Right after the Russian invasion, the circus world came together in a show of  unprecedented unity and camaraderie for Ukraine. Two of the main organizers of these efforts are Jasmine Straga, the director of the Australian Circus Festival, and Aurelia Cats, acclaimed artist, director and VP of the Viktor Kee Foundation.

Straga’s work began when she started to use her personal Facebook account to set the community in motion. In a post several days ago, she wrote that this is “the largest collaboration of circus in history. Every genre has come forward to support the Ukrainian circus community with finding jobs, costumes, training spaces, transport, visas, homes, logistics, and more…”

“During my time in the circus, a very large portion of the artists I worked with were from Ukraine: people whom I have grown to consider friends and circus family. I felt helpless being so far away in Australia, and wanted to find a way that I could help. After speaking with many of my Ukrainian friends, one of the issues they were having was using a  slow Internet connection  to gather information regarding borders and what help they could receive. I felt that the best thing I could do would be to gather as much information as possible regarding travel to the borders, immigration, accommodations, and whatever medical advice I could find and pass it directly to the artists,” Straga shared.

On the opposite side of the world, in France, Cats experienced the same need to act. “I received messages and calls from friends and colleagues on the first day of the attack and started to look into the situation and what I could do to help them. For people that already wanted to move out, things went very fast. During the pandemic, my son and I were in Ukraine for seven months because my work partner is from Ukraine, and we have a strong network there. I couldn’t just do nothing, so I started searching and sharing information.”

Straga and Cats shortly joined forces and created a team with others who were also interested in helping Ukraine. Their core organizing team consists of  Straga,  Cats, Joanna McMenamin, Joanna Reczek, and Natalia Dylczyk.

Currently, the group is trying to find homes and training facilities for 750 students in total from the Kyiv Academy of Circus and Variety Arts, where students study production, dance, theatre, singing, and circus arts.

“Due to the safety situation, it takes from 1-6 days to get out of anywhere.”

Many adult circus artists need help as well. The group has been helping to guide artists out of Ukraine over the past week.  “The situation was awful,” continues Straga.  “We had some scary situations where we were speaking to artists as shelling and tanks were firing all around them, and sometimes we lost contact. It’s hard to sleep on those nights. Some artists were sleeping on the floor of train stations that resembled The Hunger Games whenever it was time to board . Due to the safety situation, it takes from 1-6 days to get out of anywhere, and, usually, multiple stops have to be made on the way to the border. The artists rest and then move again the next day.”

While experiencing the horror of displacement and destruction, Cats remains optimistic. “We are the luckiest people in the world living in a bubble with a community that does not care about where we come from, what we believe in, the color of our skin, gender identity, and sexual orientation – all we care about is the ART. Look inside and around you; we can and should live in peace, respecting everyone’s opinion even when we disagree and focusing on making the world a better place by doing what we do best: PERFORM!

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Right now the group needs two more serious volunteers who are hardworking, can multitask, and are willing to commit significant time. They must know how to use WhatsApp and Facebook and be able to work autonomously with direction.

The group is also asking for donations for the 750 or so children who they will be evacuating out of  Ukraine and into circus and performing arts schools abroad in the coming weeks.  The group set up go-fund-me page where you can contribute.

To coordinate their activities, the group organizes data via multiple online forms, which  they then use to match those who need help with those who can provide it. See them all below to figure out how to take part.

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Forms

If you are still in Ukraine. 

Ukrainian artists who need work and have left the border, use the following form

Ukrainian Circus Artists trying to get out of Ukraine, fill in the following form

Circuses & Circus Artists, Directors, Producers, Agents etc
who would like to offer a job or home to a Ukrainian artist, please fill out the following form. (If your name is not listed below,
the group has  likely lost your offer to help amidst the excess workload. Please fill out the form to be added again.):

Circus Schools wanting to offer your training space to Ukrainian artists, use the following form:

Performing Arts schools
who would like to support student dancers, singers, and producers
in these same fields at  their schools, please fill out this form:

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The list of organizations and individuals
but not limited to those who have been involved
in the rescue efforts

Young Stage Festival, Switzerland

Capital Circus of Budapest

Baltijas Cirks – Latvia

Circus Belly – Austria

Rosante group – Italy

Cirque Alexandre Bouglione

Circus Olympia – Germany

Cirkus Syd – Sweden

Circus Brazil Jack

Fondazione Cirko Vertigo

Centre International des Arts en Mouvement (CIAM) – International Center for Arts in Motion

Cheval Art Action

LA Maison de Nina

Balance Akrobatika & Torna Club

Wanjanini

Inspirál circus center

Circus Studio Folie

Recirquel Company

CIRCO RICHMOON

Circus-Luna-Hof

National Circus Art Center

CircO Hannover

CircArtive School

Zirkusschule Dobbelino

Ines Rosemann

Circus Schatzinsel (Vuesch gGmbH)

Hakasirkus

Jugendkulturarbeit e.V.; Educational institution “Internationale Jugendprojektehaus (IJP)” in Oldenburg

Jokes die Circusschule e.V.

Die Zirkusfabrik

Circus CabuwAzi Treptow

Circus Waldoni

Cirkus Gymnasiet/ Cirkus Cirkör

Rambazotti

Zirkus Trainingszentrum Fly

Norrköpings ungdomscirkus

The Oak Circus Centre

Circus Flora

Circusjuventas

Le PeTiT CiRqUe

Satasirkus ry

Cnac

Kristian Kristof

Natalia Demjen

Rikardo Ledman

Gabor Karsa

Cirko Sapiens

Circus Works Devoran

Escola Circo VagaMundo

Oulun Tähtisirkus

LATIBUL Theater- und Zirkuspädagogisches Zentrum Köln

Sirkuskoulu Rainbow

EPA

Pukinmäki Art Schools, Pukinmäki Circus School

Zirkus Tasifan

Kinder- und Jugendzirkus Paletti e.V.

CIRCUS BOSCH/La Scuola di Circo

Circus Rotjeknor

Freie Waldorfschule Wetterau

INAC INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE ARTES DO CIRCO

Circus und Zeltpunkt Montelino

Cirque Intense Preparatory School

Cirka Cirkus

Merscheider Turnverein

Circus Odyssey – Lithuania

Palazzo – Germany

The Circus Community in Lublin – Poland

Circo Peppino Medini – Italy

Nouveau Cirque Zavatta – France

Circus studio folie, Tallinn – Estonia

Culpepper and Merriweather circus – USA

Hudson’s circus – Australia

Västerås, Sweden

United Kingdom ~ Let’s Circus

Gycklargruppen TRiX

The wonder circus

Circus Barlay

Mirene Cardinali Circus

Cork La Putyka – Czech Republic

Recirquel – Hungary

Sky crew circus arts – Greece

Form and resources are also available in the HELP UKRAINE Group on CircusTalk!

Andrea Honis

Founder and COO -United States

Andrea, Founder of CircusTalk, is a fifth-generation member of the Hungarian Eötvös-Picard circus family. Prior to CircusTalk, she worked in advertising and performing arts management. Before starting the CircusTalk project she was Assistant Producer at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’s family series “Reel to Real” in New York City. Andrea holds a BA in Business Administration and an MFA in Performing Arts Management.