Circ-Exchange

In the Circ-Exchange during the Festival ZirQus the focus is on gender as an artistic tool and dimension of reflection for contemporary circus practice. Together with the circus and drag artists Sonny Crowden and Thomas Botticelli from House of Hermess you are invited to think about how gender expression and gender fluidity influence your artistic work.

Sonny and Thomas will first share their approach to working with drag and circus in a short input, then they will invite you for a few practical exercises and afterwards there is space to discuss, share and reflect together.

How do you work with gender when creating material, writing dossiers or making decisions on costumes and aesthetics? How can you use gender expression for performativity and character-building? How does your specific discipline or artistic way of working relate to gender? These and many more questions will be part of the discussions.

Following the Circ-Exchange, there will be an opportunity to enjoy the festival’s final day together. The exchange will take place in English. The Circ-Exchange is free and requires no registration. There is no limit on the number of participants.

What to bring: Any clothes that feel comfortable to sit on the floor in and do a few brief practical exercises

Circ-Exchange is a networking and exchange format for circus professionals, combining workshops and discussions. Three Circ-Exchange sessions take place each year, each dedicated to a specific topic and featuring input from an invited expert, followed by an open exchange. If you would like to suggest a topic for a future Circ-Exchange please contact us here.

Workshop-leadership

House of Hermess

Sonny Crowden and Thomas Botticelli met in 2020 at the CNAC—Centre National des Arts du Cirque . After collaborating closely on several projects, they founded House of Hermess in 2021: their drag house, with the goal of organizing more drag and circus events. La Gender Reveal Party is thus a continuation of their work and embodies their shared vision.

Luisa Schmitz

Luisa Schmitz was born in Zurich and works as a dancer, choreographer, coach, and dance teacher. She earned her bachelor’s degree in stage dance and choreography from Fontys Hoogeschool voor de Kunsten in Tilburg (NL). She spent two years touring as a performer with Zirkus Chnopf and has been teaching children and teenagers circus arts and movement ever since. She teaches children the art of the circus in an encouraging and motivating way. When she’s not teaching, she tours Europe with her own clown duo or takes walks with her dog through the forests of Zurich.

Caro Wuttke

Caro Wuttke is a circus artist and performer. She studied “Literature, Art, and Media” at the University of Konstanz, as well as “Contemporary Circus” at Cirko Vertigo and at the Flic Scuola di Circo, where she specialized in aerial silk. She then participated in the two-year “Labo de Investigación Aérea y Escénica” under the direction of Cata Aguayo. Since 2021, she has been working on solo projects as well as with the Compagnie Bruta Bruja and the Less Kuerdas collective in the independent arts scene, performing on different stages. In addition, she is involved as a performer in various projects. Since 2024, Caro has been working at the Zirkusquartier Zürich as co-curator and host of the “Circ-Exchange” program. She also works as an instructor and leads workshops.

The ZirQus 2026 Festival is supported by: