, too, was refreshed, with the help of Line’s brother who is an interior designer. A large cage — the home of Jazz, the parrot, when he’s not flying free — dominates this area. There is a large white leather sectional couch and, scattered around the walls, a couple of handsome antique pieces.
(A grey-green leather upholstered
armchair, which is also a rocker, stands in front of a couple of windows. The walls are a combination of faux-stone panels and shiny wallpaper. From the ceiling, hang a couple of sparkling chandeliers, giving the room a “showbizzy” feel.
(There’s more glitter in the bedroom — from the shimmering wallpaper and two silver night tables. A curtain separates this space from Trencia’s all white and minimally furnished home office.)
Q: This is quite a contrast to the rest of the apartment! A: (Laughs.) We didn’t really decorate this space. Because it’s my work area, I wanted it to be plain and functional.