The circus is very diverse today. Dance numbers, acrobatics, testing a person’s physical abilities, contemporary messages and current issues, even politics, can all coexist in one show. Also in Latvia, while we are waiting for the “new era” of the Riga circus building after renovation, various circus performances take place in the urban environment. What exactly is a contemporary circus, what is the world view of the contemporary circus and where does it have a place for Latvian artists? LSM.lv asked Māra Pāvula, the head of the Riga Circus School.
Antra Feldmane: How did your path in the field of circus art develop?
Māra Pāvula: I loved circus as a child, especially aerial acrobatics. During adolescence, as interest in ecology grew, interest in the circus waned due to animal numbers. I met the circus for the second time during my studies at the Latvian Academy of Culture, when I chose to study the Canadian “Cirque du Soleil” in the course work. Then I discovered that there is a completely different circus, not only the traditional with animals or just the luxurious “Sun Circus”, but also a very subtle and sensual art form in which artists use the circus as a universal language of art to talk about personal and deep themes.
How do you assess the possibilities of Latvian circus artists to work in future circus activities in Latvia?
Since 2017, the Riga Circus has been purposefully working to improve the circus infrastructure and to make Latvia an attractive place for the work of circus artists. Now, during the pandemic, we have put the development of the local community in particular, making it a priority to create a daily training room equipped with the necessary equipment for the circus. In cooperation with our partners in the Baltic States, we run two support programs to increase the professional growth and competitiveness of circus artists. It is important to realize that the life of a circus artist is nomadic. Latvia is too small for circus artists to work only for the Latvian audience throughout the year, which is why it is important to do everything so that Latvian artists are world-class and open their doors not only in Riga, but also in the best theaters and circus festivals in the world.
Which circus art disciplines are currently less mastered in Latvia?
At present, it is not possible to learn circus art professionally in Latvia. In parallel with the Riga Circus School, there are several circus studios where children and young people can learn various circus disciplines. In terms of infrastructure, the biggest challenge is not the acquisition of a specific discipline, but the shortage of teachers to train professional artists. We are actively working on it, both to promote the professional development of our teachers and to attract visiting teachers so that there will be such opportunities in the future.
Traditionally, the Riga Circus has attracted circus artists from post-Soviet countries, and Russian-speakers are often among the visitors. What are the possibilities to further attract this audience, considering that the traditional circus with the use of wild animals is no longer allowed in Latvia?
Latvia has a strong tradition of circus art. People like it, and I would not say that one or the other circus genre would be more attractive to the Russian- or Latvian-speaking part of society. I would urge not to look at the circus just as a form, but as a carrier of meaning. People came to look at the traditional circus because they wanted to see and experience superhuman abilities – self-overcoming and miracle. Until 2016, when the Riga Circus operated according to the traditional circus model, building performances from numbers, it naturally cooperated with countries where such a circus form is still dominant. The concept of the contemporary circus has dominated in Western Europe for almost 50 years, where in addition to overcoming oneself, a strong artistic concept is also expected from the circus. But the essence of the circus is the same, and viewers appreciate it. We do not divide viewers into different groups in society.
The circus, as a non-verbal art form, has the potential to become a meeting place for people who do not meet in theater halls on a daily basis.
The lifestyle of circus artists is surrounded by various legends and narratives seen in cinema. One example is a girl who has run away from home and joins a circus troupe. The circus artists, who are united by a common “street life”, take part in the opening performance of the circus season. How do you see what characterizes the essence of circus artists in contemporary art, what is their story?
In their performances, circus artists talk about what they care about in today’s world. To become an artist, you have to invest years of work, study in professional circus schools, which are not so easy to enter. Of course, their daily lives are associated with extreme self-discipline, training, rehearsals and being on the road. But is it so different from any high-level professional in today’s intense pace of life? What characterizes circus organizations and troupes is often a horizontal structure as opposed to theater or dance, where the director and choreographer still have more power.
The story of running away from home could be seen as a metaphor rather than a reality.
Escape from the hierarchy to a more inclusive environment, the desire to live in a collaborative community.
To what extent is circus art a reflection of a particular era? What once seemed amusing can now be seen as unethical.
In my view, only art that reflects on its era or historical events that are relevant today makes sense. Much has been said about the impact of changing worldviews on the development of the circus, including the non-use of animals or the objectification of people.
The circus challenges the norms accepted in society, balances on the border. The boundaries are changing, and so is the circus.
