European cooperation project 2026-2028
Would you like to register for a place at the Dutch Circus Showcase? Mail your proposal or question to menno@circusstad.nl and you will hear as soon as possible whether you have been selected.
CIRCUS LOOPS: OPEN CALL RESULTS
CIRCUS LOOPS is pleased to announce the three contemporary circus projects selected to participate in its European residency programme dedicated to developing new work through audience engagement.
Spilling the Body by Aylish Bik and Rhea Slootweg (NL)
𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗱𝘆 uses contemporary circus to create an immersive, safe space where female anger is transformed from a suppressed, destructive force into a radically honest, shared, and empowering physical expression. (Click here for more info/bio)
A Practical Guide to Being a Whore by Manuela Montoya Ramirez / Guayabo Colectivo (FR)
𝗔 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗪𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗲 is a contemporary circus and physical theater piece using the trapeze, whip, and bouffon performance to draw from personal experience as a migrant sex worker, dismantling societal taboos through a raw, practical reflection on the complexities, intimacy, and armor required in sex work. (Click here for more info/bio)
SKIN.CARE by Sabina Kohn Bernhard (FR)
𝗦𝗞𝗜𝗡.𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗘 is an immersive contortion and physical theatre solo that uses ASMR, prosthetics, and sensory discomfort to challenge the exhausting societal pressures of beauty culture through the lens of personal and structural struggle. (Click here for more info/bio)
Read the full 𝗝𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 here: https://shorturl.at/NE2MO
Circus Loops is led by Circusstad Festival (NL), Zirkus ON (DE), and Cirkus Kolektiv (HR), and is co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. At its core is the development of the Feedback Loops methodology—an approach that integrates audience perspectives into the artistic creation process.
Following an open call for contemporary circus artists and small companies based in Europe, three projects have been selected by an international jury based on artistic quality, motivation, feasibility, and relevance to the Feedback Loops methodology.
The selected projects will take part in a structured programme combining artistic development, international residencies, and facilitated feedback processes. The programme includes three 10-day residencies taking place in Split (Croatia), Karlsruhe (Germany), and Rotterdam (Netherlands) between November 2026 and July 2027.
During each residency, all selected projects will be present simultaneously in the same location, working in separate spaces while sharing an environment that encourages exchange, dialogue, and peer learning.
Throughout the programme, the artists will present work-in-progress and engage in facilitated feedback sessions with audiences, peers, and experts. These encounters will not only contribute to the development of the individual artistic projects, but also to the ongoing development of the Feedback Loops methodology.
The programme will conclude with final presentations at the partner festivals between 2027 and 2028.
Each selected core team member will receive a fixed grant of €3,746, while travel, accommodation, and per diems will be covered by the project partners.
We look forward to welcoming the selected artists and accompanying them throughout this collaborative European journey of creation, experimentation, and exchange.
CIRCUS LOOPS
Circusstad Festival (NL) · Zirkus ON (DE) · Cirkus Kolektiv (HR)
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
