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ARTiculate 1.0 workshop news!

Due to Corona we have decided to move the workshops that were supposed to happen in Norrköping and Vilnius this autumn, to next year. We will update with dates for that as soon as possible.

ARTiculate Circus is a developmental learning, training and research project, which ultimately aims to articulate how the Baltic and Nordic region can work together to develop circus education and its’ relationship with artistic thinking.

Organisations across every country in the Baltic and Nordic region mention that teaching artistic thinking is often missing and teachers tend to focus on teaching tricks (ie technical manoeuvres aimed at exceeding in difficulty to produce awe). For eg if you are great at handstands you can probably teach someone else to do a handstand too, but perhaps not to become a handstand artist. What are the missing links that allow a Hand Balancer with incredible technique to become a great Performing Artist? and how can a circus teacher help create those links for their students?

The BNCN Pedagogical working group members Julian Sæther (NO) and Grete Gross (EE), have both studied circus both on youth circus and higher education level. They admit that there is a lack of knowledge in mixing creative teaching with technique training in all levels of circus teaching. The artistic part is mostly focused on in creating a specific circus act or a performance, and during training sessions technique and creative studies are almost always separated. When this separation starts already on youth circus level, it is also more difficult for young circus artists to open up creatively in higher education studies. While contemporary circus has been developing fast on performative level, the way of teaching is still often stuck in the methods of traditional circus with the creativity being more of an add-on flavour than an integrated method. This easily end up with one of the problems that contemporary circus is mostly accused in by other art forms – in doing tricks just for show off and escaping behind them with letting the real meaning of the performance get lost. In these ARTiculate workshops we will be learning how to pin down Artistic Thinking, and figuring out how to integrate it with our technical work.

Therefore these workshops will focuses around the sharing of experiences from the participants. We’re interested in taking care of each participants current knowledge, in order to build and share techniques, interests and values best. In Norrköping participants will also have the possibility to test out methods developed and shared on the youth circus in Norrköping.

Aim of the workshops:

• Equip circus teachers currently active in the field with tools to apply directly into their circus teaching • Facilitate sharing inter-culturally between circus teachers active in the profession across the Baltic and Nordic countries. • To facilitate learning on how to develop methods for increased artistic thinking in circus education • To kick-start a new era of circus teaching where artistic thinking is part of the package

ELIGIBILITY To register for either of these workshops you need to: – Be a circus teacher from any country in the Baltic and Nordic countries. We will welcome participants from Åland, Faroe Islands and Greenland. – Have minimum of 2 years experience of teaching circus at any level, as a regular commitment/investment/ whether full or part time (not only as a weekly evening class). – Be teaching currently and have possibility to immediately implement the learning and realisations from the workshop

We welcome participants from: – Circus teachers from any socio-economic or ethnic background, any age or gender. – Circus teachers from any discipline within the circus field. – Circus teachers active in any field of circus teaching including, but not exclusive to academic, youth circus, social circus, hobby circus and formal circus education. – Circus education professionals working across other projects tackling similar or related issues.

TRAVEL: Travel bursaries of around €200-350 are available for those participants in need. Please state in the application if you need a travel bursary. Amount varies depending on where participants are coming from. Participants need to make sure to arrive day before in order to be ready to start in the morning on the first day of each workshop. It will be possible to leave after 18:00 CET on the last day of each workshop. However, there will most likely be some fun activity to get involved with and as such we recommend to travel morning after the workshop finishes.

WORKSHOP LEADERS: In Norrköping the workshop leader is Magali Bancel – SE (Östgötateatern/Nycirkus Öst) In Vilnius the workshop leader is Tim Lienkiewicz – UK (Squarepeg/Cirquit)

REGISTRATION: Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come first serve basis according to eligibility criteria – meaning if you fit the eligibility criteria and there is a space free for someone from your country, you will be granted a space. This means your place is not confirmed until BNCN has been in touch to confirm your space. The course will be full when places are filled – this could happen before 6th of September, so the earlier you register the more likely to receive a spot you are. There is a participation fee in order to keep your place. Participants only need to pay once their registration has been confirmed by BNCN. All participants need to pay the registration fee in order to keep their place and access travel bursary (if applicable).

Workshop cost: Participation fees €15 Baltic participants Participation fees €25 Nordic participants

Project partners: Cirkus Syd (SE), Riga Circus (LV), Sirkunst (NO), Arts Printing House (LT), Nycirkus Öst (SE), Finnish Youth Circus Association (FI), Circus Studio Folie (EE), AFUK (DK). Associate partner: Norrköpings Ungdomscirkus

This project is supported by:


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