Kaaos Kaamos is the multicultural circus group that establishes itself in Umeå. The group was founded and is run by Umeå-born Erik Glas and his four colleagues from Sweden, Finland, Germany and France. Together they build human towers and throw each other in the air - with the ambition to create a modern circus performance in a traditional circus tent.
It was when the performance Traces with the circus company 7 fingers Erik Glas first became aware of the circus when he visited Umeå. The acrobatics of the performers seemed superhuman, they were superheroes in Erik's eyes. The day after the show, he met the performers, who then seemed like ordinary people who had practised for a long time to learn these skills. Shortly afterwards, he began his circus career by applying to the New Circus Gymnasium in Stockholm - the idea of learning superpowers stayed with him for many years but has cooled over the years.
After three years at a secondary school for contemporary circus and four years at university, Erik and four colleagues now run the contemporary circus company Kaaos Kaamos, which creates and performs circus shows and holds courses in circus.
We work with pair acrobatics, that is, we build human towers and throw each other in the air. Our goal has been to create a human circus, not a superhero circus. Quite often it's about not taking ourselves too seriously. We want the joy of movement to permeate everything we do, from performances to classes," says Erik.
The friends met during school, where they learned about drama and developed physical skills. Although they didn't know much about business, they got together and developed a new show, and then it continued.
In addition to Europe, the company has toured Brazil and performed over 70 shows. According to Erik, the first major performance was at L'européenne de cirques in Toulouse in October 2017 and after that at Subcase in Stockholm in November 2017. These were two of the biggest new circus showcases in Europe and it was a stepping stone to more work.
Kaaos Kaamos has also participated in an EU project, Circus Incubator, where circus artists from Sweden, France, Brazil and Canada met with organisers and producers from the same countries. This led to a collaboration with director Albin Warette, and he helped them with many new contacts.
The importance of cooperation
Collaborating with other circus artists and directors has been crucial for the company, but collaboration also plays an important role within the company.
It's central to everything we do. Pair acrobatics is about one person taking responsibility for the balance and the other stopping balancing. It's not something you turn on and off at will, but are reflexes that have to be worn into the body. As soon as we find it hard to trust each other, it transfers to how our bodies react.
We've been at odds several times, especially during long intense touring periods when we lived close to each other. Then we need to sit down and talk. It's important for everyone that we deal with conflicts when they arise. Sometimes we have brought in an external person to sit in on our conversations and help us.
During an acrobatics test at school, Erik suffered a health fracture. With a strong desire to return to the circus, the rehabilitation became too aggressive and the heel tendon broke again. In total, this resulted in six months without being able to walk.
The injury created many existential questions about who I was and what my value was without my circus skills. It was a time for much reflection. In retrospect, it was probably worth it, my world became much bigger.
Sometimes he questions whether he should go all in on Kaaos Kaamos. The company involves a lot of administrative work and the overall workload is very high compared to the financial reward. Despite waking up many times with screaming training pains and bruises, he doesn't feel that he has reached his limit of how good he can be, and that encourages him to keep going. What's more, the group has been crucial.
It's a group of people I care about very much, and when we work together the workload doesn't feel heavy, it's an adventure and a challenge to overcome.
A working week as a circus performer in kaaos kaamos
What a working week looks like varies depending on whether Kaaos Kaamos is in the process of creating new material, is out performing or is a "normal" office week.
A typical working week includes about 10 hours of training, 20 hours of administration time and 10 hours of teaching time.
When developing new shows, the week is divided into 20 hours of training, 15 hours of improvisation and creation, and 10 hours of planning and writing.
In between, the time is often filled with talking about what they've done and jointly envisioning new ideas. These tend to be very intense periods.
Gigs usually involve the company travelling to a location 1-5 days before the first gig (depending on how long ago they trained together) and practicing and rehearsing.
The day of the performance starts 4 hours before the performance itself. During that time they warm up, run through the more difficult tricks and set up the stage. Then they change and get ready to face the audience before the show starts.
Establishment in Umeå
After the base of Kaaos Kaamos rotated to different places around the world, the ambition is now to establish the circus group in Umeå. There will be two prominent activities, a new performance and an educational activity.
The show will be a big bet. We plan to tour with a traditional circus tent with a modern circus performance. It will be a work without boundaries between audience and performers where we together create an alternative world to experience in one evening.
In addition, the company is expanding its educational activities with courses for children and young people who want to learn circus.
Circus training is one of the best things you can do to improve your basic motor skills and range of motion, because it involves such a wide range of exercise. Right now we are working to give more people in Umeå the opportunity to practice circus. We are holding courses and workshops with the long-term goal of starting a full-time program here in Umeå.
Try the circus?
Read more on the cultural school's website, or contact Erik directly at Erik@kaaoskaamos.com.
Traditional / Modern circus
The traditional circus was long a closed world. You couldn't be part of it or learn the skills unless you were born into a circus family. It's the typical image of a circus tent going round with animals, clowns and acrobats that many people still see in front of them.
Only in the last 50 years has it been possible to go to a school and learn circus. With that, the circus arts opened up to new people and ideas.
Nowadays, much of the physical technique is used to perform circus tricks and the staging looks completely different. Circus has been crossed with theatre and dance, but also with theories of dramaturgy and staging. Modern circuses very rarely work with animals.
The result is that the experience of visiting a traditional versus a modern circus performance is very different.
