CircusDanceFestival 2023: Diverse Bodies, Feminism and Parcours
CircusDanceFestival will run its 4th edition in Cologne (DE) from 20 to 29 May 2023. The theme of this year is the body at the centre of social negotiations, exploring its political side, the relationship between human and non-human bodies, architecture and the physical environment. Around About Circus is one of the cooperating partners of this edition, supporting the festival on our social media channels and producing interviews, reviews and articles.
The Cologne-based organization is dedicated to current aesthetics, practices and discourses in the contemporary circus and dance field, and, since 2021, it is based at Latibul, a theatre and circus pedagogical centre. The concept combines an annual festival with several projects during the year under the artistic direction of the choreographer Tim Behren and the international circus and dance company Overhead Project.
Featuring 23 international works with a total of 34 performances, the program includes podium discussions, film evenings, concert performances and festival parties. Interdisciplinary workshops and debates on feminist and anti-colonial circus perspectives will weave alongside these events and deepen their discursive contexts. The program is divided into 4 Parcours to elaborate the themes behind each proposal.
Every morning will host a different activity of the Discussion Program to connect the local and national scene to the European trajectories of the sector.
On 25 May, the Federal Association for Contemporary Circus e.V. (BUZZ) will lead the symposium Setting the Stage - Promoting Circus for Tomorrow dedicated to encouraging discussion about perspectives and possibilities for the contemporary circus of tomorrow with international guests.
On May 26th and 27th, the Feminist Initiative will take the floor. The German organization will offer a workshop and panel discussion Beyond Status Quo to reflect on the dynamics of power and consensus in the contemporary circus field.
Each edition of the festival produces an accompanying volume of VOICES magazine, dedicated to unpacking the theoretical and discursive frameworks and stimulating further discussion. The magazine is published in German and English and promotes a trans-disciplinary exchange and artistic-academic research across disciplines.
The IV edition of VOICES magazine, re-exploring the Grotesque. Circus perspectives on diverse bodies was released in early May by the publisher Theater der Zeit and will be presented in a podium discussion open to the public on the morning of 28 May.
The 29 May, a roundtable, Circus Magazines, Media and its topics is taking place, inviting several international guests to share their experience in creating reflections and artistic content. Together with the audience, they will explore today’s questions and tomorrow’s potential issues within circus arts magazines and media production. What can “circus” think about?
CircusDanceFestival cares about the digital fruition of the performing arts, with a media library free to consult. Every year, the festival produces documentaries and, in partnership with ARTE, hosts short movie' projections. A talk with Martin Zimmermann about his Mr Skeleton series will take place, and the premiere of About Maria Baranakaustė - by Filip Jacobson, produced by the festival on the humour and non-human research of the Lithuanian artist, will premiere during this edition.