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AnnuAl RepoRt 2015

annuaL RePoRt 2015 annuaL RePoRt 2015

Cirkus Cirkör was founded in in 1995 when, during a trip to Paris, Tilde Björfors and a few performing artists were so taken with the means of expression and possibilities of contemporary circus, that they decided there and then to bring the new art form to Sweden. At the time, contemporary circus was virtually nonexistent in Sweden. Today, more than 2 million people have seen Cirkör perform live and 400 000 children, young people and adults have participated in circus training with Cirkör. There is a university program, artistic research, a surprising number of circus companies and even an industry association – Manegen (”the ring”). One of the Nordic region’s performing arts phenomenon that tours the most internationally is now a contemporary circus – Cirkus Cirkör. Who would have imagined such a thing just 20 years ago?

Our vision is to change the world through contem- porary circus. Along with this vision, our guiding principles Collective Individualism, Cocky Commit-ment and Quality Madness give direction to our artistic and educational endeavors. They are also strategically important in how they inspire us to work.

Cirkör’s activities include performances on tour in Sweden and around the world, courses and edu-cational programs for young people with or without functional diversity, wellness and leadership develop-ment for companies, circus in elder care, an upper secondary school program in contemporary circus as wells as events for companies and organizations. Cirkör also runs Cirkör LAB – a space for creative and artistic development with, among other things, residencies for artists and other creatives from around the world.

We were also instrumental in establishing a university

level circus program at the School of Dance and Circus (DOCH) in Stockholm, Sweden. Here, Tilde Björfors held an artistic professorship for five years and also presented the research project ”Circus as transgressor in art and society”.

In 2015 Cirkus Cirkör celebrated 20 years of boundary- crossing. Borders, a performance in collaboration with Malmö City Theater, was a central part of this celebration, but also a statement on how we view the circus as part of the around us. As a carrier of stories – painful and joyful – and as a transboundary facilita-tor and means of making inroads into so many parts of our society. ”Borders” as a boundary-crossing theme will follow us into our next decade and inform all of Cirkör’s activities: on stage, on the practice floor and also in our encounters with the world at large.

In 2015, all of our enterprises, projects and activities were carried out under the anniversary banner, but a few activities had a particularly commemorative character. The year began with an open house for the general public at Cirkör House in Botkyrka, where we offered trial circus sessions and shows with high school students and young people. During The Swedish Biennial for Performing Arts in Malmö, we were responsible for two seminars on the history and development of contemporary circus in Sweden as well as on how contemporary circus going forward can be he developed and spread through regional collaborations. The year ended with our gathering everyone who had worked at Cirkus Cirkör for a ”walk down memory lane” day and party. A grand and fabulous reunion, a boost for our communal memory to carry with us into the future.

Anders Frennberg, CEO Cirkus Cirkör

20 yeARs of CRossInG BounDARIes

Cirkus Cirkör is supported by:

Transport partner: Scania

K U L T U R -F Ö R V A L T N I N G E N

aRtIStIc oPeRatIonS aRtIStIc oPeRatIonS

boRdeRS In 2015 Cirkus Cirkör celebrated its 20th birthday, and rather than to dust off old routines, we created the anniversary performance Borders in collabora-tion with Malmö City Theater. Borders premiered at Hipp in Malmö on May 8th, 2015. It was at once a celebration of Cirkus Cirkör’s 20 years and a tribute to all the boundary-crossers of the world within the arts and society.

Borders was an exuberant celebration of the power of the circus’ to push and cross boundaries and simultaneously a strong and highly topical perfor-mance that turned its gaze toward Europe’s ever tightening borders. The circus is entertainment, but can also be the bearer of the most painful stories. In the west, we are ever busy challenging each other to step out of our comfort zones. At the same time, we protect our European borders more vigilantly than ever. With Borders we celebrated Cirkus Cirkör’s 20 years of crossing boundaries. Cirkör’s creation and establishment have been a tribute to the circus artist’s defiance of limits in the shape of risk, pain and the limitations of the body, but also to its playful exploration of new possibilities.

In this performance 16 circus artists and actors worked together with two musicians and singers. The show was taped and broadcast on Swedish National Public TV during the spring of 2016.

on stage: Saara Ahola, Tatiana Mosio Bongonga, Sven Boräng, Hans-Peter Edh, Estiven Quinones-Gonzalez, Mari Götesdotter, Mira Leonard, Karin Lithman, Esmeralda Nikolajeff, Jesper Nikolajeff, Jennifer Amaka Pettersson, Simon Rodriguez, Jan Unestam, Alexander Weibel Weibel, Peter Åberg, and Ingrid Stensson (rigger). Artist, choir leader Maja Långbacka, Musician Samuel ”Looptok” Andersson.

Creative team: Conceived and directed by – Tilde Björfors, Composer – Samuel Andersson, Choreo-grapher – Olle Strandberg, Script – Kajsa Bohlin, Set design and research – Fanny Senocq, Costume design – Jonna Bergelin. Lighting designer – Daniel Kullman, Video production designer – Johannes Ferm Winkler, Per Rydnert, Tom Waldton, Choreo-graphy assistant – Ilona Jäntti.

