Contemporary Circus Workshop

Possible number of students: 10 to 20

Age group of students: grades 1 - 12

The workshop is led by Kęstas Matusevičius

Circus artist Kęstas Matusevičius (born 1994) started his acquaintance with the art of circus from the fire show in 2008, and in 2020 he graduated from circus school “SaSak” (Salpaus Circus Artist Education) in Lahtis – the only school in Finland to provide professional education for circus artists. Later, together with circus artists Lyla Goldman and Aino Mäkipää, he founded the contemporary circus company “Kanta Company”.

Kęstas has toured around Europe with circus performances and participated in festivals such as the “European Juggling Convention” (Spain, Germany, Finland, Poland), “Kukko Festival” (Finland), “Ozora Festival” (Hungary). He also went on a month-long tour to France with an interdisciplinary performance for children “Pop et Corn”. He taught Brazilian martial arts – capoeira in several schools in Kaunas and the “Kaunas Capoeira” studio. While studying, he opened a contemporary circus studio in Kėdainiai, where he invited students to learn the basics of juggling and acrobatics, and later, together with his colleagues, founded a contemporary circus studio in Kaunas: in the studio “Trouble on Stage” students could learn the basics of contemporary circus (acrobatics, juggling, performance creation, introduction to traditional and modern circus).

In the fall of 2020, the first contemporary circus centre for children and youth in Lithuania – “Cirko Sapiens”, opened its doors in Kaunas. Kęstas is one of the four teachers there, teaching acrobatics.

Workshop led by Aino Mäkipää

Aino Mäkipää (born 1997) is a Finnish contemporary circus artist and one of the founders of the contemporary circus company “Kanta Company” in Lithuania. A representative of contemporary circus has graduated from “SaSak” (Salpaus Circus Artist Education) circus school in Finland (the only school in Finland that provides professional training for circus performers!). She practices juggling, tightrope walking and the Chinese pole. Aino shares her circus practices while teaching at the Lithuanian contemporary circus theatre “Cirko Sapiens”.

A. Mäkipää was a very active child from an early age, and for this reason, she chose to be in the circus, where her energy did not go in vain. When she was 9, she became a member of a youth circus company. Aina describes the contemporary circus as “technical and expressive; it often includes dance elements. The most important thing in the circus is creativity and openness to new ideas and challenges”. Aino Mäkipää believes that circus can teach a lot about oneself and others, and become an inspiring activity or even a lifestyle.