CONFERENCE: TAKE CARE - Circus life in a swing

An Overview of Health Research and Monitoring in Circus Performance by Rogier van Rijn (CODARTS)

Circus arts demand exceptional physical performance, combining acrobatics – both, on the ground and in the air – with elements of dance, theatre, and comedy. Artists frequently engage in high-impact activities requiring significant strength, extreme ranges of motion, and sustained endurance. This presentation provides an overview of global research on health challenges within the circus arts sector, introducing the Performing Artist Health Monitor (PAHM), an online tool developed by Codarts for universities and companies. PAHM collects data on the physical and mental well-being of performing artists, offering real-time, personalized feedback on potential health risks. Based on PAHM insights, the keynote presents findings on the prevalence of injuries and health concerns among circus arts students.

What have we been actually practicing? By Amanda Homa and Gaia Vimercati

The keynote invites us to rethink care as an ongoing, collective action – one that involves situatedness, address structural pressures. To “take care” should start with the question: What should I know/learn. In circus practice, care is often tied to physical risk, while less visible dangers – emotional, psychological, or systemic – are frequently overlooked, leaving individuals to navigate them alone.

This workshop is all about tackling the mental health challenges related to chronic stress and burnout in the performing arts field, offering a supportive space to explore, understand, and manage anxiety and emotional exhaustion. We know the sector can be incredibly demanding: from constantly fluctuating work, unpredictable conditions, and the pressure to keep up financially and creatively. It’s common to feel drained and disconnected from your goals, especially when these feelings pile up over time. The workshop will focus on building peer-to-peer support within the artistic community.

Queerness is an essential topic in today’s cultural landscape. While we happily celebrate venues opening their programme to new types of work, how can venues and companies better support queer artists and audiences? This workshop is a space for open conversation, sharing real-life experiences, and identifying practical steps towards more inclusive practices. Together, we’ll explore the challenges and opportunities queer artists face and start shaping a practical guide to help the sector work more thoughtfully and effectively. Whether you’re an artist, programmer, or producer, join us to be part of the change.

This workshop explores the intricate connections between nutrition, the microbiome -the community of microorganisms in our bodies—, and creativity. We will discuss how our dietary choices influence our body's gut health and the profound impact it can have in turn on our physical and mental health. Focussing on practical strategies to include gut-friendly foods into our meals, we'll aim at fostering both well-being and creative thinking. This workshop is designed for anyone looking to enhance their creativity, professionals in creative fields, and anyone interested in the fascinating intersection of health and creativity.

How does the concept of care spill over into the artistic practices of different personalities at the head of a cultural organisation? How can different relational and behavioural devices generate inclusion and increase the sense of well-being of individuals and their communities? The Take Care Conference at CircusDanceFestival will close with a final panel gathering actual good practices in the performing arts sector. The participants will tell more about what it means, individually and in a collective context, how they decline their approach to mental health and well-being in their daily own work, exchanging thoughts on what they had learned and the future challenges they are involved in. Mixing the perspective of directing, co-authoring, and coaching, an hour of conversation with local and international guests, connecting the city of Cologne’s dimension with circus and dance culture's international trajectory.