Borders was performed 18 times for an audience of 7 234 people. One of the performances at Hipp was part of the Swedish Biennial for Performing Arts and ISPA (International Society for the Performing Arts).

press quotes:

“An embrace full of joy and a few fistfuls of indigna-tion, and thus a new genre is born: contemporary circus activism. A perfect 20th anniversary.” Dagens Nyheter

”Borders” is a peculiar fireworks-display of strong stage poetry on human vulnerability in search of a better life and tales of Cirkus Cirkör’s indisputable importance for the evolution of contemporary circus in Sweden. Svenska Dagbladet

“It’s incredibly beautiful and dreadfully uncomfort-able. . .The political message is clear, and Cirkus Cirkör does not hesitate to expose the powers that be. . . Borders is nothing short of a magnificent celebration of a group of boundary-defying artists. Skånska dagbladet

”I appreciate the political aspect as much as I admire the purely physical feats involved in walking a tightrope many feet above the ground, juggling with one’s colleagues and doing flips clear across the ring. It is all very impressive.” Expressen

2015 peRfoRmAnCes

In RepeRtoRy undeRaRt – an ode to a cRaSH LandIng (PRemIeRe 2014)Underart, directed by Olle Strandberg, began the year with its final performances at the circus festival Cirque Noël in Graz, Austria.

Underart is based on Olle’s own story about a crash. A seismic, life-changing bang that could have been the end but instead becomes a new beginning and a way forward.

From Graz, Underart went on to Parc de la Villette in Paris and later played in Umeå, Gävle, Buenos Aires, Sao Paolo, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Vara. The fall included an extended period of touring all over Norway (a total of 13 cities), special perfor-mances in Caen and Botkyrka. The year ended with a run at Artipelag on Värmdö in the Stockholm Archipelago.

ensemble: Methinee Wongtrakoon, Alexander Dam, Iris Pelz, Christopher Schlunk, Matias Salmenah, Anna Ahnlund and Andreas Tengblad who make up the musical duo Ripple & Murmur.

Creative team: Conceived & directed by – Olle Strandberg Composer – Andreas Tengblad and Anna Ahnlund/Ripple & Murmur, Set and costume design – Katarina Wiklund and Susanna Wiklund, Lighting design – Jenny André.

During 2015, Underart was performed a total of 76 times for an audience of 30 328 people.

knIttIng Peace (PRemIeRe 2013)

Knitting Peace, directed by Tilde Björfors, began its year with a run at Artipelag, Värmdö.

In 2015, Knitting Peace was performed on tour in Sweden in Säffle and Täby; South America: Santiago de Chile (Chile), Buenos Aires, Rosario (Argentina), Montevideo (Uruguay); Europe: Gonesse, Caen, St Quentin en Yvelines, Vannes (France) and in Mariehamn (Åland). Since 2013, Knitting Peace has been performed over 300 times in 10 countries. The 300th performance took place in December in Mariehamn, Åland.

During the South American tour, the ensemble con-ducted two-three day workshops for circus perform-ers in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay with a total of approximately 90 participants.

ensemble: Aino Ihanainen, Ilona Jäntti/Nathalie Bertholio, Mikael Kristiansen, Matleena Laine/Tiziana Prota, Alexander Weibel Weibel, Samuel ”Looptok” Andersson/Olof Göthlin.

Creative team: Conceived and directed by – Tilde Björfors, Music and sound design – Samuel “Loop-tok” Andersson, Set design – Fanny Senocq, Tilde Björfors, Stefan ”Drake” Karlström, Joel Jedström and the ensemble, Knitted set design and knitted costumes – Aino Ihanainen, Costume design – Anna

Bonnevier, Make up design – Helena Andersson, Lighting design – Ulf Englund, Choreography con-sultant and artist coach – Cilla Roos.

During 2015, Knitting Peace was performed a total of 52 times for an audience of 36 033 people.

event at tHe WateRmILL centeRIn July, Cirkus Cirkör was in charge of the entertain-ment at the Summer Benefit Auction, a fundraising gala for The Watermill Center, the world-renowned director, set designer and art collector Robert Wilson’s center on Long Island, New York. Tilde Björfors received a special invitation from Robert Wilson to direct the dinner show based on themes from Knitting Peace.

aRtIStIc oPeRatIonS aRtIStIc oPeRatIonS

WeaR It LIke a cRoWn (PRemIeRe 2010)The mega hit Wear it like a crown was revived to celebrate Cirkus Cirkör’s turning 20.

On a revolving set the circus performers move through a world of illusions, shadow play, knife-throwing, acrobatics, juggling and drama. This trag-icomic and absurd performance directed by Tilde Björfors with music by Rebekka Karijord explores chaos and disorder and how risks are transformed into possibilities.

ensemble: Henrik Agger – Wizard of Wonder, Louise Bjurholm – Miraculous and Spectacular, David Eriksson – Marvel of the Century, Jesper Nikolajeff – Nerves of Steel, Fouzia “Fofo” Rakez – Wild, Weird and Wonderful, Manda Rydman – Mistress of Mayhem.

Creative team: Conceived and directed by – Tilde Björfors, Music and lyrics – Rebekka Karijord, Scenery – The ensemble, Costume design– Anna Bonnevier, Make up – Helena Andersson, Lighting design – Ulf Englund, Sound design – Viktor Svälas, Film and projection – Johan Bååth, Choreography – Cilla Roos, Circus choreography – Molly Saudek.

