Mobility o f CircusPeopl e
Let’s put Greece on the map. How?
by Nick Verginhs
Without going into definitions and historical retrospectives, the circus, traditionally, is a wandering art form1
Its artists, formerly with families, or caravans, trucks and all kinds of vehicles, were born and spent all their lives in the circus, going from neighborhood to neighborhood, from village to village.
The circus has come to town, literally!
However, I return to the issue of mobility. Reading the Circostrada2 guide on the tent and sustainable mobility, we see that this is still the reality for many groups abroad3
With or without a tent, circus is still considered a nomadic art form, “without borders” which has a way of “going to the
1. This starting sentence is kept in this article consciously, despite knowing that the historical background and sociopolitical conditions that ‘’established’’ circus traditionally as a wandering artform have been put under discussion.
2 . Circostrada is the European network for Circus and Outdoor Arts, consisting of 143 members, the majority of which lie in Europe(last checked on 04/04/2025)
3. Circostrada’s guide titled: ‘’Touring, Programming, and Funding Big Tops in Europe’’ is available for free on https://www.circostrada.org/en/ressources/touring-programming-and-funding-big-tops-europe
audience,” instead of the audience going to it.
In this way, individuals, groups or areas that would not otherwise have access to the circus gain access 4
To be fair, we must contextualise the circus and have a closer look. To be itinerant, one must choose a life on the move with minimal resources and constant mobility.
The circus, therefore, needs to be nimble, efficient, adaptable, and self-sufficient – in essence, an all-terrain operation.
From open fields to football stadiums, from vacant lots to the most prestigious urban venues, the circus seamlessly integrates into each location, embracing values of proximity, freedom, and accessibility.
It serves as both a “village within a village”, and a cultural institution at the doorstep of communities.
Since its inception, the circus has championed culture for all, and its simplicity allows it to traverse Europe, offering diverse perspectives on our societies and cultures without ever trying to persuade. 5
4 . Regarding accessibility in circus, we’ll talk on another issue of this magazine
5 “Is the travelling circus a path to sustainability?” by Louis
At the same time, the “evolution’’ of the circus art, and the interaction with other arts, theatre, dance, new media and technologies, architecture, visual arts, etc. have brought circus sometimes to be street art, or in unconventional locations, other times to be presented in the “theatral’’ black box and others to be presented digitally.
Circus in many countries in the world claims its recognition as a form of performing art, trying to prove that it is not just another form of entertainment, but also for its artists, to undress the mantle of the outsiders, the illegals, the freaks that accompanied them in former times.
In one way or another, however, the tent, semantically, remains the space that “smells’’ circus, literally and metaphorically, more than all the other spaces, even if a large part of the public may still associate it with animals, which, fortunately, have been banned for many years.
Here, I would like to focus on the difficulties caused by mobility, with or without a tent in the circus 6, from Greece to abroad or vice versa.
Cormerais, p.92
6. Regarding the first contemporary circus tent in Greece, we’ll speak on a next issue. Take notes!
At the Geographical Edge: Advantage and Obstacle
Being a circus artist in Greece, in addition to the issues of survival, recognition and support that it brings within Greece, has an impact on mobility abroad.
Due to the geographical location of Greece, but also the inadequate or problematic transport infrastructure7 , artists are automatically obliged to seek to move either by road or by plane to the rest of Europe.
There is, of course, the option of ferries to Italy, which brings other logistics and makes the trip more time-consuming and more expensive. If the destination is in Northern Europe, the amounts are even higher. All this, without counting fees of artists, technicians, members of the production, but of course the set design, which can be a prohibitive factor due to size, weight, technical specifications of the equipment.
Even if a way is found to logistically arrange all this, as has been proven with many examples of other performing arts
7. Let’s not speak about trains in Greece on this issue, there are more adequate media to do so.
from Greece in recent years (theater, dance, or even performance), the low or non-existent state subsidy, means that the costs of production can be covered, either by private institutions and donations, or by European grant programs. If we look at plane travel, we fall into the following contradiction:
How are all the calls for “green mobility” and choosing as ecological modes of transport as possible justified, in cases of geographically remote areas, since travel by plane is considered one of the most environmentally damaging?
For example, artists living in Ireland have only the option of air travel. How can they make their travels greener, starting from this objective restriction?
Even in the case of a coordinated effort to travel a Greek production abroad, competition in European programmes is usually a deterrent factor.
Similarly, on the other side of the coin, putting Greece on the map means creating the conditions that will attract international productions, mainly European ones.
In recent years, we see more and more individual artists coming to venues in Greece with the aim, mainly, to teach a course or seminar. It is a practice that has many advantages and usually low cost, as long as they come with equipment that can easily travel e.g. rope, hoop or trap in aerial disciplines, or literally their body in ground acrobatics.
When we talk about a production coming for a period of residency or performances, then a few specific examples come to mind where this has happened.8 Of course, we are talking about cases that have somehow solved the practical issues we raised above for Greek productions.
But even in this case, the information about where they can find places for residency and creation, places suitable
8. A recent example it the project Circus Together, in which 4 circus artistic organisations from Hungary, Ukraine, Greece, and France, collaborated for 14 months in the co-creation of street performances in the European Capitals of Culture 2023, Veszprem and Eleusis.
for performance, and of course accommodation, food, etc., are still at the level of acquaintances and personal contacts. Therefore, it is a clear expense and risk for these groups, who may be interested in bringing a production to Greece, an uncharted landscape
A great example to be observed is the great development of the field for circus in Croatia9 in the last 10 years, where with coordinated efforts from organizations and festivals, they managed slowly to strengthen the local and international interest in Croatia, to create international meetings, festivals, programs, artistic hospitality, etc. as a result of 2024 to host circus performances in the national theatre of the country.
Now, therefore, many productions directed to Austria, the Czech Republic, or northern Italy, make room in their programming for Croatia as well.
The plan, however, usually stops there, as no roads have been “opened” to come further south.
Of course, as shown in the Circostrada guide, legal frameworks, licenses and safety and travel regulations vary from country to country and often from region to region. Therefore, inter-regional connections and networks are needed, literally and metaphorically, in order for such movements to begin to increase.
Now that a small reference has been made to all these issues, how do we proceed? I wish there were answers that differ from those that have emerged elsewhere and within this issue.
We will need to gather, register and claim our presence abroad, while at the same time we will need to become an interesting choice for organizations and groups to visit us.
Let’s begin!10
9 Circostrada’s guide for Croatia here: https://www. circostrada.org/en/ressources/contemporary-circus-outdoor-arts-croatia-and
10. Disclaimer: This article was originally written in February 2024, due to the application of the Greek Circus company Ki omOs Kineitai for the Perform Europe programme.
©Myrtw Fwteinou acréo