in fall 2017 . We were just barely able to pull together the financing to make an offer . The church accepted our offer , but then ran into their own legal and logistical delays . We would not be able to close on the property until late summer and Circadium ’ s opening day was September 5 .
In the end , our settlement date was September 1 — which was also our final day of summer camp in the old building — and so we held a parade , marching from the old building to the new , with kids on stilts and unicycles and waving banners ( and adults in vehicles , moving all of our props , furniture , and supplies !) It was a very intense weekend , and it culminated with the welcome of our Class 1 .
Circadium was formed both to meet a need ( of young people who want to be professional circus artists ) and to set a trajectory . We believe that American contemporary circus is stuck in a vicious cycle of poor funding , sprawling geography , skeptical audiences , and pessimistic artists . In order to break this cycle , some major steps are needed . Higher education is one of them . Higher education is how we grow more sophisticated artists ( more on that below )— and it ’ s also how we relate circus to the wider world .
HOW DO WE GROW SOPHISTICATED ARTISTS ? There is no denying that we want to have the best space and the best coaches . But all circus schools want that . We want something else : a 3-year time commitment with a very clearly-designed , mission-focused curriculum that gives the students time and space to develop their own path . To this end , we spend a lot of time researching how artists evolve , and how young people achieve selfsufficiency .
We certainly provide our students with expertise . In addition to highlevel circus technicians , our faculty includes theatre artists , dancers , and academic instructors . During their three years , the students will take courses in subjects such as Music , History , Writing , Stage Tech , Prop-Building , Costume Design , and Photography . But in the end , we have no gurus , and education is what you make of it . If we accomplish nothing else , we must teach our young artists to be independent thinkers , and to take responsibility for securing their own livelihoods . There will be no handouts waiting for them upon graduation .
International networking is critical in the development of Circadium ’ s worldview . One of our Advisory Board members , Jay Gilligan , is the Head Teacher of Juggling and Object Manipulation at the University of Dance & Circus in Stockholm . I asked him about how expectations of circus artists have changed over the years .
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