The art of circus has been kept alive for centuries, thanks to those people who believed that the human performance has no limit, and they managed to maintain this conception for generations. Twenty-five years ago a group of professionals led by István Kristóf created the Budapest International Circus Festival. We have high respect for our ancestors, and we would like to thank all the former leaders, circus directors, artists and supporters dedicated to circus arts for their work and commitment! We can only renew, refresh and reinterpret this miracle,what we call circus art, with the respect for the past and preservation of the merits of our ancestors.
11 January 2024 is a celebration of circus performing arts and circus science, when we open our major international exhibition of circus history in the framework of the XV Budapest International Circus Festival. For the first time, relics of Hungarian performers and circus dynasties, outstanding works of circus art and film, and the finest collectors, collections and museums of international circus heritage from abroad will be on display together. The visible wonders of the circus world are accompanied by a wealth of hands-on experiences: a 100-year-old carousel, museum games, virtual tightrope walking and group circus education, so that anyone can discover their potential as a hidden artist - or circus museologist.
The Imre Baross Artist Training Institute, which looks back on a seventy-year history, provides a uniquely high-quality training for artists, actors and background professionals. In order to continue to create a new supply of Hungarian circus art, a new school building is needed to satisfy all needs.
In a unique way in Europe, a show reminiscent of Hollywood, the Red Carpet, will be held on January 10 at 5 pm in the square in front of the Capital Circus of Budapest, where the world-famous artists of the 15th Budapest International Circus Festival will take part in a ceremonial setting. The show is directed by a multiple Guinness record holder and worthy artists, the Rippel Brothers!
We are very grateful to have received so many applications.
Anton & Viktor Franke are a multi-festival prize-winning, world-famous clown duo. The artists of the Kazakh State Circus have traveled all over the world, performed in Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, Italy, Ukraine, China and Monaco, and won prestigious awards at many international circus festivals. In 2011, Anton became the Clown of the Year in Russia.
BACKThe impressive perche act of the De TRU group brings the harmony and peace of the Far East to the circus stage, in which extraordinary concentration is combined with an amazing sense of balance. In 2022, the performance won the Silver Medal at the International Circus Festival in Hanoi.
BACKThe breathtaking high-wire production of the group, led by Honored Artist of Russia Mikhail Dneprovskii, has been presented for 3 generations. During this time, they took part in many prestigious circus festivals, appeared in world-renowned circuses, toured Europe, performed in China, Japan, Turkey, Malaysia, Georgia. They won the Silver Lion award at the Wuqiao International Circus Festival in China and the Silver Elephant award at the festival of Nikulin Circus in Moscow.
BACKThe young Ethiopians met 5 years ago in Addis Ababa, at the Ethiopian Circus, and since then they have been working and practicing tirelessly to make their dreams come true. Because the maneze is the miracle stage of dreams coming true! The audience of the Capital Circus of Budapest can now be a part of this miracle, and they are guaranteed to be enchanted by the young people’s strumming rhythm performance.
BACKFor the first time in Hungary, we are attempting to introduce a genre that is hardly seen in circuses, yo-yo, by Japanese artist Shu Takada, six-time yo-yo world champion. Shu started yo-yoing at the age of 6. He rose to great popularity in 2012 with highly choreographed 2A routines, often incorporating signature dance moves and acrobatic stunts. His performances are extremely spectacular, his special, unique art style is captivating.
BACKAlthough the young girl recently finished her studies at the State School of Circus and Variety Arts, she already has many awards and recognitions. In 2022, she was awarded the Bronze Crown at the Circus Princess circus festival, and in 2023 she won the circus arts category at the Young talents of Russia. In her graceful lyrical aerial rope act, she presents her sophisticated movement culture to the audience in addition to her technical knowledge.
BACKAmazing professional preparation and spectacular tricks characterize the two young girls, who have already been recognized by numerous children’s and youth circus festivals. Power pervades their show, the interplay of mutually reinforcing energies lends the performance a special dynamic.
BACKDeep concentration, outstanding technical knowledge, innovative implementation and carefree play characterize the diabolo act of the Taiwanese youth, which enchants the audience with unique visuals. The performance of the four artists has toured all over Europe, China and Australia, and since 2019 they have been recurring guests of Cirque du Soleil shows.
BACKThe young Ethiopian artist takes the stage with a special ball-bouncing juggling production in a gentleman's style, interspersed with dance elements. At the age of 13, he was captivated by the world of the circus, that's when he joined the Addis Africa Circus, and then at the age of 15 he started his professional training. In 2015, he won the bronze award of the Nikulin circus festival with his production. And in Puyang, China, he received a gold award as the best style performer of 2018.
BACKBalance plays an important role in our lives, both physically and mentally. Vladimir Erofeev developed keeping and maintaining balance to an artistic level in his breathtaking Rola-Bola act.
