Circus Graduates of 2020
an Online Showcase
To all the circus graduates of 2020, we congratulate you! This year, many talented students are graduating from circus schools around the world and entering an uncertain circus sector full of hope and optimism for the future of an art form that drew them to make circus their profession. We have sampled a group here of circus graduates in hopes that you will be inspired to visit their profiles, read their bios and watch their graduation acts – all of which are available in greater detail on CircusTalk.
If you are a circus promoter, agent, producer, programmer or director, you will most likely not be able to travel this year to see graduation shows in light of the pandemic. Let us help you check out the circus graduates shows and acts on CircusTalk and get these proud graduates their first contracts for 2020!
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Graduates
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Acrobatics, Cyr Wheel, Dance, Aerial Straps
Agustin says he “is in love with poetry and mysticism. Gravitating towards artists that translate the magic that is life, such as Julio Cortazar, Remedios Varo, and Silvio Rodriguez.”
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Juggling, Magic
About Ales: “By uniting the intricate techniques of juggling and magic, he presents a unique and tricky form of circus….and shares his imagination by creating unique tricks and props to put on stage, bringing them to life through his use of powerful stage presence and dynamic movement qualities.”
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Cyr Wheel, Aerial Dance, Corde Lisse
About Alexandra: “She explores the juxtaposition of these conflicting ideas and their relationship with perfectionism through pushing the limits of physical strength and emotional vulnerability.”
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Static trapeze, hand balancing
Alice says, “I studied at Carampa in Madrid, yet am from London, England. I am musical, I dance, and have done a little flying in hand-to-hand. I am about to begin the Bachelor of arts at ACAPA in Tilburg. I love the visual, the surreal, beautiful and ugly, human nature and the natural world.
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Acro Dance, Acrobatics
About Angélique; “Angélique Cabanes is a duo trapeze flyer, an Icarian games flyer, does dance trapeze, dance /movement, and acrobatie/ banquine.”
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Acro Dance, Acrobatics, Hand Balancing
Antonio says,“My first discipline is hand balancing. I am also a hand to hand flyer and floor acrobat. And I want to share my skills with the world!”
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Aerial Cube
About Aude; “Both an acrobat and a machinist, Aude creates her own circus universe with her somewhat different aerial cube where she decides to hang it on one point instead of two. It is on this apparatus that today Aude performs and that she manages to take the audience into her own world thanks to a tonic, fluid and energetic quality of movement. With her creativity, inventiveness and her research, Aude is out of the ordinary.”
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Juggling, Aerial Acrobatics, Dance
Betka got her start in dance and theater, but soon was drawn to acrobatics. During 2015, she found a hobby in aerial acrobatics and plunged into it so intensely that she decided to take part in an audition for studies of contemporary circus art. Since then, she has been combining aerial acrobatics with dance and physical theater.
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Aerial hoop, Chinese Pole
Caroline describes herself as, “Late artist, squared engineer, actress by instinct, out of tune singer and juggler of just one ball, completely in love with avant-gardes of the 20th century.”
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Dance, Aerial Sling/Hammock, Aerial Straps, Silks
About Cecilia; “She has strong dance skills, and is open to work in other aerial disciplines (already with straps vocabulary) and to learn/work in partner acrobatics (as a flyer).”
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Dance, Hand Balancing, Hula Hoops, Lyra
With a strong background in circus, theater, and dance, Clara “feels most grounded while moving. The research necessary when working to combine circus, dance, music, and theater inspires her. She loves the process of creating - taking the risk to adventure beyond what she believed was possible. To connect more openly. To breathe more deeply.”
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Juggling
Delaney explains her philosophy, “As a performer, I am a technician of throwing and catching, aiming to translate feeling through motion. My work pokes and prods at the physical limits of what is possible in this realm, endeavoring to make unpredictable pieces of circus that balance theatricality with technique.”
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Hand Balancing
Elaine describes her trajectory towards a degree in circus arts, “I am a handbalancer studying in DOCH (Stockholm). I have been doing a bit of gymnastics and a lot of dance before I entered the circus world. I started with a preparatory year in Crac of Lomme (Lille). Then I did a second preparatory year in Academie Fratellini (Paris). Then I entered DOCH, from where I will graduate in 2020.”
