Vilhelmiina Sinervo: Residency Trip through Germany
German contemporary circus received an inspiring visit from Finland this year: Starting in May, Finnish circus artist Vilhelmiina Sinervo took part in a residency program in Germany unique in its form. At the invitation of the Goethe-Institut Munich and Helsinki, the Finnland-Institut Berlin, Circus & Dance Info Finland and the Bundesverband Zeitgenössischer Zirkus BUZZ, Vilhelmiina traveled through Germany for almost six weeks to network with local circus makers and to carry on the research for her project “Tonton”.
The research residency included stops at the CircusDance Festival in Cologne, the contemporary circus collective Pepe Arts in Munich, and the Karlsruhe’s cultural center Tollhaus, culminating in a work-in-progress presentation at the Chamäleon. After the presentation, Vilhelmiina joined Anna-Katharina Andrees, director, Berlin, Lotta Nevalainen, Head of International Development at Circus & Dance Info Finland, Helsinki, Ben Richter, artist and lecturer at Stockholm University of the Arts (DOCH), Jarkko Lehmus, director of Cirko for New Circus, Helsinki, and Tim Behren, Artistic Director of Overhead Project and the CircusDance Festival Cologne in a panel discussion on the topic Explorations across Cultures: Similarities and differences in German and Finnish contemporary circus handwriting, moderated by our dramaturg Geordie Brookman.
It was a great pleasure for us to be part of this extraordinary project and we are very much looking forward to the continuation in 2024, when a circus artist from Germany will travel to Helsinki.
Partners of the #FinnishGermanCircusResidency:
Goethe-Institut München und Helsinki, Finnland-Institut, Circus & Dance Info Finland und BUZZ (Bundesverband Zeitgenössischer Zirkus e.V.)
Furthermore the Kulturreferat Munich, Pepe Arts Munich, Tollhaus Karlsruhe, CircusDanceFestival Cologne, Chamäleon Berlin
Title Image: Miia Autio
