6 international magazines
10 performances
12 perspectives
Dear Audience,
we proudly present the third edition of IMAC. Unique in its design, this inter-magazine Circus Festival brings together 6 international circus magazines, 10 performances featured at UP- Circus & Performing Arts Festival 2026, and 12 students from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, who share their thoughts and questions on what is currently being shown on stage and in the ring. Their perspectives and approaches are thereby as diverse as their backgrounds: coming from a variety of fields such as literature, journalism, acting or cultural studies, some of them are familiar with the art form whereas others offer reflections from the perspective of circus-newcomers. What unites them: a curiosity for the performing arts, which made them choose to study the MA Arts du spectacle . This program offers the discovery of a diversity of artforms – including the circus. In the context of the project Circus | Studies, theatre students at the Université Libre de Bruxelles have the opportunity to explore circus dramaturgy. While collaborating with emerging artists, they can take first steps in the analysis and critique of circus performances or contribute to academic conferences dedicated to the circus. These adventures ultimately take shape in the form of MA theses or articles such as the following.
I now invite you to take a seat and let yourself be carried away by the thoughts of our authors. Engagement, criticism, questioning – all of this is welcome!
A special thanks to UP – Circus & Performing Arts, Subliminati Corporation, Fabbrica C, Post uit Hessdalen, L’Habeas Corpus Cie, Cie MDS, Compagnie Rasposo, David Dimitri, Magda Clan, Kolja Huneck & Luuk Brantjes, Gaël Santisteva, Juggling Magazine, Stage Lync, Zirkólika, DYNAMO Magazine, Sztuka Cyrku, CIRQUEON and the INCAm network, for making this festival possible.
Kind regards,
Franziska Trapp
Read the articles:
- Felix Schwaiger: „Why does the sun keep on shining?”
On the End of the world and the potential of the circus in Magda Clan’s “2984”. - Ghaile Nullar: Homme Cirque: a living legacy or spectacular nostalgia?