But I think the debate about showing animals and people with disabilities in the circus is outdated. It was another era. I am more interested in how we will see in the coming years a reflection of how we are affected by the pandemic that will take place on the globe and where our economic model is leading.
Can you name and tell a little bit about the brightest contemporary circus troupes or artists in the world?
This is a very subjective question. History books would mention Cirque Plume and Archaos from France or, for example, Cirkus Cirkor from Sweden as founders.
In their beginnings, they were certainly vivid examples and deserve attention. Today? Of the dinosaurs in the circus, I still greatly admire the French circus artist Johann Le Guillerm, who was brought to Riga in 2005 by the New Theater Institute. His work is a never-ending exploration.
A pioneer troupe of the new magic genre “14:20” magic in combination with the theater of objects and contemporary dance have turned almost into a direction of philosophy and a reflection of anthropological research. In the genre of acrobatics, the association “XY” should be mentioned, which creates truly monumental performances.
There are a huge number of young artists who are relevant today. Riga circus season opening performance “SOMOS” from the company “Bêstîa” is a reflection of the consequences of inequality in today’s world, of a forced or voluntary life abroad, and of a person’s ability to work to find an opportunity to understand in any circumstances.
I was personally addressed several years ago by Fragan Gehlker, Alexis Auffray, Maroussia Diaz Verbèke’s performance “Le Vide”. This is an interpretation of the myth of Sisyphus. The artists have managed to cleanse the contemporary circus from dance, theater and make the viewer fully live this always current myth in the circus language.
The troupe “Circus I Love You” works with a similar idea – to free the circus from unnecessary layers and highlight it as an artistic language in itself – but in a different, much more fun and recognizable aesthetic.
It’s like a movie. If I had to name the most notable directors, I would first have to understand the range of genres – documentaries, comedies, dramas or blockbusters, otherwise there is too much to choose from.
How did your collaboration with Cie Bestia develop? Why did you choose to start the season with this show?
We have been following the work of these artists with interest for many years. We have also thought about their previous performances, but when my colleague, the creative director of the Riga Circus Mārtiņš Ķibers, saw this performance four years ago at the festival “UP!” In Brussels, it became clear that this will be the show with which these artists will visit Latvia. We had planned to show it earlier, but the busy artists and the pandemic delayed our plans a bit. However, I think that in the end everything happened exactly as it should. This show is about us as individuals and us as a community, about the ability to understand and find common ground even when we cannot hear each other. This topic is more relevant today than ever.
Photo: Jostijn Ligtvoet
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What is the planned news for the new circus season?
During this time, our priorities are to develop the local circus community, to involve it in our artistic activities, and to meet our beloved spectators again in world-class performances. This autumn we will invite the audience to experience a unique circus project in the urban environment with the participation of our artists in “Circus in the City”. The show will take place in walking format using digital technologies. Spectators will have the opportunity to look for checkpoints in the historical center of Riga and follow in the footsteps of circus artists scattered throughout the city. Until the New Year, we are planning several more guest performances: in honor of the European Circus Night on November 12 and 13, which we want to mark as a mini-festival for the next generation of circuses from the Baltics and Europe in the future. In December, a fun show of the juggling association “EaEo” “How to meet aliens” is planned, but in the spring the circus program includes a show of new magic “A vue” performed by the circus company “32 Novembre”, as well as the new circus artist “Machine de cirque” show “Ghost Light”. We are also continuing to expand the Riga Circus School, and if the restrictions allow it, then the first student productions will be made during this season.
Riga circus building
Photo: Office “NRJA” visualization
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Doesn’t the fact that the Riga circus space is currently being renovated make your work more difficult?
Hard to say. The poor condition of the Riga circus building and its unsuitability for the needs of a modern circus certainly made work difficult. Of course, at a time when performances are not taking place with us, but elsewhere, it is more difficult to explain to the public that the circus is working. However, we see it as an opportunity to address spectators who have not come to the circus building. We have equipped spacious premises for the circus school at the moment and we can expand our activities, this would not have been possible in the non-renovated circus.
What would you like to eradicate in the Latvian circus art traditions?
Traditions must be respected and learned from.
What should be eradicated is not the traditions of circus art, but the prejudice that different genres of circus cannot coexist. There is beauty in diversity.
I don’t think this is the time to fight something. We must all seek unity and work together to build the circus of tomorrow.
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