2015 marked Wear it like a crown’s ninth run with 20 new performances at Södra Teatern in Stock-holm. Since its premiere in April 2010, Wear it like a crown has been performed 440 times for 182 665 people in Europe, USA and South America. This without a doubt makes it one of Cirkus Cirkör’s big-gest audience hits. It also holds the record for the production that has been performed the greatest number of times ever at Södra Teatern.

In 2015, Wear it like a crown was performed 20 times for an audience of 5 665 people.

Long-teRm coLLaboRatIon WItH väStmanLandS tHeateRDuring the fall of 2015 a three-year collaboration be-tween Cirkus Cirkör and Västmanland’s Theater was initiated. The objectives of this collaboration are to formulate, build and document a collaboration model for how one might work to broaden an institutional theater’s means of expression and thereby give circus a foothold in the county, and also to encourage Västmanland’s Theater and Cirkus Cirkör to approach their activities in a transboundary way, in new contexts and with a greater number of collaborators. Following our agreement, during a three-year period

we will work together on a number of productions and projects.

Variety Cornichong This collaboration began in the fall of 2015 with the variety show concept Variety Cornichong, which Cirkus Cirkör’s artistic project manager, Olle Strand-berg, directed and was creatively in charge of. The show opened on September 19th during Västerås’ “Culture Night” (Kulturnatten)

Varieté Cornichong – for kings and queens and in-betweens. With glitter and gherkins, a celebration of man in all his forms.

Emcee – Dr. Bohnsack (David Sigfridsson) Directed by – Olle Strandberg, House band –The Cucumber.

Performers: Ester Uddén, Py Huss-Wallin, Linnéa Martinsson and Hanna Strandberg, Lovisa Odén, Jay Gilligan, Matias Salmenaho, Andreas Tengblad, Matt Pasquet, JUCK, Jan Unestam, DHMJ, Angela Wand, Gycklargruppen Trix, Anton Graaf and Einar Kling- Odencrants, Peter Åberg and Saara Ahola, Jesper Nikolajeff, Klara Mossberg, Mamadou Sene, Latif Ansari and David Eriksson.

During the fall, this variety show was presented as four unique performances for a total of 868 people.

ARtIstIC DeVelopment AnD CIRKÖR lABAn important part of Cirkus Cirkör’s sphere of activities is working to strengthen the circus as an art form by creating platforms and collaborations for artistic processes, research and development, as well as by opening paths for exchange between different parties.

One of the most important platforms for this work is Cirkör LAB (Laboratory for Artistic Brilliance). This is a residency space for circus companies from around the world as well for interdisciplinary re-search projects, educational development, film etc. It is here that our international networks are culti-vated and new ideas are furthered. Through Cirkör LAB, Cirkus Cirkör is also able to share its own and others’ creative processes both with the industry and an audience. The artistic process surrounding Cirkus Cirkör’s own productions is also initiated in and around Cirkör LAB, for example for the upcom-ing performance Limits.

ReSIdencY at tHe WateRmILL centeRFrom October 27th to November 7th Cirkus Cirkör and Tilde Björfors were in residence at The Water-mill Center in New York, USA, with artists and crea-tives from our productions Knitting Peace, Borders and Limits. During this residency, the team contin-ued its research on Knitting Peace and its exhibition as well as on the themes of Borders/Limits. Dan Potra, the set designer for the upcoming production Satyagraha at Folkoperan in Stockholm, was also present. Our work here resulted in both indoor and outdoor installations, among other things a knitted piece in an outdoor setting. An audience of about 50 people saw the various installations and custom made works by Cirkus Cirkör. Additionally, the art-ists Aino Ihanainen and Alexander Weibel Weibel, from Knitting Peace, conducted two workshops for children and families from the neighboring area in which around 40 people took part.

The residency was made possible by support from Sweden’s Consulate General in New York, Sweden’s National Arts Council and the Swedish Institute.

ReSIdencIeS at cIRkÖR LabDuring 2015, in addition to rehearsals and labs connected to our own performances, we offered residencies to 13 external artists, performers and companies who work in the spirit of contemporary circus. All in all, our residency presentations have welcomed an audience of about 800 people.

Residencies at Cirkör lAB 2015: Dea and Saska (SE) Miksi - Love Kjellson & Matleena Laine (SE, SF) Clunker Circus (SF) Manor House (US) Alexander Dam & Yared Cederlund (SE) Tysta Tankar/“Quiet Thougths” (SE) David Eriksson (SE) Matleena Laine (SF) Clowns Without Borders (SE) Isak & Petter (SE) Mikael Kristensen (NO) Matleena Laine (SF) Oskar Rask (SF)

Cirkör LAB receives support from Nordic Culture Point.

aRtIStIc oPeRatIonS aRtIStIc deveLoPment

caRe – an eu PRoJectThe EU project CARE – Circus Art and Research Exchange – presented its final report on March 26th at Cirkör House in Alby. At that time, experiences and lessons from the project’s three years of col-laboration, 2013-2015, were shared. Discussions and reports with and by artistic leaders, artists, direc-tors and project participants took place and some exchanges relating to artistic research were shared with an audience.

That same day, the CARE report was released, a magazine about the project distributed at trade shows, performance venues and festivals across Europe.

