Flemish delegation at FRESH STREET #5 (27-30 May) , Great Yarmouth (UK)
Kat Mager
We’re excited to introduce the Flemish delegation for FRESH STREET #5, the international flagship event of Circostrada, taking place on May 28–30, 2025, in Great Yarmouth (UK). Organized in collaboration with the Out There International Festival of Outdoor Arts and Circus, this event gathers artists, programmers, and policymakers from across Europe and beyond. With a focus on placemaking, inclusion, participation, and the future of outdoor arts, FRESH STREET #5 offers a unique opportunity to explore these themes, Out There Arts, the festival, and finally the Circostrada network. Meet the passionate professionals representing the Flemish circus sector at FRESH STREET #5 below!
Meet the delegates:
Toon Van Gramberen | THERE THERE company
THERE THERE Company is a contemporary circus company led by Toon Van Gramberen and Hanna Mampuys. They go for a strong and meaningful circus, rough and real, with a focus on the performer and the message rather than on the trick. Starting from the circus discipline hand to hand acrobatics, the interaction of bodies form the base of their physical language.
Daniel Fernández López | Company Alud
Daniel Fernández is one of the 2 founders of Company Alud, a young contemporary Flemish Company, which weaves together a strong technical research with a playful mindset. Their work is aimed at changing perceptions about various social topics, through energetic, unpredictable, and humorous performances, brought to the audience with their own signature, a mix of partner acrobatics, dance and aerial circus.
Margot Jansens | Detail Company
Margot Jansens a dramaturg, director and founder of Detail Company, a platform circus collective with Maria Madeira and Manon Verplancke. Margot studied Stage Techniques at RITCS (Royal Institute of Theatre, Cinema and Sound). There, she developed into a lighting designer and production manager. Afterwards she studied Theatre and Media Art at UGent. She completed her studies with the thesis Acrobatics: A Conversation Between Acrobatic Aesthetics and Bodily Awareness. After a semester at DOCH, master Contemporary Circus Practices, she founded the circus company Gedachtegang together with Jakobe Geens and created two performances: Distort The Body and Bare Body. During this period she was also involved as a dramaturg and assistent director in the oeuvre of Hendrik Van Maele, Bert Vandenberghe, Raff Pringuet, If circus and Framing Effekt.
Seraina De Block & Oscar Willems | Sur Mesure Sur Scène
© Niccolo Perletti
Sur Mesure is a collective consisting of musicians, instrument manufacturers, woodworkers and circus artists, come together to inspire and support new and innovative creations.Sur Mesure Sur Scène will be performing at Out There Festival with their new show Protocole on 29 and 30 May.
Luke Horley | Collectif Malunés
Collectif Malunés is a nomadic Franco-Belgian circus collective, founded in 2009. The collective was born out of the insatiable desire of its artists to enrich themselves artistically both on stage and in the street. Luke Horley is an artist and a member of the collective. He studied at the Rose Bruford theatre school, followed by circus training at Circus Space in London and ACAPA in Tilburg. He is a physical performer and specialises in aerial and Korean cradle. He performs in the shows: Forever, happily...,Too Fat To Fly, We Agree To Disagree, and TOUT VA HYPER BIEN (creation 2025 - working title). The latter will premiere at PERPLX (Kortrijk, Belgium) on June 28th and 29th, 2025. He is also working as an outside eye on the show Ki no nagare (creation 2026 - working title). Luke will also take part as a speaker at FRESH STREET on May 29th during the panel discussion 'Creating with communities'.
Anne Elst | Rode Boom & De Machienerie
Rode Boom creates visual road trips that take the viewer into their own reality and far beyond. Stage performances interwoven with surreal and symbolic imagery also find their way into public spaces. In Kurt Demey’s artistic palette, techniques from the world of illusion and mentalism are blended with visual arts and performance.
Info https://rodeboom.be/
De Machienerie is a circus-theater company and production house that creates poetic installations where fauna and flora, circus, visible mechanics, craftsmanship, and poetry intertwine. With a passion for tangible techniques and a playful approach to movement and theater, we construct worlds where mechanics and magic go hand in hand. Our creations blend craftsmanship with wonder, inviting audiences to lose themselves in a universe where nature and the art of construction merge. Each project embodies these artistic elements, reinforcing De Machienerie’s distinctive identity.
Emma Ketels | JE BURO
Emma Ketels, aka half of JE BURO (together with Klaartje Brouns), driven by a love for circus and a desire to support artists in the best way possible. We handle the international touring of !UKBUM!, Camille Paycha, Detail Company, Ghentlemen, Jam. Shenanigans, Michael Zandl, and Post uit Hessdalen. When I’m not buried in an Excel sheet or planning system, you’ll find me hiking up a mountain—preferably with no phone reception.
Tom Landeloos | Circusfestival Plein de Cirque
Plein de Cirque is a vibrant three-day festival in September in Turnhout, located between Antwerp and the Dutch border. The festival takes place in and around De Warande, the cultural center of the province of Antwerp. Featuring a mix of national and international acts, both indoors and outdoors, it showcases the diversity of contemporary circus—from amateurs to professional artists. Each edition collaborates with a central guest, a circus artist or company, with special attention given to vulnerable groups.Plein de Cirque is a partner of CIRC’UIT, a network for outdoor circus. CIRC’UIT is a growing network of circus partners, each contributing from their own expertise to support the creation of outdoor acts and performances—by providing performance spaces, co-production budgets, artistic coaching, promotional support, and more. Through this collaboration, Plein de Cirque not only offers a stage for both established and emerging artists but also actively contributes to the development and visibility of outdoor circus, both locally and internationally.
