DE

Fokus Neuer Zirkus

Circus - a magical world of its own in which seemingly anything is possible: people fly through the air, objects are juggled, gravity seems to be suspended. Circus combines art forms such as acrobatics, dance, theater, music and clowning to create an immediate, often poetic experience that inspires people of all ages.
Circus also brings people from different cultures and realities together - both in the audience and on stage. It can amaze, make people laugh, create excitement and sometimes even address social issues without being instructive.

With “Fokus Neuer Zirkus” (Focus New Circus), the Hessisches Staatsballett and Tanzplattform Rhein-Main are focusing on contemporary circus this season.
In addition to artistically breathtaking guest performances by genre-defining international companies such as Gravity & Other Myths and Circa, there will also be a collaboration with circus artists from the region. Interested parties will also have the opportunity to take part in various workshops.

A simple space | Gravity & Other Myths 17. + 18.6.

Gravity & Other Myths is one of Australia's most exciting circus ensembles – powerful, innovative, and radically honest.

Backed by the driving rhythm of a live percussionist, seven acrobats push their physical limits again and again without reserve. Simultaneously raw, frantic and joyful, A Simple Space evokes real responses in audiences, something visceral rather than cerebral.

Instead of fine-tuning the performance with makeup, lighting and contrived theatrical overlay, the cast has deliberately gone the opposite way focusing on their exceptional skill, playful competitiveness, trust and friendship. The audience is brought in close to surround the performers. You can feel the heat, hear every breath, and be immersed in every moment. This honesty is the essence behind A Simple Space.

Duration: 60 Minuten
Suitable for all ages, we recommend 5+ years old.

Trailer (via Vimeo)

Humans 2.0 | Circa 19.6.

The next chapter of Circa’s internationally acclaimed Humans, created by circus visionary Yaron Lifschitz

Ten bodies appear in a flash of light. They move in harmony for a fleeting moment and then descend into a sinuous trance. Towers grow and decay, bodies leap and are caught, as physical limits are pushed to their extreme. Can we ever find a perfect balance or is adapting to constant change the only way forward?

This next chapter of Circa’s internationally acclaimed Humans is a tightly woven choreography of bodies, pulsing with music by composer Ori Lichtik and revealed in Paul Jackson’s dramatic lighting. Created by circus visionary Yaron Lifschitz, Humans 2.0 is intimate, primal and deeply engaged with the challenge of being human.

Age Suitability: 8+

Trailer (via Vimeo)

En Masse | Yaron Lifschitz and the Circa Ensemble 17.6.

Under the direction of circus visionary Yaron Lifschitz, the Circa ensemble pushes the human body to its limits – in electrifying moments full of strength, vulnerability, and physical intensity.

A wild, tender and savage ride, En Masse presents two visions of humanity at its extremes through circus settings of Schubert’s Winter’s Journey and selections from Swan Song as well as Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring.

Glitches and grooves by Swedish composer Klara Lewis are interspersed with Schubert’s exquisite songs of loss and love as a solo tenor and acrobats from Circa’s legendary ensemble veer between anarchic energy and exquisite loss. Then Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, with its ecstatic tribal energy, is played live by pianists while acrobats are pitted in a life-and-death struggle between group and victim in this first-ever circus setting of Rite of Spring.

Under the direction of circus visionary Yaron Lifschitz the Circa ensemble puts bodies on the line during En Masse in electrifying explosions of physicality and power.

Age suitability: 10+ years

Trailer (via Vimeo)

Where Imagination Meets Reality | Varieté Circus Waldoni 21.6.

In a poetic open-air performance, young artists from the Varieté section of Circus Waldoni invite the audience to let go of familiar perspectives – and, for a moment, trade reason for imagination.

Costumes, music, and choreography have been passionately developed by the young performers themselves, professionally supported by an experienced team of trainers. In this creative interplay, futuristic high-tech aesthetics meet classic circus traditions – creating moments full of lightness, strength, and surprising poetry.

Look forward to breathtaking aerial acts, masterful juggling, and captivating acrobatics – performed with the playful ease of a new generation of circus-enthusiastic Waldonistas.

Workshop: Contemporary Acrobatics | Loneflight 19.6.

In this workshop, we combine contemporary acrobatics with elements from contemporary dance, dynamic floor acrobatics, and partner work. The focus is on small acrobatic pyramids, creative lifts, and playful exploration of weight and balance.

Inspired by contact improvisation, we engage with responsiveness and nonverbal communication—always in dialogue with our partner and the floor.

Through playful practice, we develop flexibility, body awareness, and rhythm—transforming these into strong, flowing movements that we explore together.

The workshop is offered for two age groups:

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM: for participants aged 6 to 12 years

1:00 PM – 3:00 PM: for participants 12 years and up

Meeting point: Kammerspiele foyer

Sinnschwingung | A circus production by the Zarakali Youth Ensemble 2025

How do we perceive time? Can our actions change the future? Do we need a fulfilled life? And: Does our existence have meaning - despite or precisely because of death?

23 young artists and 6 musicians explore these profound questions in the new production “Sinn Schwingung” by the Zarakali youth ensemble. Created in collaboration with the Kulturwerkstatt Germaniastraße project, Waggong and VirusMusik, the result is a moving performance of artistry, theater and live music.

The creative focus is on thinking about time, finiteness and resonance. The Zarakali star tent stage becomes a space of experience in which thoughts, sounds, movement and emotions begin to vibrate - and combine to form an impressive symbiosis.

Accompanied by specially composed live music, artistry and theater come together to form a unique show of the “new circus” that gets under your skin.