Between 2013 and 2015, a total of 21 different activities were organized within the framework of CARE allowing directors, artists and creatives to meet and collaborate in interdisciplinary labs, artistic discussions and meetings, seminars and residen-cies. CARE consisted of six European countries and seven partners: Cirk La Putyka/Czech Republic, Circo Aereo/Finland, Cahin-Caha and Un Loup pour l’homme/France, Nordic House/Iceland, Cirkus Xanti/Norway and Cirkus Cirkör/Sweden.

Activities during 2015: LAB ”Artists in Research – fusion of forms” with 11 participants in France.

Discussion on artistic research at Biennale Inter-nationale des Arts du Cirque in Marseille, in which Tilde Björfors participated, with an audience of about 100 people. Audience in attendance at the final report in Alby on March 26th: approximately 150 people.

CARE receives support from Creative Europe Pro-gramme of the European Union. Several partners received State support from their respective coun-tries, in the case of Cirkus Cirkör from The National Arts Council and The City of Stockholm.

mISceLLaneouSCirkus Cirkör participated in CARD 2 – Circus Art Research Development – at the School of Dance and Circus, December 9-11th. CARD is a conference on circus research with participants from all over the world. Cirkör was asked to write an extended text for the event program that summarized our tireless research these past 20 years. Moreover, several of our employees took part in various seminars. About 25 people attended the panel discussion.

CIRKÖR eVentCirkus Cirkör’s event department has continued to deliver custom-made circus experiences for compa-nies, public agencies and individuals. These com-missions have been varied both in terms of size and content.

Many events convey the feeling and themes of Cirkus Cirkör’s major productions, and Knitting Peace has proved an exciting theme to depart from. This theme has worked in many different contexts and its contents have proven easy to vary and use as starting points for new concepts. One example of this is the peace conference ”Varberg Calling for Peace”, where Cirkör and the peace prize recipient Leymah Gbowee took part in the opening ceremony. Another example is the three-day knitting festival on Fanø island in Denmark, which brought together knitting enthusiasts from all over Europe and where Cirkör took part with shows and workshops on the theme of Knitting Peace.

On several occasions, Cirkör Event opened Cirkör House as a venue for companies and organizations to hold conferences, kick-offs and dinners. These events offer a combination of trial circus classes, the option to hold one’s own meetings and confer-ences followed by a dinner and performances..

For the second time in a row, at the request of Stockholm 1912, the year ended with a Christmas smorgasbord dinner show. This year, the show took place at The Museum of Performing Arts, a new exc- iting venue, which is aesthetically very well-suited to Cirkus Cirkör’s colorful artists. The Christmas show was performed on 15 occasions for approximately 5 000 people.

In the past year, Cirkör Event has produced many amusing, interesting and innovative events custom-made to our clients’ specific requests and themes. Examples are the Norwegian event company Play-room, IKEA as well as five dinner shows for Cirkör Events repeat client Seco Tools.

The theme of boundary-crossing that currently per-meates all of Cirkus Cirkör has affected the event department’s work. Among other things, it has entailed closer cooperation between education and training with regard to workshops and trial circus classes. This has made Cirkus Cirkör’s values, as well as the various circus disciplines core principles, clearer in relation to our clients, making it possible

to deliver even higher quality events and experi-ences with more added value.

During 2015, Cirkör Event produced 50 events, which translates into a total of 90 performances of which 15 were Christmas smorgasbord shows. During the course of the year, Cirkör Event employed over 200 artists and educators and welcomed an audi-ence of some 35 000 people.

InteRnAtIonAl opeRAtIons Cirkör’s international office is tasked with ensuring that Cirkör’s performances and projects reach buy-ers and organizers in Sweden and aboard.

Contemporary Circus is by nature international and all of Cirkus Cirkör’s departments collaborate internationally, both in the production and sale of its performances as well as in the development of its educational activities. Exchanges through Cirkör LAB and various EU projects are further examples of this.

Our performances play to an international audience and in 2015, Knitting Peace and Underart were performed 91 times for 51 386 people outside of Sweden. Our international tours are made possible thanks to intensive networking and sales efforts.

Our overriding ambition for international sales in 2015 was to continue expanding and strengthening Cirkus Cirkör’s relationship to it’s network of organ-izers. This consists of Swedish and international organizers who regularly, and thanks to their long-term business relationship with Cirkör, book Cirkör performances and, not the least, are willing to com-mit to productions even before they open. Since interest in Cirkus Cirkör is great, our network of organizers is growing. This affords us a fundamental base for securing revenue for our operations. Our objective for the future is to widen and stabilize this network, above all in North and South America, and to extend our runs at individual theaters in Europe.

In 2015, we expanded our cooperation with South America, which resulted in Cirkus Cirkör performing a total of 33 times in 10 days, with Master Classes and professional workshops in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil.

During 2015, targeted efforts were made in new

cIRkÖR event / InteRnatIonaL oPeRatIonS aRtIStIc deveLoPment

markets, North America among others. For instance, Cirkör took part in the major performing arts trade shows ISPA (International Society of Performing Arts) and APAP (Association of Performing Arts Pre-senters), which take place during the same period in New York City. In connection with this, the American trade organization Circus NOW arranged a show-case of Underart at the The Skirball Center. Cirkör’s Creative Director Tilde Björfors also received a special invitation to speak at the ISPA conference, an event that was most successful and much talked about.

