“LEADERSHIP IN CIRCUS” CONFERENCE: THE PROGRAM

29.05.2024.

On June 19-20, 2024 Rīgas cirks will hold the closing event of the New Horizons Leadership Programme (NHLP-EU) with the conference “LEADERSHIP IN CIRCUS”.

The conference is open to all who are active in the fields of culture or performing arts, artists, professionals, and established and emerging leaders, as well as everyone interested in finding inspiration for what leadership can look like in the culture organisations of today!

The conference will be held in Rīgas cirks, Merkela Street 4.
Work language: English.
Free registration.


CONFERENCE PROGRAM

WEDNESDAY, June 19

1:00 PM – 1:30 PM Registration

1:30 PM – 1:45 PM Opening of the conference. Welcome address by Programme Directors introducing the New Horizon Leadership Programme EU by Lina B. Frank (Cirkus Syd) and Mara Pavula (Rīgas cirks)

1:45 PM – 2:30 PM Keynote Speech
BURN BRIGHT, DON’T BURN OUT! THE ROLE OF COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP IN THE ARTS.
Helen Cole, Artistic Director/Co-CEO & Helen Davies, Co-CEO; In Between Time, UK

2:30 PM – 2:45 PM Coffee Break

2:45 PM – 3:05 PM Keynote Speech
CREATE WITH AND FOR THE ENVIRONMENT. HOMO NOVUS FESTIVAL’S TAKE ON SUSTAINABILITY.
Santa Remere, NTIL Artistic Director, “Homo Novus” Festival Co-Curator and “DemArt” Project Coordinator; New Theatre Institute of Latvia/Homo Novus, LV
3:10 PM – 3:30 PM Keynote Speech
EQUALITY AND JOY – VALUE-BASED LEADERSHIP IN SOCIAL CIRCUS. THE CASE OF SIRKUS MAGENTA.
Silja Kyytinen, Founder/Trainer/Director; Sirkus Magenta, FI

3:30 PM – 4:00 PM Coffee Break and Networking

4:00 PM – 4:30 PM InThisTogether icebreaker. Sophie Zoletnik / Firebirds Productions, HU

4:30 PM – 6:00 PM Workshops (parallel work sessions, each participant can attend only one of the workshops)

  • Shine On – transformational leadership practices. Helen Cole & Helen Davies / In Between Time, UK
  • Sustainability ABC. Santa Remere / NTIL and Homo Novus, LV
  • Risk Assessment and Management in Art and Culture Projects. Sandis Voldiņš / The Latvian National Opera and Ballet, LV
  • Advocacy Through Circus Arts. Antonia Kuzmanić / Peculiar Families circus festival, HR

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Informal Reception/Networking

7:00 PM Performance “MUDO – Comedia Bufa” by Cronopio (LV/ARG)

 

THURSDAY, June 20

9:00 AM – 9:25 AM Registration

9:25 AM – 9:30 AM Welcome words/ Schedule of the day

9:30 AM – 11:00 AM Case studies presentations: “Innovations in Circus Arts Leadership”
By Imogen Huzel (Fauna Circus/Right Way Down, UK), Armas Lintusaari (Arctic Ensemble, FI), Ida Kristine Nørgaard (Dynamo, DK), Anne-Mette Nørskov (Ørkenfortet/DSC, DK), Gaia Vimercati (Quattrox4, IT)

11:00 AM – 11:15 AM Coffee Break

11:15 AM – 12:30 AM Roundtable Discussions: “Future Directions for Leadership in Circus Arts”
Moderated by Lina B. Frank, with Simon Carrara (Archaos, FR), Rachel Clare (Crying Out Loud, UK), Jakob Jacobsson (The Nordic Council/ Revue Regret, SE/NL), Gry Lambertsen (Dynamo, DK), Elise Missall (Motion Chapel, DE/IE)

12:30 PM – 2:00 PM Lunch Break

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM Artistic reflections on the NHLP-EU program
With Georgina Cassels (Budapest Aerial Meeting/ One Thousand Faces, UK/HU), Majo Cázares (MX/BE), Hazel Lam (KU Leuven, UK/BE), Hedda Liukkala (Recover Laboratory, FI)
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM Closing Keynote by Tilde Björfors. Founder and former Artistic Director – Cirkus Cirkör, SE

3:30 PM – 4:00 PM Coffee Break

4:00 PM – 6:30 PM Feedback session with fellows and experts (only for NHLP-EU program participants)


KEYNOTE SPEECH TOPICS

BURN BRIGHT, DON’T BURN OUT! THE ROLE OF COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP IN THE ARTS. Helen Cole, Artistic Director/Co-CEO & Helen Davies, Co-CEO; In Between Time, UK

This keynote presentation from Helen Cole and Helen Davies, co-leaders of In Between Time, focuses on the dynamic intersection of collaborative leadership and sustainability within the arts. In this session, they delve into the transformative potential of collaborative leadership as a driving force.