Info https://www.warande.be/pQAbWtW/plein-de-cirque
Next edition Plein de Cirque: 12, 13, 14 September 2025
Liesbeth Bonner | Circusfestival Cirk! Aalst
CIRK! Aalst is a 3-day currated festival for circus and street arts in August taking place in the city centre of Aalst, right between Brussels and Ghent. The festival focuses on outdoor work and most of the shows are free. Bringing the magic of circus to all of our town squares since 2009. CIRK! Aalst is a partner of CIRC’UIT, a network for outdoor circus. CIRC’UIT is a growing network of circus partners, each contributing from their own expertise to support the creation of outdoor acts and performances—by providing performance spaces, co-production budgets, artistic coaching, promotional support, and more.
Next edition CIRK! Aalst: 29, 30, 21 August 2025
Gert Nulens | Theater op de Markt & Dommelhof
Nestled in the heart of Limburg, Belgium, Dommelhof is a dynamic hub for culture and movement, with a rich history dating back to the 1960s as Flanders' first cultural center. Over the years, it has evolved into a leading creation center for the performing arts, specializing in contemporary circus. As the driving force behind the festivalTheater op de Markt, Dommelhof is deeply connected to both the Flemish and international circus scene. Through its circus creation center Dommelhof nurtures today’s circus by supporting artists and creators in developing and sharing their work. Gert Nulens has recenty been elected as new member of the Circostrada steering committee. Dommelhof is a partner of CIRC’UIT, a network for outdoor circus. CIRC’UIT is a growing network of circus partners, each contributing from their own expertise to support the creation of outdoor acts and performances—by providing performance spaces, co-production budgets, artistic coaching, promotional support, and more. Additionally, since 2006, Dommelhof has been a member of IN SITU, a European network for artists and art organizations focusing on art in public space.
Info https://circuswerkplaats.be/en/
Next edition circusfestival Theater op de Markt: 24-28 October 2025
Gwendolien Sabbe | De Spil
De Spil creates space for art and culture in the city of Roeselare.As a multidisciplinary cultural house, it aims to surprise, amaze and connect. De Spil lives up to its name as a pivot in inspiring networks and responds critically to social developments. The house is a leading cultural player and a reference within West Flanders. The focus is primarily on an audience from the wider region, with an open eye to broader artistic influences. De Spil programmes about seven circus performances each season and organises the groote stooringe every three years, an international circus and street theatre festival that sheds special light on our rich circus past.
Next edition de groote stooringe: september 2027
Céline Verkest, Steven De Jonge & Laura Geirnaert | Miramiro
Miramiro is a creative sanctuary for artists with a passion for circus, where the desire to create, experiment, and deepen their practice takes center stage. We support makers in developing their artistic practice through tailored collaboration based on dialogue, trust, and reciprocity. Additionally, we encourage artists to challenge the conventions of the presentation context, whether physically or in relation to the audience. All of this takes place within a network of collaborations aimed at sustainable exchange, including on an international level. Miramiro is a partner of CIRC’UIT, a network for outdoor circus. CIRC’UIT is a growing network of circus partners, each contributing from their own expertise to support the creation of outdoor acts and performances—by providing performance spaces, co-production budgets, artistic coaching, promotional support, and more. Miramiro is represented by Céline Verkest, coordinator (left), Steven De Jonge, production (right), and Laura Geirnaert, communications (below).
Info https://miramiro.be/
Next edition Miramiro summerfestival: 19-23 July 2025
Jonas Van Soom | CIRKLABO
CIRKLABO is the Leuven-based laboratory where the art of circus is explored in all its forms. Artists are given the physical and mental space to experiment, create, and produce. At CIRKLABO, the focus lies on the artist and the development of circus arts. Non-production-oriented experimentation, exchange, and practical reflection are its core pillars. Responding to developments in the circus field, in Leuven, and in society at large, the workspace stimulates artistic deepening of circus art—mainly around themes such as interdisciplinarity within and beyond the arts, urban innovation, and digital technology. CIRKLABO is part of the cultural center 30CC. Together, they organize the international circus festival CIRKL.
More info: https://www.cirklabo.be/
Next edition of CIRKL Festival: May 8–10, 2026
Circuscentrum | Noemi De Clercq & Séverine Van der Stighelen
Circuscentrum is the support and sector organization for the Flemish circus sector. Under the Circus Decree, Circuscentrum fulfills key responsibilities that contribute to the development and support of the sector. Circuscentrum engages in a broad range of activities, from (teacher) training and information sessions on the Circus Decree to promoting artists, preserving circus heritage and participating in international projects. It publishes Circusmagazine and organizes pitch sessions for programmers. As a support center for circus arts, Circuscentrum is dedicated to professionals in the field. As a knowledge hub, it is driven by curiosity; as a platform, it fosters exchange; and as an ambassador, it champions a deeper appreciation of circus. Through collaboration with partners both within and beyond national borders, Circuscentrum strives to promote circus in Flanders and create opportunities for meaningful exchange between professionals across the circus community and other disciplines. It provides a solid foundation upon which the sector can continue to grow. Managing director Noemi De Clercq (left) and international relations & project officer Séverine Van der Stighelen (right) will represent Circuscentrum in the delegation.
Circusmagazine is het driemaandelijks tijdschrift voor de circuskunst. Op eigentijdse wijze bericht het over verleden, heden en toekomst van de circuswereld in Vlaanderen and beyond.
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