The head of our international office, Lars Wassrin, was invited to the festival SESC Circo in São Paulo, Brazil, to participate in various panel discussions and interviews. Our international office took part in several performing arts trade shows, among oth-ers IETM in Bergamo, Italy and Budapest, Hungary, ISPA in Malmö/Copenhagen, The Swedish Biennial for Performing Arts in Malmö, Montreal’s Complète-ment Cirque and Circa AUCH in France. During the course of the year, we also visited Winterfest in Salzburg and assorted theaters in the Paris area. In Toulouse and during the L’Européenne de Cirques Festival, Cirkör participated in meetings and semi-nars connected to the EU project Autopistes. We also worked internationally locally, in as much as Cirkör was one of the participants in the internation-al trade show Subcase in Alby outside of Stockholm (where Cirkör is headquartered).

knIttIng Peace – tHe eXHIbItThe vernissage of Knitting Peace – The Exhibit took place on December 1st, 2015. The Army Museum and Cirkus Cirkör collaborated in showing the thousands of knitted pieces that enthusiasts from all over sent to us during Knitting Peace’s world tour. In 13 vaults at The Army Museum in Stockholm, we were able to place these works in a context that included circus pedagogy, history and politics. This meeting between the circus, knitting, weapons and war history became a peace demonstration during a troubled time in world politics.

This exhibition grew out of the “call to knit” that has followed performances of Knitting Peace since its premiere. We conceived this “call to knit” already

while planning Knitting Peace in 2012 and encour-aged knitting enthusiasts all over the world to knit and send their creations to us along with their answers to three questions: Why do you knit? What are you striving for? Is it possible to knit peace?

We have received thousands of knitted pieces. This action has also engaged our organizers who have involved knitting enthusiasts, handicrafters and knit-ting artists in their own areas. The exhibition at The Army Museum was initially scheduled to run until April 2016 but has now been extended until Novem-ber 30th, 2016.

Curator: Cirkus Cirkör/Fanny Senocq Curator’s assistant: Emilia Esping Creative team, Cirkus Cirkör: Liv Karlsson, Aino Ihanainen, Frida Anderholm project manager, the Army museum: Maria Skans

Knitting Peace – The Exhibit was seen by 3 413 people in 2015.

eXHIbItIonInteRnatIonaL oPeRatIonS / eXHIbItIon

eDuCAtIon & tRAInInGIn 2015, Cirkus Cirkör’s educational section welcomed approximately 30 000 children and young people, adults and seniors with and without functional diversity. A total of 76 circus artists/educators visited some 40 pre, elementary and art schools, 29 schools through the program “Creative schools” (Skapande skola) and 10 nursing homes, as well as around 20 organizations, associations, trade shows and festivals in 25 Swedish municipalities.

Activities included circus workshops, lectures, shows, performances, workshops and continued training. A third of our commissions have taken place in the City of Stockholm, a fourth in Botkyrka Munici-pality and the rest all over Sweden and the world.

cIRcuS In ScHooLHere, three circus artists/educators visit a school for a week. The visit begins with the artist-teachers performing a half hour show for the students and teachers. During the following week, all the students have a chance to participate in a 1.5-2 hour circus workshop, often in connection with their PE lesson. The students are given the chance to test walking

a tightrope, acrobatics, juggling and swinging from a trapeze. In order for this visit to live on in schools and become a part of lesson plans, Cirkör also offers teachers further training in how to use circus peda-gogy as a learning tool.

cIRkuS duRIng LeISuRe tIme In aLbY, StockHoLm & gotHenbuRgThese courses are intended for children from age 5 to adults, with or without functional diversity, who want to practice circus. They learn everything from basic circus techniques to focusing more on one specific circus discipline. The semester courses were held at Cirkör House in Alby, at Vasa Real elementary school in Stockholm and at Stora Teatern in Goth-enburg. In 2015, a total of 1 658 people participated in one of the 44 circus courses (14 in Stockholm, 19 in Alby and 11 in Gothenburg) organized by Circus Cirkör.

Drop-in training in contemporary circus and parkour for amateurs was offered at Cirkör House on 58 occasions and 1 741 children and young people (of which 901 were unique visitors) have practiced with Cirkör.

Chilla with Cirkör is another example of a time when Cirkör House and the art of circus opened their doors to the general public. This free circus trial session for the whole family was offered on eight occasions and attended by 1 393 people. At Chilla, in an easy-going environment, visitors can try prac-ticing circus themselves or watch while others do so. Coffee and cakes are sold at cost.

During the summer and fall breaks, Cirkör organized holiday camps for a total of 100 kids and young people. A week of circus training that ended with a show for families and circus staff. For the second year in a row, during the fall holiday camp Cirkör worked together with Subtopia and FEJM Perform-ing Arts School. The participants had a chance to learn more about and explore the theme “fears” through circus, dance, theater and theatrical make up.

During the summer vacation, in cooperation with The National Federation of People´s Parks and Community Centers, Cirkör educators visited 14 towns all over Sweden. 1 666 children and young people from Ronneby in the south to Luleå up north took part in summer break courses in circus and parkour. For the second consecutive year, Cirkör also took part in open circus training sessions during Gothenburg’s Culture Festival.

cIRkuS äLdRe de LuXeIn 2014, an educational and experience program adapted for circus within elder care was created and implemented, fully financed by the Culture Founda-tion of the Swedish Postcode Lottery (Postkod-Lotteriets Kulturstiftelse). The project is based on Cirkör’s educational steps: inspire, train further, ac-tivate. The visit begins with an inspiring circus show after which the artist-educators from Cirkus Cirkör conduct a seated circus session with the seniors and nursing home staff. In order to create a lasting impression and the conditions to keep training going at nursing homes, a continued training program complete with a tutorial was developed for nursing home staff.

