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Contemporary circus is thriving around the world. Following a period of intense experimentation that began in the 1960s and 70s, it has emerged as a vibrant art form supported by a global infrastructure of professional schools, residency centres, festivals and venues. In Europe alone there are more than 5000 companies working in circus and street arts, and more than a hundred dedicated festivals. The Norwegian circus scene is small but deep. This study identified 42 Norwegian or Norway-based professional artists who are principally engaged in creating contemporary circus art. Alongside these are a larger number of pedagogues, casual practitioners, and artists from other fields who incorporate circus skills into their work. Norwegian circus artists are characterised by a high level of technical skill and extensive training in higher education. 63% of respondents to our open survey had completed post-secondary training in circus. Within this group, the average was 5.1 years of studies in the higher education context. Norwegian artists have varied working experiences among some of the most respected circus, theatre and dance companies in Europe. Overall, the Norwegian field is growing – driven by rising numbers of students passing from culture / folk high schools into professional education, by years of dedicated advocacy and awareness building, and by efforts to establish an infrastructure in Norway for the creation and presentation of circus art. Kulturrådet has supported this activity, but there is a need for long-term support to develop a better base of infrastructure. During 2011-2017, Kulturrådet awarded 14 million NOK of grants to circus. During this period grants for circus through the Kulturfond accounted for just 0.3% of all Kulturfond spending. Institutional recognition is increasing, but needs to accelerate. Without it, many Norwegian artists are choosing to live and work abroad. They leave for education, and stay in order to be part of an artistic community and have opportunities to create work. A third of all respondents to our open survey, and half of all those to recently engage in long-form creation, had a base abroad. The most significant factor in where artists choose to base themselves is access to space for training and creation. A permanent space dedicated to training and creation is a key piece of infrastructure that Norway now lacks. Existing facilities either provide limited access or are under-resourced. As a form, circus has the potential to address a number of Kulturrådet’s strategic objectives, particularly by boosting international collaboration and bringing new artistic practices and ideas to the performing arts. There is a growing market, both nationally and internationally, for contemporary circus. The field also has the opportunity to access an extensive Nordic infrastructure – one that Norwegian artists and professionals helped to build through a series of critical cooperation projects beginning in the mid 2000s. This report concludes with three recommendations:
Increase Kulturrådet’s support to circus arts and consider the creation of a dedicated fund
Support the development of a permanent space for circus training, presentation and creation in Norway
Build knowledge of circus art among institutions, programmers, and cultural agents