Marta Kuczyńska

Contemporary Polish circus – room for improvement

Marta Kuczyńska the curator of Carnaval Sztukmistrzów

Every year for the last decade I have been attending the contemporary circus festival “Letni Letna” in Prague. Aside from the main international programme, shows can also be watched in the so-called Czech Tent (cesky stan), where you can see everything the Czech circus produces during the year. Seven years ago, I wondered why no one was selecting any of the shows – because they were no good. Four years ago, I thought: these shows are not so bad after all. Last year I decided that they don’t frequently diverge from the main programme and they still very much follow the “Czech style”. Investing in the local market might flounder at first but brings the desired result after some time.

The Polish Incident has been generated artificially but at the same time the need to create spaces and conditions to show Polish artistic circus has been looming in the air for years. At Workshops of Culture, we often discuss how to support and develop the market of artistic circus in Poland.

Professionalism in Polish circus predominantly comes down to performing in popular entertainment shows. Very few artists can afford to devote themselves to artistic circus: experimenting with circus techniques, combining genres, directing and choreography, teamwork. In order to make an ambitious experimental circus, you need to be a hero, sacrificing your personal life to focus on the thousands of tasks involved with the show, performing it on stage, selling, lobbying, and promoting. Circus artists are managers, curators and organisers in one; they sell tickets, create the stage design and take promotional shots.

The Polish Incident is a move to encourage artistic development, offering professional (paid) creative work for new circus artists in Poland. It has also presented an opportunity to compare different directions, work methods and possibilities of circus as an art form. Aside from watching performances, we had a chance to discuss the production process and share our experiences. It’s a very important moment in the current environment.

May the Incident become a precedent because the artistic circus environment needs financing, places for creative work and presentation as well as constructive criticism.

Measured against the global scale, the level of Polish artistic circus still leaves room for improvement. Our shows need direction, acting skills, artistic consultations, choreographers, music, and light. We are consistently heading in a good direction. The Incident is not the end of our work, it’s only the beginning. Let’s not rest on laurels and use the Incident as an opportunity to deepen the development and professionalisation of our artistic activities.