Watch&Talk | CircusNext Europe | Circostrada General Meeting
Watch&Talk
he Migros-Kulturprozent Residence project
For the second time, the Migros-Kulturprozent and cirqu 'are inviting circus professionals from around Switzerland and all over Europe to a five-day watch & talk residence in Aarau. Visiting artists have the opportunity to attend festival performances, to discuss them with other professionals and of course to reflect on their own artistic work. Exchanges with guests as well as with performing Artists is intended to create new perspectives as well as cultivate questions and raise awareness of other Aesthetics and Working Methods, thus inspiring a desire for a deeper engagement with one's own actions.
Moderation: Mirjam Hildbrand (CH)
CIRCUSNEXT EUROPE
CircusNext, which was founded in France in 2001, is a prominent European wide organisation that carefully selects, promotes and accompanies projects in the field of contemporary circus. The focus is on the development of innovative narrative forms and on the support of authors in the realization of their stage works. Their stamp of approval «Lauréat CircusNext» is a well-known seal of quality.
The Festival cirqu ' has already shown some Productions which were sponsored by CircusNext, productions such as: « Face Nord » by Cie. Un Loup pour l'Homme, «ANECKXANDER» by Alexander Vantournhout and «Flaque» by Cie. Defracto.
As a CircusNext’s partner and as festival host, cirqu' invites the selected festival artist to residences and accompanies them over a longer period of time. This year Andrea Salustri will spend two weeks in Aarau working on his project «Materia». At the End of the Festival Andrea will open the doors of his Studio for public viewing.
CircusNext's subsequent funding cycle will start in Autumn 2019; This time, Swiss groups will also have the opportunity to apply for this European program.
CircusNext Europe is funded by the French Ministry of Culture and the European Commission. cirqu' has been a CircusNext partner since the start of 2019. Pro Helvetia will sponsor this partnership for the next three years.
CIRCOSTRADA GENERAL MEETING
6.–8. Juni 2019
The attention of the international circus scene will turn to Aarau and Zurich for three days in June during the general meeting of Circostrada. The festival’s directors, cultural professionals and cultural policy architects and others who place contemporary circus art at the center of their work have the unique opportunity to experience the local circus scene at the cirqu' festival and to at the same time, familiarize themselves with the Alte Reithalle Aarau.
By hosting the largest meeting of this art genre at and during festivals such as ours and by organizing seminars and exploratory trips to festivals for its members, Circostrada promotes a discussion of the strategic development of Circus Arts. General meetings provide the opportunity for members to meet experts from the respective host regions and to experience first-hand the artistic orientation of the festivals they visit. This encourages not only the discovery of local artists but international collaboration between artists. It also provides a possibility to explore the cultural context for circus arts in the host country.
This year’s general meeting is chaired by cirqu'Aarau and ProCirque and conducted in collaboration with the Zurich’s Zirkusquartier. cirqu'Aarau and ProCirque have been Members of Circostrada since 2016.
