How has circus related to change?
ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
The second edition of the biennial conference takes place in Denmark at the wonderful Copenhagen Circus Museum from Thursday 15th to Saturday 17th April 2027 (World Circus Day), following the success of the 1st European Circus History Conference in London in 2025.
The first day allows participants to get to know one another on a tour of important circus locations in the city, including the opportunity to visit the world-famous Tivoli Gardens, followed by a social evening.
On Friday and Saturday, the conference takes place at the Circus Museum (photos below) in Hvidovre, a suburb of Copenhagen, which has a 120 seat conference theatre on site and a former Fægtesalen (fencing hall) where we shall dine on Friday evening.
The conference auditorium, circus museum and Fægtesalen (The fencing hall, for the formal dinner and performances) are all wheelchair accessible with accessible toilets. Not all parts of the tour on Thursday will be accessible due to stairs but we will liaise with you to determine the best options.
CALL FOR PAPERS
We invite proposals, by 30th September 2026, exploring ‘How has circus related to change?’. This can encompass ways in which the circus has initiated change, reacted to it, or ignored it. The focus is on change relating to Europe from the 18th to the 21st century, though the change(s) can also be inwards or outwards of the continent. Since Copenhagen is the location, we particularly welcome those with a Nordic focus.
We are interested in any aspect of change e.g. political, technological, societal, geographic, legislative, aesthetic and familial.
Changes could relate to the operation of circus companies, such as:
- Population shifts such as urbanisation
- Changes in holiday destinations.
- changes in freedom of movement, work permits or the existence and quality of domestic artists.
- Pressure groups, public opinion and legislation.
- Health and Safety or Licensing requirements.
- Transport changes such as the emergence of the motor vehicle and railways.
- The development of film, television, the video recorder and the internet.
- The status of circus in society or as an artform.
Equally, changes may concern circus performance technique and style, such as:
- Evolutions in music and dance.
- Incorporation of new technology such as hot air balloons, bicycles, lasers, drones and robots.
- The incorporation of circus performance by agit-prop / political theatre groups to diversify or reach audiences.
- Costume – fashions and material developments.
- The impact of gymnastic and fitness movements on skill development or audience interest.
We welcome proposals of:
- Twenty or six minute talks. Shorter talks (optionally in PechaKucha – Wikipedia style) might introduce one performer or a particular innovation, while longer talks will tend to take a broader view.
- Panel sessions of about 40 minutes with three or four panel members. If you have a topic and a panel to suggest please let us know.
- Performance presentations as we may be able to show these in the Fægtesalen (fencing hall) if the technical requirements are within scope. Ask for details.
An abstract of the papers will be put online with the intention that a peer-reviewed journal shall follow featuring edited versions of several of the papers presented at the conference. More details will follow.
Speakers will be offered free admission. Travel bursaries may be available but this is funding dependent. Talks are expected to be given in person.
Submissions should be up to 300 words accompanied by a short biography, up to 200 words. There will be equipment for PowerPoint presentations (which we will require at the latest a week prior to the conference). Please state any other technical requirements you have.
The talks are unlikely to be streamed, though recordings for archive use will be made.
Please send proposals to info@circusconference.org by 30th September 2026 and we will respond within a month.
The European Circus History Conference is enormously grateful to Mikkel Knudsen, the Museum Director, and his team for offering to host our 2nd conference.
The members of the 2027 Conference committee, ordered by surname, are:
Kornélia Deres (Hungary), an associate professor at ELTE Eötvös Loránd University of Budapest, has published widely on theatre, performance, and cultural practices. She was the recipient of the Humboldt Fellowship at the University of Cologne, the Junior Core Fellowship at the Central European University, and the Bolyai Fellowship from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Her current research focuses on nineteenth-century popular performance culture and scientific spectacles in Central and Eastern Europe. She has authored two monographs and co-edited six volumes. She is also a poet and writer, having published four books.
Lina B. Frank (Sweden), a producer, programmer/curator and arts consultant based in Europe with offices in Lund/Malmö, SE and Bristol, UK.
Charlie Holland (UK), Initiator of the European Circus History Conference. A former professional juggler who was instrumental in the development of The Circus Space, latterly National Centre for Circus Arts, as its Programme Director and Deputy Chief Executive. His books include ‘Strange Feats and Clever Turns’ on speciality acts in the 19th century. He is the Secretary of the British Music Hall Society and initiated and co-organised their first conference in 2023 and subsequent ones. His latest project is the London Juggling and Flow Arts Festival, to take place in October 2026.
Mikkel Knudsen (Denmark), Director of The Circus Museum in Hvidovre (a suburb of Copenhagen). Mikkel has a History MA and has worked at the museum since 2004. He has produced several exhibitions with topics including Circus Culture, the World of Magic, and Animals in the Circus. He has written many articles about circus and is often used as an expert by the media.
Harm van der Laan (The Netherlands), an artist and co-artistic director of both Tall Tales Company and the Tall Tales Studio, which has grown to become the main space for training and ongoing education of the professional circus community in The Netherlands. Harm has BA and BSc degrees, teaches circus history at Codarts Rotterdam, and is co-author of the book ‘Turning the cube: Perspectives on codes through juggling and visual arts’.
Pauliina Räsänen (Finland), a circus and magic artist and cultural historian (MA) from Finland is a graduate of the renowned National Circus School of Montreal. Her performance background includes touring with Cirque du Soleil’s Alegria as a solo trapeze artist for six years. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Cultural History at the University of Turku, researching the forgotten history of women in circus and magic, and is CEO of ArtTeatro Ltd, a Finland based circus and magic arts production company.
European Circus History Conference 