Performing Arts Laboratory “CirqueMusique”

About this project

<p style="text-align: justify"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif">Liepāja Concert Hall Great Amber, together with partners from Norway and Iceland, will work on the creation of a mobile full-scale interdisciplinary music production for young audiences (aged 12 to 18) with the elements of circus and choreography. The creation process will be based on creative ‘ateliers’ in four regions of Latvia, which will include various artistic experiences, networking, workshops, performances with young professionals and younger audiences. The need for such a project is built on our experience in working with educational programs for young audiences in at our Concert Hall, while there is currently a lack of suitable contemporary artistic content for teenagers outside Rīga, especially in the field of circus or contemporary music. Therefore, Concert Hall Great Amber wishes to create a new production that would incorporate contemporary music and contemporary circus and choreography and allow young people to get educated, discover, and experience the exciting creative process of interdisciplinary art production both here in Liepāja and in other regions of Latvia. Moreover, the project is focused on regional accessibility for children and the increase of practice of various art forms like circus or contemporary music outside the capital. This process will create a meaningful synergy among artists, our audiences, and different art forms, thus promoting audience development and regional engagement. In order to reach a broader audience, there will be a video documentary about the project CirqueMusique to show the hidden parts of creating the interdisciplinary performance. </span></span></p>

Bilateral cooperation results

The bilateral partnership was instrumental in the success of the project, leading to improved knowledge and understanding. It is quite rare to have such level of professionals in Latvia in this field, therefore it is important to have experienced international partners in this project. Partners from Norway and Iceland brought unique expertise and methodologies that significantly enriched the project. The diverse approaches and experiences shared by the donor partners broadened the teenagers' exposure to different artistic practices and cultural perspectives, enriched their learning experience and encouraged to explore new creative ways how to mix music with circus and vice versa. Norwegian circus artists introduced youngsters with innovative circus and performing arts techniques that were integrated into the workshops and creative ateliers. Their expertise helped in developing a high-quality, interdisciplinary production for teenagers. Icelandic audience development professional provided invaluable insights into engaging and retaining audience interest building capacity for the regional artistic organisations. This exchange of knowledge enhanced the overall quality of the production and provided valuable learning experiences for all involved and created meaningful connections – teenagers got to know how the performance is made with different approaches, meanwhile professionals got to understand what’s best for the youngsters – what they expect from the performance. This synergy improved the teenagers' performing arts skills and fostered a sense of community and cultural appreciation. There is a shared commitment to integrating the successful methodologies and practices developed during project into long-term strategic goals. There are plans to go on a tour around Latvia and Estonia. This performance will aim to further develop the connection of culture and young people by promoting a performance that is specially made for them about the current topics and problems.

Project partners

• Julian Sæther Donor project partner· Norway
• Greta Clough Donor project partner· Iceland