BACKMarkin Roman is a manifold circus festival award winning artist. Before coming up with his family production, he had successes with his perche act at festivals in Monte-Carlo, Domont or Wuhan. It is not the first time his family is performing at the Capital Circus of Budapest. In 2016, their act was one of the main elements of “Dima’s Christmas”. What is more, Dmitrii was the show’s namegiver. In 2022, they were featured in the Christmas show "Which one of the 9?".
Beata and Aleksandr's hand to hand issue represents the most powerful feeling between a man and a woman: LOVE. To experience it, unconditional trust in each other is essential - just as it is for every productions made by circus artists.
BACKThe 12-member Troupe Zola, which has achieved incredible success since its formation in 2009, delivers an amazing performance on stage. Their board act, full of awesome tricks and sensational stunts, presented with playful lightness, was a huge success all over the world, and their performance was rewarded with a prestigious prize by the professional jury at more than ten international circus competitions. They also received the Bronze Clown of the 44th Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival.
BACKraser Hooper is an award winning clown who also directs and teaches many other performers. He travels around the world performing at festivals, circuses, theatres and on TV. His first ever show was at the early age of 5, it was in their back garden for friends and neighbours. He doesn’t know why but he has always wanted to be a clown. His early inspirations include the Goodies, Charlie Chaplin, Rowan Atkinson and Nola Rae. Recent awards: Bronze at The Wuhan International Acrobatic Arts Festival China (2018), The Iron Chicken award at The Christchurch Bread and Circus World Buskers Festival NZ (2019), Silver at the Festival International des Artistes de Cirque à Saint-Paul-lès-Dax in France (2019).
BACKYahav Adar, a cyr wheel artist, coming to Budapest for the first time with a lot of excitement! She is 21, she studied circus in Israel for five years and started to perform right after with cyr wheel. First she went to the Kazakh, then the Lithuanian circus festival where she took the first place. This time she is coming with a fairly new cyr wheel act that she performed with at the Wuqiao International Circus Festival in China. The act called “Timeless” and created by Slava Nusinsky who is her coach and agent, and together they wanted to bring modern and emotional choreography that speaks about our “time chasing” in life.
BACKAnton Monastyrsky has been captivating audiences for more than two decades with something as rare as the white raven: his genre of choice, the hula hoop. His artistry knows no boundaries and has amazed audiences worldwide, with stunning performances in more than 15 countries. In his act, he weaves masculine energy, sensuality and subtle artistic gestures into every hypnotic movement.
BACKNot only did Alex Giona take home the Silver Clown from the 45th International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo in 2023, he is also a magician with a prodigious and unique gift who knows something about horses that very few people do. So says Fieracavalli: „With a career defined by his non-conformist and pioneering approach to the world of equestrian art, Alex has become, over the years, one of the symbols of free rein training and the unique, magical relationship between people and horses.” And that's how he talks about himself: “The approach and the relationship I have created with my horses start from a playful routine in which they feel »free and equal«. I often talk and given them compliments, so that they get used to my voice day after day and understand the keywords that correspond to specific actions.”
BACKBui Quoc Huy is a wheel performance artist. He studied at the Vietnam National Circus School between 2000-2005, graduated, and then he worked at the Ho Chi Minh City circus troupe (2006-2013). He is an actor of the world famous Vietnamese A O Show from 2013. During his time there he researched and created, and he came up with a new cyr wheel that looks like a giant finger ring, he has been developing it ever since. Last year he participated at the International Salieri Circus Award competition in Italy.
BACKElisa was born in Verona in 1988 into a four-generation circus family. She performed for the first time at the age of six, with a contortionist act. In the following years, she trained herself in several other genres: hula hoop, fakir, head balance, magic. She started working with parrots, pigeons and dogs when she met her husband Alessio Fochesato - they are like family to them. She considers herself particularly fortunate to have been born into a circus family and to have been quickly drawn into the world of entertainment: she is able to bring her innate talent and passion to her performances, whether they are artistic or animal acts. They won the Bronze Clown at the 45th International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo 2023.
BACKRuslan Kalachevskyi's father was a circus performer, but he never planned to connect his life with circus arts. Until, at the age of 15, he was completely impressed by the balancing acts. In 2021 he graduated at the Dnipropetrovsk College for Culture and Arts. From that day he has continued to improve and develop his skills every day. The next two years he worked and participated in different festivals in Ukraine, traveled around Poland, worked in Germany, Turkey and Portugal.
BACKSelyna Bogino was born in a small town in North Italy into a family of circus performers. At the age of six her father began to teach her the basic disciplines and circus skills. After several years of pure discipline work, Selyna started to perform in 2005 with her solo act. She became quickly a regular artist in some of the best circuses of Europe and overseas. In 2018 she won the Planet Circus Award and a Silver Elephant at the International Circus Festival of Circus Nikulin in Moscow. She also won Silver Award at the Festival International des Artistes de Cirque à Saint-Paul-lès-Dax in 2022.
