LAZUZ is an Israeli/ French/Swedish contemporary circus company created by Ron Beeri & Itamar Glucksmann.Through their personal approach, Itamar and Ron try to push the contemporary circus art form to new technical and artistic achievements. Both artists are originally from Israel, but are based and have been professionally educated in France and Sweden (Le LIDO / DOCH). In their work, they are melting influences both from the Nordic and the French approach to the art form.

Supported by Subtopia, the company was founded in 2013 in Stockholm when Glucksmann and Beeri conducted artistic research about movement between a juggler and an acrobat. ​Outside of their work together, Itamar & Ron also give workshops to professional artists based on the method they have created during their research.

At Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain this year, Circus Talk contributor Stav Meishar sat down to interview LAZUZ company, one of the competition’s contestants.

Stav Meishar: Tell me a bit about you individual backgrounds, how your found your way to circus.

Ron Beeri: As a teenager, I started juggling on the street in Israel, then I went to the Israeli Juggling Convention when there was very little circus in Israel. I went abroad to juggling conventions where I was exposed to other circus disciplines, I auditioned to DOCH in Stockholm and everything flowed from there.

Itamar Glucksmann: I started at age 13 at an association of circus for Arab and Jewish children in Jerusalem, so social circus was my beginning. I studied with them until I was 18, they returned to do my National Service with them. Then I volunteered for one year in Berlin with Turkish refugees, and that’s where I discovered the professional world of contemporary circus and realized this is what I want to do. I auditioned for Le Lido in Toulouse and got in.

SM: How did you find each other, and what made you decide you want to work together?

IG: 10-15 years ago there wasn’t much circus in Israel, so everyone knew each other. We met at a festival via a common friend, right before we each went to school. Then we met again, after we both graduated, at a festival in Berlin where we each performed separately. Third time we met, it was in the Israeli Juggling Convention, when Ron invited me to come to Stockholm and do a research together on movement between juggling and acrobatics.

SM: What makes LAZUZ different from other companies, what kind of circus do you wish to create?

RB: We did this artistic research together about the meeting between juggling and acrobatics which led to creating a method. Within that we each have our own language but we also focus on how our disciplines meet. We’re both from Israel and have that history, but we were educated in two very different circus scenes (French and Nordic) to which we bring this Israeliness, so it’s a unique blend. We were surprised how rare this relationship between juggling and acrobatics is, so with this method we created we hope to go in different artistic directions.

IG: The name LAZUZ means “to move” in Hebrew, and to me this is the base for everything. Being based in different countries, researching movement within juggling and acrobatics – it creates a dynamic that’s very unique to us. I think we found something very special between us.

I am inspired by different people, but I’m always inspired by great jugglers of the past as I try to create the circus of the future.

SM: How do you feel about participating at Cirque de Demain?

RB: Neither of us have been here before, only heard of it from friends, so we didn’t have much expectations coming here. Also, to me competitions are more recognizable with sports, but it doesn’t feel competitive. It’s warm and welcoming. Being on this stage for the first time was a very supportive experience, with an audience comprised mostly of circus people. We knew it’s a big venue and that we will see a lot of circus friends, and we didn’t feel very pressured. We just came to show our work, to have fun, get exposure, try out a piece from our full show. It’s a great platform with a familiar audience, so it’s quite nice for us.

IG: I come from a world that is less about acts and more about full-length shows, but I applied and we got accepted and that was a great surprise. We’re here to share our innovative work and I’m glad we get to do that.

SM: The festival translated as “Circus of Tomorrow”. What does that concept mean to you?

IG: For me it represents the new generation of circus, the people who will be on the market for the next few years. There are innovative acts from all over the world.

SM: You both come from Israel, a highly-politically associated country. Has it ever been an issue, or to the opposite, a jumping board?

IG: It’s always an issue when presenting yourself. Not necessarily negative, but people always have an opinion. Living as an Israeli abroad, it provokes questions. But for me here representing Israel, seeing our flag, I don’t know… I come from a political social circus (Arab and Israeli kids), but I don’t feel the connection anymore. I don’t feel I represent Israel, I represent LAZUZ. We consciously chose to not make our act political, even though people expect it. Even our full length show, we chose to avoid politics.

I do remember when I worked with Turkish refugee children, many of whom were Muslim, it was always lots of fun. We worked together for one week, and usually the first couple of days I didn’t tell them where I’m from, I just focused on building the connection and trust. Then I would tell them where I’m from and had received all the reactions you can imagine. Some of them already felt connected to me, but the fact that I’m from Israel was a negative thing so they didn’t know how to treat me. In the end they just accepted me as simply – Itamar.

RB: I don’t think that we represent our country, it’s not the Olympics and we are not funded or sent here by our government. But I’m very connected to the Israeli circus scene, even when I’m working far away, so I do feel that I represent the circus community of Israel.

SM: What artists are you inspired by?

RB: Buster Keaton. Probably every single teacher and coach I ever had as well as my colleagues. During different times in my career I am inspired by different people, but I’m always inspired by great jugglers of the past as I try to create the circus of the future.

IG: I was trying to think while Ron was speaking, but I don’t have specific names. I’m inspired by music I’m listening to, videos I see, movies I watch, paintings, my girlfriend’s tattoo designs… Inspiration is a dynamic thing.

SM: What are your goals or plans for LAZUZ in the near future?

IG:We just premiered our full-length 50-min showLAZUZ and we hope to go with it on tour, we already have a few dates booked and we’re planning the next season. We also have a 20-min show called Baktana that we’re marketing for the summer.

Feature photo courtesy of Milan Szypura

Stav Meishar

Performer, Writer -Israel, United States

Stav Meishar was born and raised in Israel and leads a double life all around the world, mostly in New York City. During the day she runs Dreamcoat Experience, an award-winning nonprofit organization for arts-driven, experiential Jewish education. At night she is a writer and stage artist specializing in circus and theater. Sometimes, when she's lucky, she gets to be both at the same time – like with her most recent project, a solo performance based on the true story of a Jewish acrobat woman who survived the Holocaust by hiding and working at a German circus. Stav is committed to pursuing the gestalt of circus, history and education, but is incapable of committing to a single hair color.

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