The Nordic Council is a trio of artists from Finland, Iceland, and Sweden (Merri Heikilä, Bjarni Árnason, and Jakob Jacobsson), who have been creating contemporary circus shows about Nordic identities and Nordic themes since 2017. The aesthetic and ethos of their creations – Three Men from the North and Happy Hour

As a circus artist working with Rope Design, Saar Rombout developed her specific rope language, entangling her artistry with rigging mastery. Committed to communicating her knowledge using her voice and a collective approach to rigging techniques, her method is creative and playful. It inspires her to find solutions, crossing the

Circus artists share the experience of being physically held by others. They are trained to trust their bases, to collaborate physically and to always catch if someone falls. The aesthetics of risk still occupy a large part of the dramaturgical discourse in circus and physical safety is often investigated and

An interview with Wes Peden about his concept solo show [by Elena Stanciu and Valentina Barone] Early in 2024, we saw Wes Peden with Rollercoaster at SMELLS LIKE CIRCUS in Gent. On the stage of the Theaterzaal at VierNulVier, Wes Peden’s inflatable, bright blue scenography, and countless juggling objects

A conversation with Laura Murphy and Nicole A’Court Stuart [by Elena Stanciu and Valentina Barone] Blending clown, performance art, spoken word, autobiographical storytelling and aerial acrobatics, Laura Murphy (Contra Productions) creates work that simultaneously interrupts, disarms, provokes, and stimulates critique. In the two productions from the company - Contra

Edouard Peurichard is the author of the solo Le Repos du Guerrier (The Warrior’s Rest), a circus piece with standup comedy vibes, generating direct interaction with the audience and volunteer involvement on stage. By using a digital dimension to create illusions, the show is a personal portrait that engages

Andrea Rodriguez de Liebana & Sergio Gonzalez started their research on the performance Masha in 2021, combining their interest in experimenting with various circus techniques, revealing innovative and forward-thinking approaches. From experimenting with the vertical dimension of a tiny Chinese pole, their attention shifted to the horizontal space of a

For the circusnext series of interviews, on a sunny Mediterranean afternoon, we meet Thiago Souza and Roberto Willcock of the Catalan Cia Doisacordes online. In reply to our questions, from different places in Barcelona, the two performers from Chile and Brazil tell us more about their story, from their first

Alice Rende created the Ar company in parallel with the circusnext program and the shaping of Fora, her indoor solo staging of contortion combined with other techniques in a tall rectangular box made of plexiglass. For this circusnext series of interviews, I met her online from her new house in

Antonia Kuzmanić is the artistic leader of the contemporary circus collective ROOM 100, residency venue HALA 100 and contemporary circus Peculiar Families Festival based in Split, Croatia. From 18 to 22 April 2023, the festival hosted the Circostrada Network for its annual general meeting. We asked Antonia to share her