New circus in the Nordic countries
Although today we can say that the contemporary circus in the Nordic countries has found its place and we can even talk about a particular Scandinavian style or Nordic circus aesthetics, still, in fact, this is an area of fairly recent development. This has been possible due to several important factors: cooperation and interaction, supported and promoted by New Nordic Circus Network, education both on amateur and a professional level, encouragement of circus research and public education as to what is the contemporary circus.
In Nordic countries contemporary circus is particularly widespread among the youth circus. For children and young people there are different ways available to learn circus arts. According to the New Nordic Circus Network data, in the Nordic countries there are a total of 65 youth circus organizations (Denmark – 10, Finland – 31, Iceland – 1, Norway – 15, Sweden – 8). However, Finland is the only one, who has a national organisation governing youth circus – the Finnish Youth Circus Association. Accurate data is not available on the number of young people involved in circus organizations in all the Nordic countries, but, according to the Finnish Youth Circus Association data, in Finland alone currently there are 4000 children and young people, who are learning the circus arts.
Unlike in the Baltic states – in the Scandinavia and Finland it is possible to study circus arts professionally via many accredited and not yet accredited university programmes. At present there are officially recognized circus arts studies at the Turku University of Applied Sciences in Finland and Stockholm’s University of Dance and Circus (DOCH) in Sweden. It should be noted, that the two schools are very international and have many foreign students, who later choose to continue their careers internationally. Likewise, local artists, trained at these institutions, later also choose international career.
Since it is difficult to define a professional circus performer, there is no information on how many circus professionals are there in the Nordic countries, but a rough estimate is that Finland has about 300, Denmark – 50, Norway – 15, Sweden – 200.
It is quite interesting to compare the traditional and contemporary circus respectively in these countries. Finland has 3 traditional and 20 contemporary circus troupes, Denmark – 7 traditional and 10 contemporary circus troupes and in Norway there are 7 traditional and 11 contemporary circus troupes.
New Nordic Circus Network was founded in 2007, to promote artists and their interaction. It hosts international conferences as well as collaborative projects and residences for artists. Work is also done to encourage the development of the circus research, but, for the time being, Finland is the only country with its State Information Center.
Two of the best known Scandinavian troupes Cirko Aereo from Finland and Cirkus Cirkör from Sweden have visited Latvia previously.*
Text by Māra Pāvula
Photo: Einar Kling Odencrants, Patrik & Wes “Between Someonesons”
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