About us
Who we are
The Zirkusquartier is Zurich’s production and performance venue for contemporary circus. It is a place with national appeal for circus performers, a meeting place for young people and adults, professionals and amateurs – and not least for the local population. The project is supported by the “Verein Zirkusquartier Zürich”, which was founded on the initiative of “Zirkus Chnopf”.
What we can do
Since the Zirkusquartier was founded in 2016, the range of events, workshops and weekly courses has developed considerably. Thanks to several years of funding from the city and canton of Zurich, Zirkusquartier can offer artists more stability and support companies with residencies, co-productions and performance opportunities. Today, around 350 people attend our courses every week and the national and international guest performances attract an interested audience.
What we want
We want to make contemporary circus widely accessible and promote circus creation in Switzerland. There is still a lack of suitable production and performance venues for contemporary circus work in Switzerland. We are working to close this gap and are using our services and our broad network to ensure that circus productions are recognized by supporters and noticed by audiences and the media. The new building project “Zirkusquartier 2026” will create a venue for contemporary circus in Zurich that will contribute to the recognition and further development of this art form.
Contemporary circus
Contemporary circus is an interdisciplinary art form that is difficult to narrow down. The focus is on experimentation and the interweaving of circus disciplines with other disciplines such as dance, performance art and theater. The dramaturgy of traditional circus acts is broken up, reinterpreted or omitted altogether. In the process, the top artistic performance fades into the background and the artistry becomes a form of expression. As an art form that often manages without language and highlights important social issues in a humorous and sensitive way, contemporary circus is accessible to a wide audience.
Further information:
- Portrait Zirkusquartier
- Annual report association Zirkusquartier 2023
- Articles of association Zirkusquartier
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