The project continued in January and February 2015 when we visited another eight nursing homes and welcomed 235 seniors with our show På flygande fot (“Airport Lounge”). 144 of them also participated in a seated circus session.

On March 18th, 2015, the project ended with a seminar dubbed “Culture as a force for change within elder care”. The seminar was held at Cirkör House and organized together with The Swedish Dementia Center and The Alzheimer Foundation. The 74 participants were people who work with this target group in various capacities.

In June, the book ”Circus Äldre de Luxe”, which documents the project from different perspectives, was published. The book was also translated into English to provide inspiration for international dementia care.

InteRnatIonaLCirkus Cirkör’s educational department is deeply involved in Caravan, a European network of circuses that work primarily with educational activities for children and young people, and with developing cir-cus pedagogy. In 2015 two projects were underway, one for the continued training of educators in how to work with social circus, and another focused on identifying, improving and coordinating educational opportunities for circus educators in Europe.

educatIonaL oPeRatIonSeducatIonaL oPeRatIonS

CIRCus uppeR seConDARy sCHool This year once again, the circus program has shown that it is an advanced program both for those who wish to devote their time in upper secondary school to evolving as circus performers as well as for young people who envision other professional routes and who want a solid academic base but who also want to take advantage of this particularly creative and enriching school experience. Academic instruction is given at St Botvids Secondary School in Hallunda while circus training takes place at Cirkör House in Alby.

What separates this school from many other sec-ondary school programs in the arts is its closeness to the profession at hand. Through daily practice at Cirkör House the students have the chance, while still in school, to create a network for their future professional life. Here, they train in the same hall as professional circus performers, can benefit from the experience of other artists as well as the teaching staff, and have a chance to connect with prospec-tive employers all while gaining insight into every aspect of a circus company’s operations.

This year, the The Circus Upper Secondary school once again successfully recruited competent and dedicated teachers. In 2015, school employed some 30 teachers. Most of these were trained at the world’s foremost schools for contemporary circus and all are professional performers. Moreo-ver, they hail from 11 different countries: Sweden, France, Mongolia, Spain, Israel, Germany, USA, Greece, England, Norway and Switzerland.

the Circus upper secondary school curriculum is divided into two educational phases: Phase 1 consists of the first three semesters: Here, the focus is on developing circus basics; floor acro-batics, trampoline, strength and stretch, an in-depth introduction to all circus disciplines such as dance, improvisation, theater, clown and artistic creation. During Phase 1, students complete a project where all these basics are integrated into a presentation of some kind.

Phase 2 consists of the three final semesters: At this point, students begin to specialize and choose a major discipline. This is added to the cur-riculum of Phase 1 – thus students continue their

training in all the basic disciplines. At the beginning of this phase, students go on an educational trip to Paris and work on an ensemble project with an external director.

WHat HaPPened In 2015

spring semester:

All three classes were asked to create a 15-minute group presentation on the theme of Borders. The results were presented to visitors at Cirkör’s open house in connection with it’s 20th anniversary in February.

For Year 2 students, it was time to make the edu-cational trip to Paris. They also began training in their chosen major disciplines and working on the completion of their performance project with an external director. In 2015, Isak Arvidsson and Sara Runsten were enlisted as directors. They are alumni of the Circus Upper Secondary School and of The School of Dance and Circus in Stockholm, DOCH. The show was performed five times for 450 people at Riksteatern in Hallunda, a suburb of Stockholm.

In the spring, Year 3 students completed their theses, a major exercise in creating, executing and administrating a project of one’s own. These were presented to all the other students and Cirkör’s staff. Several of the students also applied to higher education programs in circus resulting in some be-ing accepted to AFUK in Copenhagen and others to The School of Dance and Circus in Stockholm.

fall semester:

Year 1 students began their year with two project weeks where, for the first time, they worked on cre-ating a routine to be performed in front of the entire school. The fall also included a creative project where students worked class by class on a com-mon theme, in this case Borders. They were given a week to explore the theme, create and present a 15-minute performance for all of Cirkör. At the end of the fall term, three students participated in a month-long creative project that culminated in a Christmas show with Cirque Isis outside of Paris.

Cirkus Cirkör’s network and involvement also make it possible for the secondary school students to establish contacts on the international job market early on. This year, too, in January, Year 2 students

educatIonaL oPeRatIonS

communIcatIon

took an inspirational trip to Paris. They trained at Ecole National des Arts du Cirque de Rosny-sous- Bois (ENACR) and at L’Académie Fratellini. Moreover, the Circus Upper Secondary School also initiated a collaboration with a French school with a similar program structure and curriculum: Ecole Nationale de Cirque de Châtellerault (ENCC). Students and teachers from ENCC and Cirkör’s students spent a day together training and exchanging experiences. The Paris trip also included two evenings at the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain during which the students were treated to 24 circus acts with young international circus performers. Two of these were alumni of The Circus Upper Secondary School and DOCH, Anton Graaf and Einar Kling Odencrants (Sons Company), who won the Gold Medal and five other awards, including ”Audience Favorite”. Moreover, Anton and Einar are players in Cirkus Cirkör’s new production Limits. The Paris trip ended with the students seeing thesis performances by university students from the Centre National du Cirque (CNAC) at Parc de la Villette.

