For 3 days, Prague became the hub of European contemporary circus thanks to an invitation by Cirqueon – A Center For Contemporary Circus. We offered Czech professionals an opportunity to present their projects to foreign guest participants and start international cooperations. The project significantly contributed to establishing new relations between Czech and European circus professionals.
Thanks to an invitation by Cirqueon, a successful meeting of the Circostrada international network of contemporary circus professionals took place in Prague. The meeting included a series of public lectures and discussions aiming to present our international partners the most prominent Czech artists and organizations and to acquaint Czech professionals with inspiring European projects. The meeting was attended by 44 professionals from 13 European countries which significantly exceeded our expectations (of 30 participants) proving that our international partners are very much interested in the Czech scene.
The Circostrada meeting was held from Aug. 25 to Aug. 27, 2011 at Roxy/NoD.
On Aug. 26. A series of lectures, presentations and discussions took place as CIRKFÓRUM 2011 on the premises of the Letní Letná festival at Letenské Sady in Prague.
In the morning, there were presentations of selected Czech projects (Cirqueon – A Center For Contemporary Circus, the Letní Letná festival, Cirkoskop, the Cirk-UFF festival, Cirkus Le Grando, the Cirkul’art festival, La Putyka, Art Prometheus and the Lacrimae international project).
The afternoon was devoted to presentations of inspiring European projects:
Yohann Floch (Circostrada) introduced Circostrada and the current situation in France. Kiki Muukkonen (Subtopia) presented the Scandinavian environment and cooperation in the region, Ivan Kralj, director of the Croatian new circus festival shared his experience and Anne Morin (FEDEC) spoke on professional circus schools and education. Beby Rezy introduced the creative European platform Jeunes talents Cirque and Fanny Fauvel informed the audience on the La Cascade European project.
The presentations were followed by panel discussions and workshops devoted to these subjects:
circus and education (led by Anne Morin, FEDEC), international cooperation (led by Kiki Mukkonen, SWE) and critical writing on contemporary circus (led by Yohann Floch).
During the lunch break, a showcase of Czech contemporary circus artists took place providing the artists an opportunity to directly contact festival promoters and theater directors. The showcase included these artists: Décalages – Theater In Motion, V.O.S.A., Števo Čapko, Amanitas, La Putyka, Bratři v Tricku.
The project targeted contemporary circus professionals – performers, cultural managers, theater critics, promoters, representatives of ministries and authorities, lecturers and anybody interested in contemporary circus.
Through its activities, Cirqueon provides long-term support to the development of contemporary circus in the Czech Republic and this project signified a substantial progress in the field of international cooperation and promotion of Czech contemporary circus abroad. We have defended our position of a strong partner on the international scene.
Letní Letná festival, New Stage, Theater Institute, Circostrada Network