Cirque Mania #18: Female Powers

Do you know when I think, I know what you think? is an absurd game between two friends who have known each other for a very long time. With their techniques, the rope and the handstands, the characters dip into different emotions you can feel in a relationship and instantly switch from one state to another. The game guides the audience on a journey that travels along all the different emotions involved in a friendship. But this is not without friction. They laugh and play, trust each other, but also experience anger and the fear of losing the other.

About Alice & Nienke
Nienke Goodijk (NL, 2002) and Alice Clénet (FR, 1997) are third year students at Codarts Circus Arts. Nienke started doing circus at a youth circus in Groningen. After highschool she decided to take her circus practice to a higher level and went to Flic scuola di circo in Turin (Italy). Upon finishing Flic she came back to her home country to study at Codarts, specializing in aerial rope.  

Alice has already graduated with a bachelor in literature, journalism and audiovisual studies in La Sorbonne (France). She made her first steps into the circus world much later during a gap year in New York. There she decided to quit journalism to express herself no longer with a camera but with her body. She went to a preparatory program in Lille (France) as a handbalancer and contortionist before going to Codarts where she met Nienke.  

Currently in the third year of their education they are both dreaming about creating performances where they can make all their crazy ideas possible and share them with an audience. 

There is one object and two people who can't wait to get their hands on it. With a playful energy, this duet by the duo Clarisse & Lily explores taking risks and connecting to each other. The Cyr wheel requires choices: to catch it, send it away, hold on tight or avoid it. How much do they abide by the rules of the game and trust each other ?

The relationship between these characters unfolds in front of the audience as they continue to catch up to what they're doing there. The atmosphere transforms from preparation into exploration, then eventually reaches a tipping point, framed by friendship and sisterhood.

About Clarisse & Lily
Lily Nolan and Clarisse Baudoin met in Codarts Circus Arts school in 2022. The short piece Hell, We Met! was born from a desire to match their disciplines, handstands and Cyr wheel but above all their state of sharing the stage.

This new work by Liza van Brakel is a collaboration between a juggler and a musician (guitarist Maria Sanchez Garcia), in which rhythm and harmony meet. Let yourself be drawn into the world of juggling and feel the rhythm of expectation, the joy of surprise and the balance between accuracy and complexity. This performance celebrates the art of juggling, where ordinary things become extraordinary. An ode to the beauty of simplicity and the magic found within the impossibilities of juggling.

About Liza van Brakel
Liza van Brakel (1994) was introduced to circus at an early age. She spent her entire childhood at youth circus Poehaa in Arnhem, where she fell in love with circus and its infinite possibilities. In 2017, she graduated from Codarts Circus Arts in Rotterdam, where she discovered her love for object manipulation and acro-dance. There, she developed this discipline from a physical point of view into an art form of her own. Since then, she has travelled the world juggling and seeing clubs as extensions of her body. While juggling, she expands her physical space and fills voids. She has always been very interested in that aspect of juggling where technically, no real throws are made.

About guitarist Maria Sanchez Garcia
Self-taught guitarist Maria Sanchez's career kick-started after some well-reviewed Instagram videos. Maria is heavily inspired by jazz and R&B guitarists. She has played for years with neo-soul artist Gaidaa and now plays with various artists including Gita Buhari and Hatoon. Expect a mix of jazz, neo-soul and silky R&B vibes.