As stewards of creativity, how do we hold strong, remain courageous, foster artistic innovation, whilst recognising the profound impact our actions have on each other, the planet and future generations? Through collaborative endeavors and visionary leadership, we will embark on a journey to reimagine the arts as a globally connected catalyst for positive change. Together, we will explore strategies, pitfalls, insights, and inspirations that illuminate the path towards a more sustainable and resilient artistic ecosystem. Join us as we forge a brighter, more vibrant, more caring future for each other, the arts and our planet.


CREATE WITH AND FOR THE ENVIRONMENT. HOMO NOVUS FESTIVAL’S TAKE ON THE SUSTAINABILITY. Santa Remere, NTIL Artistic Director, “Homo Novus” festival co-curator and “DemArt” project coordinator; New Theatre Institute of Latvia/Homo Novus, LV

Introducing the festival Homo Novus and its journey through climate awareness and sustainability practices. Sharing local experience of curating internationally under constantly changing conditions. How to act and react while aiming for environmentally friendly and accessible events and challenging the idea of slow, but persistent activism.


EQUALITY AND JOY – VALUE-BASED LEADERSHIP IN SOCIAL CIRCUS, CASE OF SIRKUS MAGENTA. Silja Kyytinen, Founder/ Trainer/ Director; Sirkus Magenta, FI

Silja, the Director and a founder of Sirkus Magenta will talk about the associations’ path from a tiny new organisation in 2011 to a vibrant social circus with its brand new space opened in Helsinki this year. Silja will elaborate on how Magenta’s motto: Circus for All and its core values: community, equality, wellbeing and joy are rooted into the activities as well as the leadership / organisational model of Sirkus Magenta.


WORKSHOP TOPICS

InThisTogether icebreaker for all participants. Sophie Zoletnik / Firebirds Productions, HU 

The workshop explores trust and collective responsibility. We’ll play with light and darkness and with movement in space. You will be invited to express personal statements, negotiate collective decisions and explore group formation and dynamics. The workshop is open to all attendees and no prerequisites are necessary.


Shine On – transformational leadership practices. Helen Cole & Helen Davies / In Between Time, UK

An informal workshop using writing, thinking, dancing and sharing, inviting participants to collaborate, explore and test new and transformational leadership practices for a brighter, more vibrant, caring future for the Arts.

Taking us from burnout to burn bright through our collaborative leadership models, sharing our matriarchal practices and learning from nature’s forest ecosystems.


Sustainability ABC. Santa Remere / NTIL and Homo Novus, LV

In this workshop we explore The Alphabet of Sustainability. Through shared conversations, we will exchange experiences, and share practical examples, ideas, and ingenious solutions that help shift the practices of artists and organizations towards ecological sustainability. We will evaluate which habits we can let go of, in order to collectively postpone the end of the world.


Risk Assessment and Management in Art and Culture Projects. Sandis Voldiņš / The Latvian National Opera and Ballet, LV

This workshop is intended specifically for project managers in the art and culture sector, and aims to enhance their skills in identifying, assessing, describing and managing risks associated with various projects, such as financial risks, risks related to local and national regulations, logistics, operations, and partners/stakeholders in a project. Participants will learn basic strategies to conduct risks assessments, identify potential project pitfalls and skillfully incorporate risk descriptions into project proposals.


Advocacy Through Circus Arts. Antonia Kuzmanić / Peculiar Families circus festival, HR

In this workshop we explore the capacity of the circus to function as a conduit for advocacy. We ask: can circus function as a vehicle for empowerment and social change? How can we merge the imperative to address global injustices through local actions, Instagram sharing and using our roles as contemporary circus artists, producers, and practitioners? We will explore the history of circus from this perspective and collaboratively imagine and explore strategies and actions for our collective future.


This project is led by partner organisations Rigas Cirks, DYNAMO and Cirkus Syd, and it is co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. NHLP-EU was designed to offer a capacity building framework for emerging leaders in the circus and culture sectors in Europe.


Your entry and presence on the event premises constitutes your consent to be photographed, filmed, and/or otherwise recorded and to the release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction of any and all recorded media of your appearance.