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Not Your Mother’s Circus
Swedish troupe Cirkus Cirkör debut Inside Out at BAM
Cirkus Cirkör
This is not the circus of your youth. Modern, multi-disciplinary, and narrative in presentation, Sweden’s Cirkus Cirkör puts on a show with acrobatics, theater and live music, telling tales about the human body and the human heart. They encourage their audiences to think about pushing the boundaries, trusting, and opening up to love. The current show, Inside Out, comes to BAM this fall November 12–15 as part of BAM’s Next Wave Festival, an annual collection of cutting edge artistry.
Inside Out follows two isolated, unhappy people who, upon crossing paths with a group of strange and magical circus performers, find their world changed. The show celebrates the circus’ unique view of life. Cirkus Cirkör’s founder and director Tilde Björfor says, “To circus artists, taking risks is an everyday matter… Hanging ten meters above the ground suspended by only by one hand in another person’s hand… In these situations you cannot pretend.”
To create the dazzling spectacle that is Inside Out, the circus directors and seven multi-skilled circus performers push themselves to physical and emotional limits. The action is set to a live soundtrack by the band Irya’s Playground. And the superb costuming and staging prove there is much more talent to this circus than sheer acrobatics.
“Tired of dreaming big and living on a small scale,” Cirkus Cirkör is a success story for big dreamers. Formed in Stockholm in 1995 with the goal of changing the world, the troupe now changes hearts and minds at their school of circus arts. Director Tilde Björfors teaches at Sweden’s University College of Dance. From Sweden, the popularity of this theatrical circus has spread across the world. The Inside Out tour will have them performing 58 shows in 7 countries: Finland, Norway, Germany, Russia, England, USA and France. In the U.S., they play exclusively at BAM.
Inside Out is appropriate for ages five and up. Imagine feeling the way a child does after the circus, with a broadened perspective on the possibilities of fantasy and of the physique. Cirkus Cirkör attempts to recreate this astounded view of the world from an adult angle through acrobatics, clowning, juggling, storytelling, miming, and music. It’s an artistic goal that is both ambitious and generous, and Cirkus Cirkör meets the challenge heartily. For the sake of increasing wonderment in the world, this is a show not to be missed.