Go back Climate change in the spotlight in a performance in Riga Circus
15.05.2023.
Riga Circus and “Acting for Climate” will present a contemporary circus show DANDELION in the historic building and courtyard of Riga Circus on 19 and 20 May. Dandelion is a contemporary circus performance about the crossroads that our planet is facing.
Exploring different realities through spectacular acrobatics, dance, music and the voices of Latvian youth, Dandelion will create stunning and unexpected imagery of what the world could become.
The DANDELION is a highlight of the year-long co-creation between Latvian and Norwegian circus artists and young people from the regions of Latvia, showing the concerns and hopes of young people towards the future of our planet.
Taking inspiration from a dandelion, which can survive and spread its seeds despite harsh conditions, humanity has a chance to survive when we start collaborating, supporting and creating together.
The performance is aimed at young audiences and to spread inspiration on how our actions matter.
“Climate change is not a crisis of science or engineering. Climate change is a cultural crisis, caused by our overconsumption of fossil fuels and natural resources. We must change culture through culture. Acting for Climate has together with Latvian artist created a new performance about taking action on Climate change. We must ask ourselves, if not us, then who? If not now, then when?” says Amund Bentsen, one of the producers of DANDELION from “Acting for Climate”.
“We hope that DANDELION can create space to reflect on the climate and nature crisis, and raise questions about our collective responsibility and potential to take action, and how our seeds of action might grow into something new,” says Emma Langmoen who is the other producer of DANDELION, also from “Acting for Climate”.
“As a civilization, we are facing a global climate crisis, and it is expected that cataclysms will be the next collective problem of humanity. Action must be taken in the near future, therefore it is important for us as an organization to be active and invite young people to activism as well, because they will be the generation that will have to deal with this situation in the future. By collaborating with “Acting for Climate”, the Riga circus has a great opportunity to be inspired and learn how to solve environmental issues on both an artistic and everyday level,” says Mārtiņš Ķibers, the Creative Director of Riga Circus.
About the project
The “Circus for Climate” project, which began in the spring of 2022 is a collaboration between the Riga Circus and the Norwegian circus artists’ network “Acting for Climate”.
The performance builds on a series of workshops with Latvian youth and what they think about the climate crisis.
During the project, the artists together created and managed creative laboratories in which young people from all over Latvia took part. In the labs, climate issues and art activism were discussed through different art forms. After listening to the vision of young people regarding environmental and climate problems, the circus performance “Dandelion” was created. Along with the performance, a comic strip book “The Green journey” was created and is to be presented during the performances.
The main goal of the project is to explore the collective empowerment that a multidisciplinary approach to education, art and activism can provide. The aim is to create a space for youngsters, artists and environmental specialists to meet and to work together across different regions of Latvia around the topic of art activism for the environment.
The full version of DANDELION will be performed in Riga Circus on 19 and 20 May, and a shortened version will be performed in schools in Latvia over the school year 2023/24.
The project has been created with the support of the European Economic Area (EEA) Grants Financial Mechanism funding period 2014. – 2021. program “Local Development, Poverty Reduction, and Cultural Cooperation” open call “Support for the Creation of Professional Art and Cultural Products for Children and Youth”.
More information about the EEA Grants Financial Mechanism can be found HERE.
More about the performance HERE.
