CIRCUSTALK CONNECTS PROFESSIONALS ACROSS THE GLOBE
From an attic in West Hull to an apartment in New York, this week Mikey Martins, Artistic Director and Joint CEO of Freedom Festival, took part in a panel discussion with CircusTalk – the leading online professional network and resource for the international circus arts – in it’s new series of virtual talks Circus and Changing Realities 2020–A Series of Virtual Dialogues about the Future of Circus.
The curated set of free online panel discussions aim to continue a global conversation about the circus sector, to understand the challenges and to collaborate on industry sustainability. Upcoming panels cover circus in Latin America, circus presenters looking forward, adaptation and sustainability in circus, circus infrastructure, perspectives of circus graduates and much more.
For the panel series, CircusTalk partnered with The Circus Arts Hub (TCAH), the brainchild of Australia’s Antonella Casella, senior artistic director of Circus Oz, who used pandemic downtime to set up new, creative ways for circus artists and producers to connect.
In the latest episode, entitled Circus Presenters Looking Forward, Mikey joined Circus professionals from around the world to explore the core concepts of what is essential in circus for presenters and what changes are occurring in their infrastructure as a result of the temporary halt of live performing arts due to the coronavirus.
To view the episode >> click here.
Launched in June 2017, CircusTalk.com has reached over half a million visitors worldwide, and shares news, job opportunities and events among performers, educators, schools, organizations, federations, associations and regional networks. Members are from 193 countries spanning five continents.
CircusTalk’s mission is to provide resources and opportunities to connect, and, since the COVID outbreak, has supported the circus community with a resource page and a two-month free PRO membership.
CircusTalk has also recently launched a new tool on its website for users to add online shows and classes. This new virtual feature offers artists and companies a way to generate income or donations during the coronavirus quarantine and mandated social distancing. Members can also share online livestream and on-demand shows and classes with the circus community and the wider audience, and collect payment through the CircusTalk platform.
“While this service offers an alternative income source for artists and companies in social distancing, it also provides an opportunity for the international circus community to reach the recreational circus market and the public at-large and bring more awareness to circus as an art form,” explained CircusTalk co-founder, Andrea Honis.