Already in its first year, Beta Circus project aims to help European circus artists gain professional skills in cutting-edge performance disciplines such as magie nouvelle (new magic). In this discussion, French magician and writer Rémi David explores how magic fits into the everyday.

The Beta Circus project – initiated and organized by four European partner organizations, Bússola in Portugal, Teatro Necessario in Italy, Ludifico in Serbia, and Rigas Cirks in Latvia – offered artists high-level professional training, with an inaugural curriculum focused on magie nouvelle. The project unfolded almost like a foundational course in magie nouvelle, giving the artists multiple perspectives and chances to find contact points between the techniques and their own ways of working.

Part of this project was a full-day professional gathering that focused on the project results, including discussions about the future of magic and highlighted perspectives for the development and innovation in the contemporary circus. The BETA CIRCUS final conference in Ílhavo, Portugal, provided an opportunity to exchange, learn, and network. On behalf of Beta Circus, we are happy to launch this 3-part series and share recordings of the keynote speaker and two roundtable discussions.

Magic in Our Lives

Moderator

Mira Dobrkovic,the founder and artistic director of Serbia’s Center for circus arts development Ludofico,  earned her degree in Geography and Hotel Management from the Faculty of Sciences, Novi Sad. A pioneer of circus arts, Mira first performed as a fire artist and later an aerialist as a first one in Novi Sad. Since the city had no extant circus scene, she immediately became involved in show production, education, organisation, and public relations. Since 2017, she has worked alongside social circus Kreativni pogon and helped establish Cirkoneo, Serbia’s first circus school, the same year.

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Keynote Speaker

Rémi David is a French writer born in 1984 in Cherbourg. At the age of fifteen, he received the Young Writer’s Prize for the short story “Adeline,” published by Mercure de France. Fifteen years later, Le Tripode editions published one of his texts, “Lava,” performed on stage by actor Denis Lavant. He frequently collaborates with other artists and thinkers, having worked with the artist Ernest Pignon-Ernest, the philosopher Michel Onfray, the tightrope walker Tatiana-Mosio Bongonga, and even the puppeteer Max Legoubé. In addition to writing, Rémi dedicates his time to magic, founding the M’Agis association in 2012, which offers, in France and worldwide, magic performances and workshops for populations with special needs.

Main image: ©JoãoVersosRoldãomagic

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