A fun-filled circus weekend in Espoo
The Street Circus Weekend will be full of exciting twists and turns. You can enjoy performances for free in five different locations on 10 and 11 August.
During the first-ever Street Circus Weekend, Espoo’s streets will be taken over by five different performances.
CircusSimon’s ‘We are the Champions’ is a skilful mix of choreographed circus acts, football juggling, audience warm-ups and dance moves. Watch a trailer on CircusSimon’s website.(external link, opens in a new window)
Company Afterclap’s humorous and athletic ‘Red Hot Condition’ is all about bright 80s colours. Watch a trailer on YouTube.(external link, opens in a new window)
The Spinsane wheel of death performance (in picture) will take your breath away.
‘Läpi kesäillan valssin’ by Säilättäret will take the audience back to the golden era of Finnish dance pavilions. The performance combines music from the 1950s and 1960s with impressive circus artistry, such as balancing on glass bottles, juggling and skilful rope skipping. Watch a trailer on the Säilättäret website.(external link, opens in a new window)
The other performance by Säilättäret, ‘The Legend of the Holy Pear’, is a medieval mystery play about the festivities of four women celebrating the Holy Pear. The performance includes tightwire dancing, knife throwing and balancing on bottles. The performers are accompanied by the medieval band Härkätien Leikarit. Watch a trailer on the Säilättäret website.(external link, opens in a new window)
Spicing up the late summer cultural scene
The Street Circus Weekend’s venues are Soittoniekanaukio in front of Sello Hall in Leppävaara, Virastopiha in Espoon keskus, the yard of the Children’s Cultural Centre Aurora in Järvenperä, the Espoo Cultural Centre’s Amfi in Tapiola, and Solmutori in front of the Lippulaiva shopping centre in Espoonlahti.
“The Street Circus Weekend was created to spice up the late summer cultural scene. The first weekend after the school year has started is the perfect time to bring some joy to people. Street circus performances are often full of action, and you may run into them anywhere, while passing through an area or enjoying the day on a terrace,” says Sello Hall’s Senior Producer Liina Sipilä.
The magic of circus is universal
The Street Circus Weekend’s performances are mainly non-verbal, so everyone can enjoy them irrespective of their language skills.
“The magic of circus is universal and the weekend will offer a wide range of performances. Through careful scheduling, a true circus lover can see all the performances. I myself would like to see at least the Spinsane wheel of death show. I’m sure it will be insanely wild. I would like to end the weekend with Säilättäret and enjoy the old dance pavilion atmosphere through their performance,” Sipilä says.
The aim of the Street Circus Weekend is to make Finland’s versatile and internationally recognised contemporary circus better known. Street circus, like all forms of street art, is easy for everyone to access and enjoy. The Street Circus Festival is free of charge and suitable for people of all ages.
You can find the schedule at www.espoo.fi/en/yhtasirkusta.
Espoo’s Cultural Venues and Services include Espoo Cultural Centre, Sello Hall, Kannusali, Children’s Cultural Centre Aurora, Exhibition Centre WeeGee and the Espoonlahti cultural project.