about cirqu’

The ten-day festival cirqu' takes place in the atmospherically unique Alte Reithalle in Aarau and also performs on other stages, chapiteaus and public spaces throughout the city.

In addition to well-traveled stage or tent productions that have shaped contemporary circus work all over the world, cirqu' presents a variety of different aesthetics and content, from small or experimental forms to pieces for the whole family. Ten-minute productions are just as much a part of the show as performances lasting many hours or even days. From playful and cheerful to profound and thought-provoking, entertaining or patient, sometimes dizzying, sometimes humorous, sometimes provocative - cirqu' never ceases to surprise. In addition to the top-class international program, the festival also promotes the Swiss circus scene with various formats.

cirqu' was founded in 2015 and has been held every two years in June since 2017. The festival is sponsored by the cirqu'Aarau association. It is a member of the European network Circostrada and the professional association ProCirque.

Behind cirqu' is a small, dedicated team that has been with us from the very beginning. Over the years - despite the demanding biennial rhythm - a great deal of trust has grown between them, full of curiosity, not shying away from big ideas, with flat hierarchies and short communication channels.

The small team expands before and during the festival to include many people with different specific skills and tasks. Many helping hands are needed for the kitchen, technology, ticket sales, workshops, documentation, admission, tent construction, site design, graphics, reception, communication, advertising... many helping hands are needed. Once they have been involved, most of them like to come back every two years. This consistency in the team is what makes cirqu' special.

Roman Müller and Madlaina Bundi are a contrasting duo and have both been part of the team since the very beginning. She: the Aarau member of the team, keeps the finances together and communicates, he: constantly on the go, bubbling over with ideas and wants to implement everything that seems impossible - an area of tension that they know how to deal with.

Edith Szabò and Nik Friedli are jointly responsible for the complex area of technical management at the festival. As a well-rehearsed team with very different temperaments and focuses, they always manage to create the ideal framework for each individual production or project from challenging stage directions. Together, nothing upsets them, and when the unexpected happens, they improvise courageously.

cirqu'Aarau is the supporting association of the festival, founded in 2014 and based in Aarau. Its primary task is the curation and organization of the cirqu' festival.

In addition to the festival, cirqu'Aarau supports projects and artists with its expertise, especially with administrative tasks. Currently, cirqu' provides administrative support to Cie. unlisted, the Aargau group Roikkuva and the Müller&Müller project.

cirqu'Aarau also takes on artistic commissions, such as the co-curation for the circus section of Bühne Aarau from the 24/25 season, the curation of the program for the Kurtheater as part of the Bäderfest in Baden 2022, the conception and implementation of the Aargau Day at the Fête des Vignerons in Vevey 2019 or the reception of the Aargau as guest canton at the Marché de Coucours in Seignelégier 2022.

cirqu'Aarau is a member of the Swiss association for circus professionals Procirque and the European network circostrada. In collaboration with Berlin Circus Festival and the Viennese festival ON THE EDGE, cirqu' is developing the project Circus Re:searched (2019 - 2022, supported by Pro Helvetia) During the same period, cirqu' is an associated partner of the European funding platform circusnext.

The Executive Board of the cirqu'Aarau is made up of:

Barbara Deucher (Business Economist & Strategic Communications Consultant), Nadine Tobler (Head of ThiK Baden), Olivia Müller (Lawyer at Leiser Meyer Müller in Aarau), Gabriela Käser (Law Clerk) and Ernst Jäggli (General Manager City Theatre Langenthal).

The festival cirqu' is closely connected to the Alten Reithalle Aarau. Thanks to the hall's central location, the idea of the cirqu' was born within its brick walls.

The Alte Reithalle was built for the cavalry in the 19th century. Until 1972 it was used precisely for this purpose and then later for private horseback riding only. Half a century ago, it was often said that "if you want to ride a horse in the old cavalry hall, you need to join the club NOW, since they will be tearing it down soon".
Fortunately, the Alte Reithalle is still standing and currently being renovated. It will be reopened in 2021 as an adaptable stage for various artistic performances like the theater, the contemporary circus, dances, and concerts.

The purpose of the Hall had long been unclear, and theatrical and cultural groups of Canton Aargau had equally long been fighting for a suitable platform for their artists. Finally in 2011, the theater Tuchlaube Aarau – today Bühne Aarau – began to use the Alte Reithalle for their summer events. This was a great success thanks to the size and the atmosphere of the hall.
Already in 2012 - the second summer season - a contemporary circus performance, "Mädchen Mädchen" by the group Roikkuva from Aargau, was shown. A year later, Roman Müller and his company Tr'espace performed "ArbeiT" and in 2014 "Le Cercle".

