FACTS ABOUT SWEDEN | CONTEMPORARY CIRCUS
sweden.se
PHOTO: EINAR KLING ODENCRANTS
Water on Mars is an airborne juggling act from Sweden and the US. The trio is like much of contemporary circus in Sweden: international, innovative and curious of new tricks.
CONTEMPORARY CIRCUS IN SWEDEN Over the last twenty years, experimentation and artistic research into circus art has been on the rise in Sweden. Driven by renewed audience interest, increased subventions and academic efforts, contemporary circus artists in Sweden have seized the opportunity to push the bound aries of their practice. Sweden attracts international attention as an environment that combines academic research with hands-on experimentation. With its own creation centres, schools and other support structures, contemporary circus in Sweden is open ground for both new talents and established professionals. It can be found in kindergartens and senior centres, on large stages and in academic settings. Contemporary circus first emerged as an artistic genre in the 1970s. Departing
from traditional circus as a form of spectacle and entertainment, it employed recognisable circus skills to reach a wider expressive range through the incorporation of narrative, imagery and metaphor. In Sweden, contemporary circus took its first steps during the 1980s and early 1990s when a handful of companies like
Jordcirkus, Gycklargruppen and Varieté Vauduvill incorporated circus skills into performances founded in variety, street arts, cabaret or stand-up comedy. These companies were inspired by the global movement that was reshaping circus: centuries-old traditions were being shifted into new theatrical contexts and used for their expressive power.