Foto: Sara P Borgström
Circus as a Method
Walk, talk and act like a circus artist
We take the methods and approach of the circus from the bodily and physical - to the mental, the artistic and to society, for an increased awareness of what it means to be human.
"Circus as a Method" is what we call the awareness of what, for example, tightrope walking can teach me about life. Balance in life is the ability to *manage life's imbalances. The method consists of what happens between the physical experience (tightrope walking) and the mental (balance) and through the impact it has on art and society.
*The tightrope artist finds balance by constantly moving in and out of the balance point.
Circus artists do what we all do in everyday life: Collaborate, fail, control, theorize and put their trust to the test. But they do it 10 meters up in the air without a safety line. Everything becomes more tangible when it is life and death.
Tilde Björfors, founder and former artistic leader at Cirkus Cirkör
I take the risk and stand up and say something that I have never dared to say before, then it becomes an opportunity and then I dare to do it again. The risk has turned into an opportunity.
Fifth-grader
Trust is an ongoing topic within our company but experiencing it from the perspective of a circus artist was really special. We were asked to do little tricks where we were of course meant to fail at some point. But doing so together showed us impressively how failing together can be a strong base for future trust.
Hanna Brunner, teamleader Service design, Försäkringsbolaget Allianz
We are a group that uses words a lot, hides in words, problematizes with words, sets limits to our ability with words. The circus' work helps us widen the horizons of possibilities and embody the knowledge of what trust really is. I think I notice a very concrete difference in the approach in the group. A lightness I had not known before. Spontaneity and laughter take a bigger place. But also depth and dialogue. To get involved and to take seriously.
Pernilla Conde Hellman, kulturdirektör Malmö stad
What a circus!
We use this expression to describe something chaotic. Chaos is an intrinsic part of all creative processes, but once on stage, the circus is about discipline and controlled, deliberate risk-taking. Anything can happen while bungee jumping from a hot air balloon, like in Cirkör's show PUST, or when you find yourself 30 m ft (10 meters) up in the air without a safety line. This is life and death art. The lessons of the circus can be applied to society, work and life in general – by exploring the limits of what it means to be human.
Becoming a more creative boss
“As a manager, you must be a fiend at juggling and balancing, at being present, here and now. That’s what circus teaches me,” one of the managers with whom Cirkör collaborates explains. "We hired Cirkör to enhance creativity and the importance of leadership in innovation processes," recounts the global company Pinault Ricard, which documented this process in the book Leadership of Creative Business Workbook.
Their experiences clearly illustrate the degree to which leadership is an art of its own, where actions, plans and processes are constantly adapted to the needs of the specific context, assignment and team and where problem-solving works best when it is a co-creative process with clear steps: divergence (opening up and saying “yes”), emergence (remaining in chaos) and convergence (funnelling insights, concepts and ideas). This is circus as opposed to linear thinking. By testing and practising the disciplines and leadership dimensions of circus – and reflecting on the insights acquired – Pernod Ricard improved their performance and results.
Changing society through the art of circus
In Landskrona and Järfälla municipalities, Cirkör's educators have supported children who use wheelchairs to go where they have never gone, for example, upon a rope. Moreover, some circus projects evolved into gender projects once it became clear that the girls participating initially felt they “were not allowed to be” or would not allow themselves to be physical.
The city of Malmö has begun introducing a circus as part of an educational experience for city employees and citizens. The main objective here is to use mental and physical circus exercises to make visible and begin to employ the many capabilities of civil servants and, indirectly, citizens. Important target groups are children and seniors in underserved areas that the municipality has difficulty reaching through other programs.
Management groups from three of Malmö’s municipal administrations have invested in Cirkör's concept of “Teeter Trust”, among other reasons, because their services rely on trust-based governance both internally and vis-à-vis citizens. Which way of working, which attitudes and approaches generate maximum trust in society?
Non-verbal, embodied knowledge
With the help of educators and coaches from Cirkör, school principals used physical exercises to embody knowledge about leadership. Once they dared to try this, the playfulness helped them learn to fail together and, through this to grow stronger together. The knowledge gained through circus is often non-verbal. According to those who participated, holding the experience in one’s body is critical to success. Afterwards, they asked themselves, “What flips do I do daily?” Something happens when the body experiences balancing slightly above the ground or after a simple exercise in partner acrobatics based on cooperation between two people. This makes it easier to take that knowledge to the office.
Join the Cirkör!
For 25 years, we have worked with many teachers, students, children, young people, seniors, managers and employees. We give inspirational lectures and interactive presentations, hold workshops, take over schools, and shape leadership programs. Circus educators, artists and coaches are often told that we are both tender and bold. We have faith in your ability to make the impossible possible. Regardless of who you are, we know you are curious about using this art form to understand better what you need to grow as an individual and in a group. As one of the managers in our network put it: "I’ve had too much intellectual fodder”. Circus goes straight to the heart and does not shy away from our biggest challenges.
We can create social change if we push inner and outer boundaries together – Cirkör's artistic vision.