Roman Müller was fascinated by the Alten Reithalle and immediately recognized the building's potential. Since the contemporary circus has always had special place in his life, being an artist himself and considering many of the performers like family, he wanted to create an ambitious contemporary circus festival. He then presented the idea to Peter-Jakob Kelting, the director of the Bühne Aarau, who gladly gave his full support. The contemporary circus finally became a deciding factor in the future plans of the Alte Reithalle.

The festival project started in 2015 with a five-day event and was named cirqu'4 (why start with cirqu'1 when the circus had already appeared in the hall the previous three summers?). That year, the guest performers were the French company Un loup pour l’homme with the piece «Face Nord» and Jörg Müller with both «Mobile» and «c/o».

In 2016, cirqu'5 had already lasted eight days and showed highlights like «4x4: ephemeral architectures» by the British artist Gandini Juggling in collaboration with the Argovian Philharmonics, and Jani Nuutinen with «un cirque plus juste».

By 2017 cirqu'6 had already reached the target duration of ten days and could finally be called a festival in the exact sense of the word. The program included 11 productions, for example «Pour le meilleur et pour le pire» by Cirque Aïtal and «La Cosa» by Claudio Stellato, for a total of 33 performances in front of more than 5000 spectators.
Now, not only is the circus shown in the Alte Reithalle, but in the whole city of Aarau: the Bühne Aarau, the City Museum, the Kasernenareal and the train station square are involved in the organization, and for the festival opening day the old town is transformed in an animated stage.

The festival has now become a biannual event. In 2019, cirq'7 ...More than 5000 spectators were present in Aarau and had the opportunity to view a series of unique and sensational performances, like «Le Vide – essai de cirque» by Fragan Gehlker und Alexis Auffray, «VORTEX» by Phia Ménard or «Fidelis Fortibus» by Circus Ronaldo. In addition, the general meeting of the European Network Circostrada took place during the festival for three consecutive days, bringing an exceptional audience to the scene.

Three factors mainly contributed to the festival's success: the fact that the city of Aarau had never before hosted a prestigious festival in the performing arts, the fact that the Alte Reithalle offers a special place apt for new artistical content, and the ongoing rapid development of the contemporary circus in the last several years in Switzerland.

Although several other theatrical stages in Switzerland, like the theater Vidy in Lausanne or the Theaterspektakel in Zürich, have often shown artistic circus productions, the contemporary circus had never been able to establish a solid base in this country. Funding institutions and theaters had often considered the circus as not eligible. In the last years, this assessment has finally changed and the contemporary circus is now included in the Federal Council's new cultural message. The festival cirqu' started at the right time and, thanks to its charme and exeptional quality, it has greatly contributed to the development of the contemporary circus.

cirqu' would not be possible without support and sponsorship - and we are proud that most of our supporters and sponsors have been with us since the first edition. We owe them all a big and heartfelt thank you. First and foremost, the Canton of Aargau, the City of Aarau and our closest partner, Bühne Aarau. The Ernst Göhner Foundation, the Migros Culture Percentage and the Corymbo Building Foundation have also been with us from the very beginning. Over the years, other foundations and institutions have joined the list of supporters: Pro Helvetia, Kultur macht Schule, Aargauer Kuratorium, HLB Stiftung, Stiftung Lebensraum Aargau, Temperatio, Stanley Thomas Johnson Stiftung, Godi Hertig Stiftung, Kulturstiftung der CS, Ambassade de France, British Council, Circusnext.

Aarau's cultural institutions and venues open their doors to us time and again, first and foremost the Bühne Aarau and the Stadtmuseum Aarau, but also the Forum Schlossplatz, the Bar im Stall and the KIFF. Ensembles such as the argovia philharmonics or the Stadtmusik Aarau are always happy to be inspired by our ideas.

Schärer Rechtsanwälte, Garage Rebamann, DS Store Aarau, our technology supplier smSRTec, the Aarauer Hof, Kultur macht Schule and Aarau info are also long-standing partners. We are adding to the list many Aarau businesses and tradespeople who make their shop windows available to us every two years for our announcements or support us in other ways.

They all deserve a long round of applause and a big thank you, as do all those not listed here.

A current list of supporters, sponsors and partners will be published in the program booklet at the beginning of April.