Alisan Funk is Appointed to Head of Subject for Circus at SKH

Circus News

Alisan Funk is Appointed to Head of Subject for Circus at SKH

The Circus Department at Stockholm University of the Arts (SKH – Stockholms konstnärliga högskola) has announced Alisan Funk’s appointment to Head of Subject for Circus as of 1 May 2023.

Proceeding the appointment, Alisan held the positions of Head of the Bachelors of Circus Arts degree program and assistant professor within the Circus Arts BA, and worked directly with undergraduate students to increase their knowledge of circus arts practices, artistic practices from other domains, and methodology for creation.

Before joining Stockholm University, Alisan had worked in circus for twenty years as a performer, coach, creator, director, and coach educator, primarily in Canada and the United States. Throughout pursuing her Master’s degree studying post-secondary circus education and her research for her Doctoral studies, she was part of projects researching many diverse elements of circus arts, including circus poetics and dramaturgy, circus apprenticeship as a means of increasing physical literacy and movement creativity, how circus practitioners understand their career trajectories, circus arts curriculums, and gender in circus arts education.

In an SKH Facebook post, Alisan states:

“I am an Assistant Professor in Circus, and now – enthusiastically! – Head of Subject in Circus. Having passed through the experiences of being a circus student, performer, creator, director, teacher, and teacher-educator, I am excited to continue working with the circus educators, students, and the broader SKH community to foster the future of circus arts in Sweden and internationally.

As a circus researcher, my recent publications foreground circus education, in SKH and more widely (see below), through the lenses of curriculum, creativity, and gender. Alongside the important role of Head of Subject, I will continue as the head of the BA programme in Circus; with the BA curriculum restructuring committee, representing SKH as a board member of the European Federation of Circus Schools (FEDEC); and with the steering committee for Fedec’s Speak Out project, which is building tools for addressing abuse and discrimination in international circus education contexts.

I look forward to continued – and expanding – collaborations with all of you as we collectively develop the artists of the future.”

Alisan has also been a long-time contributor on CircusTalk and was our Circademics curator between 2018 and 2019.

Congratulations, Alisan!

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