What a Circus!

Date: 8th October 2024 Time: 15:00 Location: Blackbox, Esplanade building, campus Tilburg University

In this event we will explore the contemporary circus and its audience. Contemporary circus focuses more on the story, the characters and the form, combined with life-threatening tricks, breathtaking stunts and incredible body movements. (*SG certificate)

Time: 15:00 - 16:30 hrs.
Free entrance (register to be sure of a seat).

What a circus!

Most people think of the traditional circus when they hear the word “circus.” It features clowns, animal acts, acrobatics, juggling, and such.
But contemporary circus is more diverse. It is always in motion, changing form and content, making it unpredictable and never boring.

The Tilburg based circus festival ‘Festival Circolo’ sees contemporary circus as ‘a lovechild of circus, theatre, dance, music, design, visual arts and everything that is fantasized about’ that offers a place to come together.

Yet, this view on circus isn’t widely perceived as such. Why is this?

We will (re)introduce you to this art form and attempt to answer questions about the attraction of contemporary circus, unfamiliarity with or even resistance to this way of artistically expressing oneselves.

Our speakers

Cedric Stalpers
Lecturer at the department of Psychology

Lecturer Cedric Stalpers (Tilburg University, department of Psychology) dove into this issue en researched why the general public is unfamiliar with nouveau cirque.
Lucho Smit
Artistical director of Festival Circolo

Artistical director of Festival Circolo Lucho Smit is an experienced circus creator who has earned his spurs in the circus world, he will share his view on the contemporary circus and the interaction between circus makers and audience.