CircusLink, the innovative new digital platform for contemporary circus professionals in Europe, is here!
Over the past few decades, the contemporary circus has emerged as one of the most creative and vibrant of the performing arts. France, with its diverse network of companies, artists, and programmers, has been a leader in the field. However, despite this success, there are still obstacles when it comes to the mobility of contemporary circus shows in Europe. This is why four major players from the European contemporary circus scene have joined forces to create CircusLink.
CircusLink is a cooperative project initiated and coordinated by the Archaos national circus centre in France and co-financed by the European Union’s Creative Europe programme. The project brings together the Vaudeville Rendez-Vous festival in Portugal, the Dynamo Circus Festival in Denmark, the Letní Letná festival in the Czech Republic, and the Baltic Nordic Circus Network in Scandinavia and the Baltic countries in a partnership that shares one common ambition: to promote the mobility of contemporary circus companies in Europe.
The CircusLink project was developed through a collaboration between European partners and a dialogue between performing arts programmers and circus companies. Together, the partners have developed a digital platform that meets the needs of all parties by optimising transportation costs, facilitating the circulation of shows, and promoting the diversity of the performances on offer.
The partners associated with CircusLink are committed to ensuring the project has an inclusive scope and fully supports the objective of giving a fair place to all stakeholders in the contemporary circus (companies, programmers) and to all formats of artistic proposals (from small performances to large-format shows under a big top). The new digital platform will help diversify the range of circus performances that are available across all European territories.
Programmers will be able to find shows that correspond to their specific needs, discover artists and companies from all over Europe, and be informed about companies’ forthcoming creations. Circus artists and companies need visibility and international support more than ever in this time of the global health crisis, and the CircusLink platform will provide them with a list of programmers across Europe and give them the possibility of showcasing their touring shows and their current projects. The platform also allows them to find financial support and organise tours more easily.
It is essential that artists and programmers work together to prepare for the return to normal circus touring activities, and CircusLink will play a vital part in the revival of the sector. With this in mind, Archaos is organising a special focus on CircusLink during the Entre2 BIAC festival that will be held in Marseille from 13 to 15 January 2022.
The official launch of the CircusLink platform will take place on 16 November 2021 at 3pm and will feature a 30-minute live event with all of the project partners.
The event can be followed at: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84999186080. It will also be broadcast live on the CircusLink Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/CircusLink/).
Actions carried out or planned by CircusLink partners:
Programming the four companies associated with the project to perform at the project’s partner festivals: Festival Vaudeville Rendez-Vous 2021 (Portugal), Dynamo Circus Festival 2021 (Denmark), Festival Letní Letná 2021 (Czech Republic), and the Entre2 BIAC 2022 (France).
CircusLink meetings held at partner festivals during the summer of 2021 with contemporary circus professionals to discuss the mobility of artists in Europe.
Development and launch of the collaborative digital platform http://www.circuslink.eu to facilitate European collaborations between programmers and contemporary circus companies (2021).
CircusLink professional meetings organised for 13 to 15 January 2022 during the Entre2 BIAC organised by Archaos. On this occasion, European contemporary circus professionals will be able to participate in three meetings and discover four shows.
CIRCUSLINK PARTNERS:
Coordinator: Archaos (France) Teatro da Didascália (Portugal) Letní Letná (Czech Republic) Dynamo (Denmark)
ASSOCIATED PARTNER:
Baltic Nordic Circus Network
CIRCUS COMPANIES HOSTED BY THE PARTNER FESTIVALS:
Cirque la Compagnie (France) Right Way Down (Sweden/Denmark) Oliveira & Bachtler (Portugal) Losers Cirque Company (Czech Republic)
The project is co-funded by the Creative Europe program of the European Union
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