The high school students took part in a number of events through Cirkör and were invited to see all the presentations given by companies in residence at Cirkör LAB. They were also given the chance to see several contemporary circus shows play-ing in the Stockholm area in 2015, for example: Cirkus Cirkör’s Wear it Like a Crown and Underart, DOCH students’ ensemble project Infraröd (Infra-

red), Cirque Du Soleil’s Quidam, Miss You at Södra Teatern and David Eriksson’s work in progress Pink on the Inside. other 2015 news: - The Circus Upper Secondary School initiated a collaboration with FEJM Performing Arts School and Subtopia on stage techniques and other topics. - Cirkör invested in a marketing campaign, which lead to an increase in the number of applicants to the contemporary circus program.

- Students from The School of Dance and Circus, DOCH, came to Cirkör House to train with the high school students and teachers and Year 3 students were given the chance to train at DOCH for half a day.

- The Circus Upper Secondary School participated in the Erasmus project ”Intents”, an international survey of competencies within circus education. Two researchers from universities in France and Spain who have documented teaching methods and interviewed teachers and students visited the high school. The Circus Upper Secondary School participates in this project through FEDEC (Fédéra-tion Européennes des Écoles de Cirque), of which Walter Ferrero, the secondary school’s director, is a board member.

CommunICAtIon2015’s theme was to celebrate Cirkus Cirkör’s 20 years of boundary-crossing.

In connection with the performance of Borders at Malmö City Theater, work begun on a popular movement centered on civil society’s involvement in migration issues. Collaborations with several organi-zations and individuals working for a more humane society were initiated. Examples: Amnesty and The Asylum Group in Malmö were present in the theater foyer providing information on their activities.

Community theater/Interakt, a theater group con-sisting of of asylum-seekers, presented a sample from their upcoming variety show to Borders’s audience before the evening’s main performance. Cirkus Cirkör also donated a portion of its revenues from merchandise sales to The Asylum Group in Malmö. The audience was encouraged, via signs and programs, to support one or more selected or-ganizations. These efforts have been evaluated and will be further developed for our production Limits. The goal was to spread the message of the perfor-mances on a deeper and wider level and to invite and inspire people to get involved.

Through our collaboration with the production company Munck and BLAM Ateliers, Cirkör has found a partner that helps us produce presenta-tions and promotional films for all of Cirkus Cirkör’s various spheres of activity. Among other things the documentary filmmaker Helgi Felixon was hired to chronicle the production of Borders. This work continues with Limits, and the goal is to be able to bring a documentary about Cirkus Cirkör to the in-ternational TV and film markets. In 2015, additional resources were devoted to filming Borders in Malmö and the broadcasting rights were sold to SVT, Swedish Public Service Broadcasting, who aired it in January 2016.

In connection with Underart and Wear it like a crown’s runs, audience surveys were undertaken and emailed to all audience members. These surveys clearly show that Cirkus Cirkör is a very strong brand and that it is Cirkus Cirkör’s name that inspires ticket purchases.It was gratifying to learn that over 80 % of the respondents feel that our performances maintain high artistic standards, are innovative and that the experience is well worth the money.

Our social media have continued to have many visi-tors and over 20 000 people follow us on Facebook and 3 774 on Instagram.

During the year, additional resources have been dedicated to updating the technology of our web-site www.cirkor.se and further adapting it to tablets and cell phones. Our new website will be launched during 2016 and will also include more films and more clearly reflect the breadth and depth of Cirkör’s enterprises.

educatIonaL oPeRatIonS

audIence, PaRtIcIPantS and vISItoRS 2015

Total performances 228 90 384

SUM TOTAL: 161 388

Cirkör Event total 90 35 000

Borders(collaboration with Malmö City Theater)Knitting PeaceUnderartWear it like a crownVarieté Cornichong(co-production with Västmanlands Theater)Cirkus de LuxePå flygande fot/”Airport Lounge” (Senior de Luxe) Circus Upper Secondary School: Chapters Circus Upper Secondary School: Sanity/Ellen, MariaCirkör LAB:Residency presentations

of which;Christmas smorgasbord dinner show at The Performing Arts Museum

additionallyKnitting Peace – the exhibition at The Army Museum Educational activities: semester courses, school break courses, educational programs, Chilla, drop-in training

18527720

42611

5

2

13

15

Visitor stats Dec 1-31, 2015

Total number of participants

7 23436 033 30 7175 665

868 7 730

737

450

150

800

5 000

3 413

32 591

creative activities # of performances total audience/participants/visitors

sustAInABIlIty WoRK At CIRKus CIRKÖRSince our environmental group’s inception in 2007, we at Cirkus Cirkör have become increasingly aware of how we affect the environment and of how important it is to work sustainably throughout our organization. We view our environmental undertak-ings as part of our mission “to change the world through contemporary circus”, and of our desire to be a decent workplace and a cultural organization that can influence and inspire the world around us.

In 2015, Cirkör’s environmental group continued work on structuring and implementing environ-mental measures. We have invested in exclusively using electricity that is certified Good Environmen-tal Choice (the eco-label of The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation), in reusing and recycling office supplies and scenery, as well as in sorting our garbage. We have increasingly chosen eco-labelled foodstuffs, computers, promotional items and so on.

