A series of talks, debates, panels, workshops, and reflections at the DYNAMO Circus Festival 2023. The seminars take place between 14th – 16th June 2023 in Odense.
We aim to facilitate a platform for organizers, producers, performers and creators to share knowledge and best practices across the region. We take a starting point in current realities and challenges in the field, with a focus on imagining and designing a more sustainable future for contemporary circus, in the Nordic Region and beyond. The themes of the seminars in 2023 are Innovation, Articulation, and Sustainability, and you can read more about these here.
As a participant to the seminars, you can buy a Festival Partout Ticket at a discount. The discount code and a ticket link will be sent to you once you sign up through the form at the bottom of this page.
Quick info & programme overview
All activities take place at address: Buchwaldsgade 48, Odense C (10 min walk from DYNAMO). The venue is not accessible by wheelchair.
Wednesday June 14th
10.00-12.00: Circus as practices of hope. Lecture by Marie-Andrée Robitaille. [ENG]
13.00-15.00: Workshop on circus dramaturgy. [ENG]
Thursday June 15th
10.00-12.00: Writing the physical. Writing workshop by Anne Liisberg/ISCENE [DK]
13.00-15.00: Launch of the new Danish Network for Circus / Dansk Samtidscirkus, co-presented with DAF [ENG]
15.30 – 16.30: Performance – ‘Multiverse’ by Marie-Andrée Robitaille (In DYNAMO – advance booking through festival ticket system required)
Friday June 16th
10.00-12.00: Strategies to navigate a circus career. Panel talk, co-presented with Udviklingsplatformen for Scenekunst. [ENG]
12.30-14.30: Creating without compromise – circus in a commercial context. Panel talk, co-presented with Udviklingsplatformen for Scenekunst. [ENG]
Participation is free, but we will charge a 250 DKK/35 EUR no-show fee. Deadline for sign up: May 15th. Deadline for cancellations: June 1st. For questions or concerns, contact: Elena Stanciu elena@dynamoworkspace.dk | tel. (+45) 52 60 65 05
Programme
Wednesday 14th June
10:00 – 12:00
Circus as Practices of Hope
Lecture and guided conversation by Marie-Andrée Robitaille

Humans are currently facing complex crises on planet Earth. Since 2020, the performing arts sector has been disrupted. Now in 2023, we are at the intersection of old ways and new ways of doing. In this context, what does it mean to be a circus artist today? How can circus remain relevant in today’s contexts and how can circus help answer broader questions of human involvement in the world?
For this year’s edition, Marie-Andrée will speak to the three seminars themes: Articulation, Innovation and Sustainability with starting point in her doctoral artistic research project, “Circus as Practices of Hope.” The lecture will open to a conversation on circus specificities and ethical considerations, and we will collectively reflect on how circus arts may remain practices of hope, solidarity, and care for the future. Read more about Marie-Andrée’s work her. Photo by Einar Kling Odencrants
13.00-15.00
Circus dramaturgy
Workshop facilitator to be announced soon

This workshop looks at the specifics of dramaturgy for circus creation. Must a piece tell a story? Why are you creating this piece? Who is it for? What is the story you’re trying to tell? How do you arrive to a story, when you depart from your apparatus? What role does your circus apparatus play in telling this story? Does physical expression lend itself to a dramaturgic logic? The workshop offers a blend of theoretical and applied knowledge.
Thursday 15th June
10:00 – 12:00
Writing the Physical
Writing the Physical Writing workshop facilitated by Anne Liisberg/ISCENE

“International research points to the fact that cultural journalism, in addition to reporting and disseminating news, also increasingly places a cultural filter on the present, i.e. puts current trends and events into perspective and opens them to debate.” (Anne Liisberg) The role of culture journalism is central to framing performing arts, leading dialogue, and developing a vocabulary for different art forms. How do we write about performing arts and about circus? How does the physical translate into spoken language and written form? What do artists make of reviewes and critique, and how can they integrate it in future work? These questions and more inspire this workshop facilitated by culture journalist Anne Liisberg from ISCENE. The workshop is open to both circus/performing artists and writers/ participants with an interest in culture writing, at various levels of skill. Read more about Anne Liisberg and ISCENE here.
13.00 – 15.00
Launch of the new Network for Contemporary Circus – Brancheforeningen Dansk Samtidscirkus
Offcial launch, open dialogue, and vision workshop

Everyone (from Denmark and abroad) is invited to the launch of a brand-new network for contemporary circus in Denmark! Come celebrate with us, meet the board, the members or maybe become a member. We are thrilled to invite you to a workshop of dreams and bubbles. We’ll have a panel talk and open discussion, followed by a vision workshop, where participants are guided to imagine the future of circus, and trace the path from vision to reality, with a focus on sustainable development for the field. The launch event and workshop are presented in collaboration with DAF and Acting for Climate.
Friday 16th June
Producers’ Platform #9 x DYNAMO Circus Festival
Once a year, the Development Platform for Performing Arts offers the all-day seminar Producers’ Platforms. The seminar is aimed at producers and self-producing stage artists. The format provides room for reflection, inspiration and knowledge sharing.
10:00 – 12:00
Strategies to navigate a circus career
Panel talk. Co-presented with Udviklingsplatformen for Scenekunst.

This session delves into some of the pressing details of a circus carrer, to discuss models and methods for balancing all sides of professional life. With the known gaps in the Danish contemporary circus field (precarious resources, lacking infrastructure), artists and companies find ways to thrive and create outstanding work. We invite artists and producers with a diverse career path to share lessons they’ve learned, tips and tricks of how to navigate successfully an intense sector, with a focus on crafting more sustainable work models. This session is open to all working in or with an interest for the culture sector – we recognize the interconnections of creative and culture work, and we invite to dialogue across art forms and professional backgrounds. This session is presented in collaboration with Udviklingsplatformen for Scenekunst.
12.30 – 14.30
Creating without compromise – How do commercial interests and art function together?
Panel talk and workshop. Co-presented with Udviklingsplatformen for Scenekunst.

In this session we create a meeting space for artists, creators, and producers with professionals in fields that blend artistic work with commercial contexts. How can circus artists and other performing arts creatives enter spaces such as the fashion world, the advertising industry, or the summer festival industry, while maintaining their unique artistic expression? What is the work and expectation dynamic in these professional relationships and how can artists at all career levels navigate it to the best of their interests? This session is presented in collaboration with Udviklingsplatformen for Scenekunst.
Registration
DYNAMO Circus Seminars is supported by Nordic Culture Point – Culture and Art Programme and Wistifonden.

Photos by Cosmin Cirstea, unless specified.