The Circus World Has United for Ukraine
Right after the Russian invasion, the circus world came together in a show of unprecedented unity and camaraderie for Ukraine. Two of the main organizers of these efforts are Jasmine Straga, the director of the Australian Circus Festival, and Aurelia Cats, acclaimed artist, director and VP of the Viktor Kee Foundation.
Straga’s work began when she started to use her personal Facebook account to set the community in motion. In a post several days ago, she wrote that this is “the largest collaboration of circus in history. Every genre has come forward to support the Ukrainian circus community with finding jobs, costumes, training spaces, transport, visas, homes, logistics, and more…”
“During my time in the circus, a very large portion of the artists I worked with were from Ukraine: people whom I have grown to consider friends and circus family. I felt helpless being so far away in Australia, and wanted to find a way that I could help. After speaking with many of my Ukrainian friends, one of the issues they were having was using a slow Internet connection to gather information regarding borders and what help they could receive. I felt that the best thing I could do would be to gather as much information as possible regarding travel to the borders, immigration, accommodations, and whatever medical advice I could find and pass it directly to the artists,” Straga shared.
On the opposite side of the world, in France, Cats experienced the same need to act. “I received messages and calls from friends and colleagues on the first day of the attack and started to look into the situation and what I could do to help them. For people that already wanted to move out, things went very fast. During the pandemic, my son and I were in Ukraine for seven months because my work partner is from Ukraine, and we have a strong network there. I couldn’t just do nothing, so I started searching and sharing information.”
Straga and Cats shortly joined forces and created a team with others who were also interested in helping Ukraine. Their core organizing team consists of Straga, Cats, Joanna McMenamin, Joanna Reczek, and Natalia Dylczyk.
Currently, the group is trying to find homes and training facilities for 750 students in total from the Kyiv Academy of Circus and Variety Arts, where students study production, dance, theatre, singing, and circus arts.
“Due to the safety situation, it takes from 1-6 days to get out of anywhere.”
Many adult circus artists need help as well. The group has been helping to guide artists out of Ukraine over the past week. “The situation was awful,” continues Straga. “We had some scary situations where we were speaking to artists as shelling and tanks were firing all around them, and sometimes we lost contact. It’s hard to sleep on those nights. Some artists were sleeping on the floor of train stations that resembled The Hunger Games whenever it was time to board . Due to the safety situation, it takes from 1-6 days to get out of anywhere, and, usually, multiple stops have to be made on the way to the border. The artists rest and then move again the next day.”
While experiencing the horror of displacement and destruction, Cats remains optimistic. “We are the luckiest people in the world living in a bubble with a community that does not care about where we come from, what we believe in, the color of our skin, gender identity, and sexual orientation – all we care about is the ART. Look inside and around you; we can and should live in peace, respecting everyone’s opinion even when we disagree and focusing on making the world a better place by doing what we do best: PERFORM!
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Right now the group needs two more serious volunteers who are hardworking, can multitask, and are willing to commit significant time. They must know how to use WhatsApp and Facebook and be able to work autonomously with direction.
The group is also asking for donations for the 750 or so children who they will be evacuating out of Ukraine and into circus and performing arts schools abroad in the coming weeks. The group set up go-fund-me page where you can contribute.
To coordinate their activities, the group organizes data via multiple online forms, which they then use to match those who need help with those who can provide it. See them all below to figure out how to take part.
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Forms
Ukrainian artists who need work and have left the border, use the following form
Ukrainian Circus Artists trying to get out of Ukraine, fill in the following form
Circuses & Circus Artists, Directors, Producers, Agents etc
who would like to offer a job or home to a Ukrainian artist, please fill out the following form. (If your name is not listed below,
the group has likely lost your offer to help amidst the excess workload. Please fill out the form to be added again.):
Circus Schools wanting to offer your training space to Ukrainian artists, use the following form:
Performing Arts schools
who would like to support student dancers, singers, and producers
in these same fields at their schools, please fill out this form:
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The list of organizations and individuals
but not limited to those who have been involved
in the rescue efforts
Young Stage Festival, Switzerland
Capital Circus of Budapest
Baltijas Cirks – Latvia
Circus Belly – Austria
Rosante group – Italy
Cirque Alexandre Bouglione
Circus Olympia – Germany
Cirkus Syd – Sweden
Circus Brazil Jack
Fondazione Cirko Vertigo
Centre International des Arts en Mouvement (CIAM) – International Center for Arts in Motion
Cheval Art Action
LA Maison de Nina
Balance Akrobatika & Torna Club
Wanjanini
Inspirál circus center
Circus Studio Folie
Recirquel Company
CIRCO RICHMOON
Circus-Luna-Hof
National Circus Art Center
CircO Hannover
CircArtive School
Zirkusschule Dobbelino
Ines Rosemann
Circus Schatzinsel (Vuesch gGmbH)
Hakasirkus
Jugendkulturarbeit e.V.; Educational institution “Internationale Jugendprojektehaus (IJP)” in Oldenburg
Jokes die Circusschule e.V.
Die Zirkusfabrik
Circus CabuwAzi Treptow
Circus Waldoni
Cirkus Gymnasiet/ Cirkus Cirkör
Rambazotti
Zirkus Trainingszentrum Fly
Norrköpings ungdomscirkus
The Oak Circus Centre
Circus Flora
Circusjuventas
Le PeTiT CiRqUe
Satasirkus ry
Cnac
Kristian Kristof
Natalia Demjen
Rikardo Ledman
Gabor Karsa
Cirko Sapiens
Circus Works Devoran
Escola Circo VagaMundo
Oulun Tähtisirkus
LATIBUL Theater- und Zirkuspädagogisches Zentrum Köln
Sirkuskoulu Rainbow
EPA
Pukinmäki Art Schools, Pukinmäki Circus School
Zirkus Tasifan
Kinder- und Jugendzirkus Paletti e.V.
CIRCUS BOSCH/La Scuola di Circo
Circus Rotjeknor
Freie Waldorfschule Wetterau
INAC INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE ARTES DO CIRCO
Circus und Zeltpunkt Montelino
Cirque Intense Preparatory School
Cirka Cirkus
Merscheider Turnverein
Circus Odyssey – Lithuania
Palazzo – Germany
The Circus Community in Lublin – Poland
Circo Peppino Medini – Italy
Nouveau Cirque Zavatta – France
Circus studio folie, Tallinn – Estonia
Culpepper and Merriweather circus – USA
Hudson’s circus – Australia
Västerås, Sweden
United Kingdom ~ Let’s Circus
Gycklargruppen TRiX
The wonder circus
Circus Barlay
Mirene Cardinali Circus
Cork La Putyka – Czech Republic
Recirquel – Hungary
Sky crew circus arts – Greece
Form and resources are also available in the HELP UKRAINE Group on CircusTalk!
Coming from a fifth-generation circus family, the Hungarian Eötvös-Picard dynasty, Andrea has deep roots in the performing arts. Her early career spans both advertising and performing arts management, including her role as Assistant Producer for Lincoln Center’s "Reel to Real" series. She holds a BA in Business Administration and an MFA in Performing Arts Management from CUNY.
Editor's Note: At StageLync, an international platform for the performing arts, we celebrate the diversity of our writers' backgrounds. We recognize and support their choice to use either American or British English in their articles, respecting their individual preferences and origins. This policy allows us to embrace a wide range of linguistic expressions, enriching our content and reflecting the global nature of our community.
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