Cirkus Cirkör’s business is based on performances that tour all over the world, which entails a consider-able amount of air travel. Since 2013, we use carbon credits in accordance with The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation’s (SNF) guidelines, by lock-ing in emission rights to contribute to decreasing carbon dioxide emissions allowed by the EU. During the past year, we have toured in South America, among other places, which resulted in long flights for our entire ensemble and considerably greater compensation for air travel than in earlier years. For 2015, we retired emission rights corresponding to over 600 metric tons of carbon dioxide.

In 2015, we wrote our second sustainably report, ”Sustainability 2014 – taking social and environ-mental responsibility”. We joined the UN Global Compact, The United Nation’s network in sup-port of social and environmental responsibility on the part of companies and organizations, with principles connected to human rights, labor laws, the environment and corruption. Transparency is a cornerstone of Global Compact, which among other things requires all members, each year, to publish a so called Communication on Progress (COP) describing how they are working to comply with these principles. Cirkör’s sustainability report can be found here: www.cirkor.se/hallbarhet.

fInAnCIAlsIn 2015, Cirkus Cirkör’s turnover was approximate-ly 44 763 176 SEK of which 26 828 700 SEK were from our own sales and 17 934 476 SEK came from external investors: The Swedish Public Employment Service 264 972 SEK, The National Inheritance Fund 596 198 SEK, Botkyrka Municipality 3 257 000 SEK, EU grants 564 081 SEK, Nordic Culture Point 30 000 SEK, The Nordic Culture Fund 124 885 SEK, The Swedish Sports Confederation 91 990 SEK, The National Arts Council 7 244 400 SEK, The Barbro Osher Trust 98 003 SEK, Stockholm’ County Council 2 384 649 SEK, The City of Stockholm’s Culture Administration 1 536 450 SEK, The Swedish Institute 80 000 SEK, Culture Foundation of the Swedish Postcode Lottery 1 661 848 SEK.

oRGAnIZAtIonCirkus Cirkör is a corporate group and its parent company is Cirkus Cirkör Non-profit Association. The association carries out educational activities; education, training and an upper secondary school program. The non-profit organization owns Cirkör AB (Limited), which produces performances and events and runs Cirkör LAB. Besides collaborating closely on all activities, the companies share admin-istrative and support functions such as management, accounting, IT, communications and marketing.

In 2015, Cirkus Cirkör had 31 permanent employ-ees and 184 temporary staffers divided between 56 annual work units (AWU). In 2015, a total of 215 people received salaries from Cirkus Cirkör.

BOARD 2015Bengt Westerberg (Chairman), Tilde Björfors, Mats Björkman, Malin Dahlberg, Charlotte Olofsson, Annika Levin, Olle Strandberg, Gunilla Thorgren and Birgitta Winnberg Rydh. The Board is unremunerated.

MANAGEMENT TEAM 2015Artistic Director: Tilde Björfors; CEO: Anders Frennberg, Head of Finance: Anna Olsson; Deputy CEO/Head of Productions: Anna Ljungqvist; Director of International Relations: Lars Wassrin; Head of Communications: Susanne Reuszner; Manager and Producer of Cirkör Event: Cajsa Lindegren; Manager of Pedagogy and Training: Anna Nerman; Artistic Director - Upper Secondary School: Walter Ferrero.

PHoto cRedItSLinnea Svensson arbab: 16mats bäcker: 6:1-2, 7tilde björfors: 6:3 Francesca cerri: 17Frans Hällqvist: 3, 4, 5, 21einar kling-odencrants: 1, 12-13, 20Sima korenivski: 19brian Lynch: 9christina Simpson: 10, 14, 15

PRIntIngSIB Tryck Holding AB on Profisilk paper. Both the paper and printer are Nordic Eco Label-Certified.Our co-operation with SCANIA continued during 2015.

economY and oRganISatIon economY and oRganISatIon

mADe In BotKyRKA

Where we have been in 2015

CIRKÖR mAp 2015

SWeden Dalarnas County Falun

Hallands CountyLaholm, Varberg

Gävleborgs CountyGävle

Jönköpings County Jönköping

stockholms CountyBotkyrka, Huddinge, Lidingö, Nacka, Nykvarn, Nynäshamn, Sollentuna, Solna, Stockholm, Sundbyberg, Södertälje, Täby, Värmdö, Österåker

skåne County Båstad, Helsingborg, Malmö, Ängelholm

södermanlands County Nyköping

uppsala CountyEnköping, Uppsala

Värmlands CountyKarlstad, Säffle

Västerbottens CountyUmeå

Västernorrlands CountyÖrnsköldsvik

Västmanlands CountySala, Västerås

Västra Götalands CountyGothenburg, Skara, Vara

Örebro CountyÖrebro

Östergötlands CountyNorrköping

InteRnatIonaL ArgentinaBuenos Aires Rosario

Brazil Sao Paolo

ChileSantiago de Chile

DenmarkFanöCopenhagen

finlandMariehamnTampere

franceCaenGonesseParisSt. Quentin-en-YvelineVannes

norwayAltaArendalBaerumBodöFosnavåg HamarHammerfestHarstadHaugesund,KristiansandLarvikLilleström Sandnes

usANew YorkWater Mill

uruguayMontevideo

Austria Graz