This year's Dutch circus festival Circolo in Tilburg provides a stage for creators who are innovating the genre in their own way. Júlia Campistany and Aylish Bik show that circus is not only about virtuosity, but also about vulnerability, curiosity and finding a voice in a demanding art form.
Júlia Campistany - The engine of curiosity
She once started in theatre, but Júlia Campistany eventually found her niche in circus. "It was not my intention to become a circus artist, it just happened. But once I was in that world, I felt: this suits me." Having trained at the circus school Rogelio Rivel in Barcelona and later at Codarts in Rotterdam, she developed a penchant for work that combines the physical with the theatrical. Yet for her, being an artist remains a constant exercise in uncertainty. "The most difficult moments are the periods of doubt. Especially here in the Netherlands, where you don't have a permanent job as an artist. Every new creation is a big question mark, you never know if it will succeed, or what 'succeed' means at all."
Her new performance Cirquemétrage (to be seen on 17, 18 and 19 October) was created in an intensive year-long process. The title refers to the French court métrage, a short film, and the piece explores our relationship to productivity and control. In a setting reminiscent of a 1980s office, with elements of Magie Nouvelle, projection and physical play, Campistany exposes how work and routine can consume us. "It was a very enjoyable process," she says. "You really feel the contribution of each team member in the piece."
Within Festival Circolo's New Makers scheme, Campistany was given the opportunity to further explore what its artistic voice means today. The scheme aims to give makers the space to experiment, deepen and develop new work. "It gives me not only a stage, but also guidance, resources and time to explore what I want to make," she says.
For her, the motivation lies in continuing to search. "There is always a desire for more, a curiosity to explore further, to see what the next step is. That feeling drives me constantly: it's my creative engine. There is always something I don't know yet that I want to dive into. The moment I would say, 'Yes, this is what I do,' I'm not sure I would continue then. Circus for me is just the place where I can search again and again."
Aylish Bik - The beauty of imperfection
Maker Aylish Bik, a recent graduate of Circus and Performance Art at Fontys Tilburg, focuses on allowing vulnerability. For her, circus is not about virtuosity, but about the right to occupy space, even if you do not balance flawlessly. "Can I occupy space if my circus technique is not perfect?" she wonders aloud. "If I am not always perfectly balanced on one arm, is that enough?"
With Planet Circus, Bik presents a performance that puts vulnerability first. She combines physical play forms with spoken text, improvisation and audio clips. "The making process is not synchronous, but it influences each other all the time, audio making, physical doing, sliding in the audio," she explains. Her act grew into a layered performance that is still evolving, in which humanity is more important than mastery.
Within the Keep an Eye pathway, Bik found exactly the support she needed in the transition from school to practice. "It's very special to be able to do the Keep an Eye," she says. "The support from there, to get a place to play, in a team that feels so great and safe, really makes a difference. It's almost like I get to make mistakes, but most importantly, it feels warm and safe. That I have just graduated and now get to perform in such a wonderful tent, with an audience and a nice atmosphere, really makes an impact in how I start my career.'' That safe environment provides room to grow, but the path remains bumpy. Doubt and self-criticism are almost constant companions for Bik. "I actually often question whether I am good enough," she says. The step from training to being an independent artist brings not only artistic uncertainty, but also practical challenges. "You only see one layer on stage, but behind it there is SO much regulation. Financially, it is tough: you work more than what you get paid for."
Yet Bik continues to search for lightness. Humour and clowning help her make heavier themes light-hearted. "It's about enjoying what is, and about that that may be enough," she says. "That fragility is allowed to be celebrated, that vulnerability is allowed to be celebrated. And that there is also room to sit back, to laugh at yourself, and think: ah, that I'm being so dramatic about this now, it's really not about anything at all."
An ecosystem that provides space
In the background of these creators, the Dutch circus ecosystem plays an important role. According to creator Piet van Dycke, the festival and associated support programmes offer young artists space to experiment and deepen their practice. "Without those steps in the ecosystem, there is no continued growth. Everything is in steps. If you don't take those steps, you miss the flow," he explains. He sees new makers reinventing their disciplines and making research important, exploring themes, materials and narratives much more consciously. This not only creates more depth in the art form, but keeps circus a place where both young talent and experienced makers can grow.
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