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Handstand
Emily explains her circus values and goals, “'My goal as a circus artist is to put the truth on stage and create engaging and honest work. I value human emotions and always strive to be vulnerable with the audience. I believe working together on and off stage is the way to create the strongest work. I am currently co-creating a program with Get Well Circus, understanding the experience of chronic illness and the people who aren't getting well soon.”
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Le Lido, France
Dance, Juggling
Speaking about his experiences at Le Lido, Eyal says, “The two years in Lido has allowed me to find the relationship between my movement and juggling, and better define my personality as a circus artist.”
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New York University Gallatin School of Individualized Study and Circus WarehouseTrapeze, Hand Balancing
About Ingrid; “Ingrid Amelia Apgar is an interdisciplinary performer and technician based in New York City. She trains in dance trapeze as a Professional Intensive Program student at Circus Warehouse.
Hailing from north of Boston, Massachusetts, Ingrid spent the first 15 years of her life developing a strong foundation in ballet. She initially came to circus in 2014 through an inclination to defy (gravity, expectations, etc.), and began training intensely in early 2018. Single point trapeze quickly stole her heart for its dualities: bar and rope, hard and soft. (A body is to be conformed to/around a bar; ropes are to conform to a body.)”
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Hand To Hand, Clowning
Joel describes his talents, “Educated in DOCH, with the discipline of teeterboard. Floor acrobatics and dance acrobatics are my second strongest disciplines. Basic knowledge and skills in hand to hand. Clowning in my own way is much appreciated. Looking for job opportunities this summer.
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Acro Dance, Banquine, Dance, Aerial Dance, Double Trapeze, Lyra
Julia describes her specialties and her hopes, “I specialize in aerial hoop, and have an extensive dance background. I love blending acrobatics and dance, especially floating in the air. I am so excited about entering the performing world!”
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Contortion, Hand Balancing, Single-Point Trapeze
Luna is excited to explain her diverse skill sets in circus, “I focused on contortion and aerials but also have training in tightwire, acrobatics, group acrobatics, and basic juggling. In aerials, I focus on dance trapeze and dance "strapeze", an apparatus where I have replaced the ropes with loop straps to create new and interesting shapes! Through my art, I aim to connect as deeply as I can with audiences and demonstrate the beauty of us all being alive together on this planet.
There is nothing I enjoy more than performing and training and connecting to audiences and other artists!”
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Teeterboard
Describing his goals in an interview, Luuk says, “My plan is to do as much as possible. I would love to have a show together with my team, and travel around, perform at festivals and have the freedom to do whatever I want. But next to that I would also like to experience how it is to work for a bigger, well established company and go on tour with them.”
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Acrobalance
About the artist, “Marie-France is happiest upside down and loves exploring new ways of doing acrobatics. She worked for the company Les Productions Haut-Vol doing hand to hand, acrobatics and juggling. Her passion for team sports lives on through collective work, which allows her to explore the endless possibilities of creating new material with others.
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Acro Dance, Acrobatics, Balancing, Character, Clown, Comedy, Contortion, Dance, Fire, Hand Balancing, Hats, Hula Hoops, Illusion, Juggling, Living Statue, Mime, Sideshow, Tumbling
Marysia “is driven to smash together high level acrobatics and precarious balances with absurdist theatricality. Years of street performing honed her ability to create controlled chaos, as well as roll with the unexpected that life throws her way. She's studied circus and performed across North America and Australia in pursuit of the playful and profound.
She completes her three-year full-time training in acrobatics and theatricality at the New England Center for Circus Arts in Spring 2020.”
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Cyr Wheel, Pole
About Naomi; “Ever since her childhood, circus has always been an obvious choice. From her youngest years, Naomie, born in a circus family, travels the roads of France with artists, from big tops to caravanes. Naomie specialises in Chinese Pole where she explores lightness in her acrobatics but also her movements, in order to create her own artistic identity. Eventually, she then specialises in Cyr Wheel, in search of new sensations which will bring her to master other techniques in different styles.”
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Aerial Straps
Nicolas says, “I'm a circus artist from Chile specialized in aerial straps, finishing my last year of studies at the professional circus school ESAC.”
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Unicycle
About Pauliina; “Early mornings, late nights; a few sleepless nights. I have spent thousands of hours next to a unicycle. I practice curiosity, and unicycle continues to be my muse. Objects have a lot to say to us about nature, especially about motion. Every day they silently shape our behavior, our bodies. You can try to imagine how the world would look like if we didn’t discover a wheel.
