More and more young circus artists are exploring the circus craft from new horizons, stepping into the ring with techniques borrowed from the full arts spectrum. Our latest Spotlight Award winner, Spanish hand balance artist and poet Juan Carlos Panduro, owns his voice as a creator—and, in this article, shares how melding our passions can widen the landscape of circus going forward.

It has been said that, as an art form, contemporary circus exists in an ongoing state of flux: it is an art that constantly reinvents itself, one that assumes ever-changing shapes and always offers spectators a glimpse at something new. The same thing goes for many of its rising stars. Every year, more young artists emerge from circus schools with a keen sense of who they are as creators and both the well-honed skills and earnest drive to share it with the world. Each one brings something new to the table. Each has their own take on what circus is, what it can do—and what they can do for it as they move through the next phase of their careers. Perhaps no artist exemplifies this idea better than Spanish poet and acrobat Juan Carlos Panduro. ...