2020 PARTICIPANTS
Karmen Aasanurm
Karmen is an arts manager from Estonia who fell in love with contemporary circus in 2017. Since then she has organised different circus events and festivals. Karmen hopes that taking part in this program will improve her as a professional and will help her get new inspiration and ideas about how to continue the circus journey.
Emma Langmoen
Emma is a 23-year old year old naive, impatient, and enthusiastic circus artist hailing from Norway. She performs, creates and produces contemporary circus with the companies Acting for Climate and Oslo Nysirkus, and she has deep faith in naivety - the skill of dreaming big, and still believe in and go for your dreams. Norway has a long way to go when it comes to the development of contemporary circus, and the circus community is going through processes that other countries faced years ago. Emma is excited to learn from these processes, as she reflects on how her own practice can contribute to the developing of a strong, sustainable and just future of circus.
Nika Parkhomovskaya
Nika wants to learn, to share, to exchange, to teach and to reach.
She strongly believes in communication, personal experience, solidarity and arts.
She is absolutely sure that contemporary circus and those who are involved in it make our lives better.
Erik Glas
Erik started studying circus in 2008, at the circus gymnasium in Stockholm, and continued his studies at Acapa in Tilburg and ESAC in Brussels. After graduation, he started the company Kaaos Kaamos, together with friends, and they’ve been touring the show Babel, Glöm for the last three and a half years.
Erik wants to promote circus in the North of Sweden, with the goal of having a training space and increase the number of practitioners over the coming couple of years.
Inna Huttunen
Inna is a dreamer, doer, and adventurer, as well as an experienced designer, producer, and an MA in arts management. She co-leads Recover Laboratory, an art company specialising in multidisciplinary, experiential projects based on human contact. Their artworks can be immersive, huge labyrinths under the ground, multidisciplinary stage performances, or surreal worlds and fleeting moments created to fit any space or event. They are currently working on launching a new stage-laboratory in Helsinki.
Anna Emilie Pedersen
Anna Emilie is a circus artist based in Denmark. Since graduating from Codarts Circus Arts in Rotterdam 2018, she has been performing and travelling as a solo artist and in different companies.
She is currently in the process of developing the circus scene in her hometown, Aarhus.
Anna Emilie is also the leader and main teacher of the contemporary circus line at 'Musik- og Teaterhøjskolen,' alongside with co-creating her own company, Vice Versa Circus.
Marina Rieger
What do actors of a sustainable urban-nomadic circus of the future need in order to be acknowledged as part of the arts spectrum?
How can they be fully empowered to create for and with society? How can I envision, support and network in order to strengthen the infrastructure needed?
Janis Laucenieks
With an academic background in international relations, Janis studied musicology at the Université Lumières Lyon 2, France. From 2017 to 2019, he pursued an education in culture management at the Latvian Academy of Culture in Riga. While he was studying, he also worked as a project manager at Orchestra Riga and the Performing Arts Festival Sansusī and had multiple projects where he was in charge of production management.
Jānis loves clowns, opera and performance art in general. A Laureate of Baltic American Freedom Foundation, from 2019 to 2020 Janis did a year-long internship at Circus Center in San Francisco. From 2018 to 2020 Janis was also coordinating an international project for the wellbeing residency network.
Eyrún Ævarsdóttir
Eyrún is a circus artist from Reykjavík. Since graduating from the circus education at Codarts, Rotterdam, she has been working towards developing the circus scene in Iceland. This has led her to discover new pathways for the circus arts in an environment that hasn’t seen much circus until now. Eyrún is a founding member of Hringleikur Circus Company and works as an artist, manager, and circus teacher.
Serafima Kiseleva
Host: Upsala Circus - Russia
For as long as she can remember, Serafima's wish has been to help people. Discovering circus was like discovering a whole new universe which allowed her to be herself and also be helpful to others. Serafima sees NHLP as a new chance to improve and to gain important experience. Serafima’s goal has always been to help establish the circus community back home, in Russia, which is why NHLP is an important experience for her.
Hanna Moisala
Hanna Moisala is a circus performer and the Artistic Director of Lumo Company. She is happy to be part of the NHLP. Hanna is looking forward to be inspired by the other participants, and meet and work with the host organisation. She is excited to be part of a project that reflects on and aims to shape the future of contemporary circus.
Džiugas Kunsmanas
Participating in New Horizons Leadership program is a big challenge for Džiugas, but something that comes naturally as well. After graduating circus school in Italy, Džiugas has been spending his time travelling and exploring other circus schools and centres in Europe. He is curious to see and understand how these communities grow, what impact they have on their cities and regions. He is glad to be going to Tartu 2024, particularly because of its focus in humanity and environmental approach.
Elena Kosovec
Elena is a circus artist and head of Contemporary Circus Association (Lithuania). For her, NHLP is a space to grow, to meet future circus leaders, to experience and observe different approaches to leadership. Her goal for this program is to develop and strengthen her own style of leadership, one that is efficient, authentic to her, beneficial to the community and sustainable in the long run. She is excited, grateful, and ready to dive in!
Marita Sanzarevska
I am currently working at Riga Circus. Being a part of the circus world has made me believe that everything is possible, because the people who are in love with circus usually have the craziest ideas but somehow they tend to get real.
I am sure that NHLP can bring me together with peers who have the same values as I have and strengthen the circus sector with emerging leaders.