When I look around me, there is no such thing as a still object. Within every object, I experience a unique movement that asks to be revealed. I discover my treasures by observing situations I get myself into, creating grounds for future exploration. In a performance, I share what I find inspiring and relatable.”
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Acro Dance, Acrobalance, Acrobatics, Adagio, Balancing, Banquine, Belly Dance, Burlesque, Dance, Fire, Hand Balancing, Trampoline, Tumbling, Aerial Straps
Paul and Chaimae describe their duo, “Chaimae was born in Rabat, Morocco and Paul in Kassel, Germany. These cultural differences create an interesting relationship between us.
We are a contemporary duo which values technical skill and combines dance, theatre and acrobatics. These physical abilities make the show alive and will take you into a wonder world. Since the beginning of our studies we developed a unique style of performing and we are always looking for new creative and innovative ways.
We believe it is important to challenge yourself as a circus artist to dive deeper into what is possible in the circus world. If you want to know more about us as circus artists feel free to contact us!”
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Chinese Pole
About Romain; “He was born in 1999 in France where he spent seven years exploring different disciplines in a youth circus school in Angoulême. While in high school at Ecole Nationale de Cirque de Châtellerault (ENCC), he met a Chinese pole. He began building a long-term relationship with the Chinese pole, and together, they wanted to push the limits of the discipline. They landed in Stockholm at Stockholm University of the Arts (SKH), where Romain not only developed high technical skills and movement qualities, he invented a new type of pole.”
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Tight Wire
Sien describes her work, “During my research and creations I developed my own style on the wire, which results in a dynamic, untidy, quirky and complex quality. It is a search to abandon the static, uptight posture of a tight wire dancer.
I seek for the connection between tight wire and theatre. The result is an open door for new associations and perception of tight wire. With a nonchalant energy I balance in my universe and invite the public to take part.
I like to see myself as a storyteller. Throughout my studies in Acapa I had a lot of opportunities to create and perform. I took it as a possibility to experiment and fail, to find what I want to tell the crowd. I developed characters, used text, did classical burlesque. I tried to go out of my comfort zone and explore. Nowadays I am still searching, finding myself in a more political climate with a need to speak up. I discover myself as a feminist with a deep passion for pink and vulvas.”
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Juggling
As a juggler, Stephen says, “I aim to find unique manipulations with the ordinary objects around me, as well as how they interact with the environment.”
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BA in Theatre (performance) at the University of Arkansas, United States
Character, Juggling, Physical Comedy, Unicycle
William considers himself a ‘juggling storyteller’, saying of his work, “My goal is to blend the lines between theatre and circus arts where one is not fighting over dominance or the other but collaborating in harmony. Juggling with motivation. Narrative through object manipulation.”
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Juggling, Rola Bola
About Zak; “Already an award-winning juggler, Zak is the 2-time gold medalist in The World Championships of Juggling. He has also appeared as part of Wired Magazine’s ‘Almost Impossible’ series as well as ‘Sports Science With John Brenkus’ on ESPN. Zak is first and foremost known for his innovation within the realm of moving visual shapes. With over 10 years of experience, he has created a wide array of never-before seen unique shapes and manipulations.”
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Juggling, Rola Bola
Zoé describes her work, “In this act, I wanted to highlight the women's strength. I learned a lot about the multiple miseries that women live around the world, about religion, war, family ... The common point is that in all the countries of the world there are battered wives. So I decided to interpret a woman victim of domestic violence, but letting the public tell their own story, so that this number can represent any fight of any woman.” Et en Française, “Dans ce numéro, j’ai voulu mettre en valeur la force des femmes. Je me suis beaucoup renseignée sur les multiples misères que vivent les femmes partout dans le monde, par rapport à la religion, la guerre, la famille… Le point commun, c’est que dans tous les pays du monde il y a des femmes battues. J’ai donc décidé d’interpréter une femme victime de violence conjugale, tout en laissant le public se raconter sa propre histoire, pour que ce numéro puisse représenter n’importe quel combat de n’importe quelle femme.”
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Thanks to a survey sent to its members, FEDEC has created an interactive and evolving map showing the situation of professional circus schools across the world during the COVID-19 crisis. By clicking on a school's name, you will find out about their auditions, their strategy for reopening, and discover some special links to see the brilliant and creative work done by teachers and students during the pandemic. This map will be updated regularly. |
Upcoming Online Graduation Shows
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June 17, 2020
SKH - Stockholm University of the Arts Department of Circus |
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