BACKHe was born in a circus family, started to travel around the circuses with his family when he was 9 months old. When he was nine he started juggling, then he finished the Kyiv Municipal Academy of Variety and Circus Arts and started to travel and work around our planet. He married a beautiful aerial circus girl, and his wife brought him into the air. He is a juggler and trapez dou artist now, never thought, that it's possible to mix juggling and aerial choreography.
BACKA YouTube video inspired the young Austrian to learn the balancing act at the age of ten. With the support of his parents and his trainer Eddy Carello, he developed a Rolla Bolla routine at unique heights. With his act the 18-year-old received a special award at the Youth Circusfestival in Wiesbaden and at the International Circusfestival in Bulgaria. Despite the danger of his act, Stefan Dvorak always has a smile on his face and lives his dream, which the audience can feel and see.
BACKAntony Cesar is a fifth generation circus variety artist performer. He is an aerial strap performer and trained in six elements of gymnastics. He studied at the École Nationale de Cirque in Montréal (Canada), his style is defined by his passion for modern jazz and contemporary dance. As a dance soloist he won many national and international dance competitions. He won also the gold prize at the Classic Contemporary International Salieri Circus Awards (2021).
BACKThe impressive perche act of the De TRU group brings the harmony and peace of the Far East to the circus stage, in which extraordinary concentration is combined with an amazing sense of balance. In 2022, the performance won the Silver Medal at the International Circus Festival in Hanoi. In 2023, they performed in the show Wonderbox in the Capital Circus of Budapest.
BACKTwo brothers, Huan and Roberto Vargas Junior, know no impossible. They've been practicing on the wheel of death for a year and a half, and they're already doing what the pros do. With their passionate act, already performed at Circus Americano Vargas, they want to get the audience going wild. Youthful energy, Latin temperament, tempo and rhythm. What else does a good circus need?
BACKNagyhegyi Sára is a student at the Hungarian Baross Imre Artists’ Training School in Budapest. After being trained as an artiste for six years she graduated and would like to continue working with her aerial hoop, will take her professional exam next May. In 2020 her act was in the opening of the Budapest International Circus Festival. In 2021 she was in the “cirque danse” production “Crystal” by the Recirquelű, then performed in prestigious circuses such as Cirque Imagine in Lyon. In 2022, she won a silver award and two special prizes at the European Youth Circus Festival in Wiesbaden. Her teacher and choreographer for the past five years is Tünde Vincze.
BACKOn one wheel, both of them. Lénárd Matos and Daniella Teibler perform a classic circus jig dressed in a modern costume. Since 2019, they have been combining street freestyle with circus arts in their unicycle act. They have performed in Hungary, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Ireland and other countries. Their acrobatic jumps will amaze everyone.
BACKNoémi Krich was born in Hungary, and after graduating from the Baross Imre Artists' Training School in Budapest, she started her career as an artist in zhe UK. It was there that she met her partner, with whom she is a couple not only in the air but also in real life. John Laci Fossett is from a multi-generational English circus family on his father's side, and has known since childhood that he would follow in his family's footsteps. The Duo Fossett and their hanging perche act have previously been seen here, in the Capital Circus of Budapest in the shows “Fairy Dance - Women Magic” (2020) and “Dynasties” (2021).
BACKAlfons Donnert is the eighth generation of the legendary Donnert circus dynasty, the youngest of five brothers. He has been assisting in his family's equestrian act from an early age, and in 2017, while working at Cirque d'Hiver Bouglione, he met the world-famous diabolo artist Pierre Marchand. The two became friends and Marchand gave him a diabolo set as a gift, teaching him the basics. From then on, Alfons has been practising every day with great passion.
BACKTraveling circuses and members of circus dynasties with their strong traditions form one of the cornerstones of Hungarian Circus Art. The versatile Henrik Ádám not only tingles the audience’s nerves with his dizzying high-wire production, but also displays the loving treatment with which he handles his ponies and horses in the ring. In 2022, they were featured in the Christmas show "Which one of the 9?".
BACKThe Weiss Junior fliegende group was founded in 2005. They chose their grandfather's surname as the group's name, in gratitude for all the support they received from him and their parents. The group started their career with a combination of board and swing acts. The brothers had a shared dream of creating a fliegende act, which they had the opportunity to do during a tour in Italy. There they met Zsuzsanna's future husband, Fabio Pereira Paraizo. The breathtaking act of the only Hungarian fliegende group made up of family members is a tribute to mutual trust and confidence. One of the specialities of the performance is the blindfolded triple somersault. They have worked in Ireland's first circus, Tom Duffy's Circus, in Austria at Circus Louis Knie, in Italy at Lídia Togni Circus and in Hungary at the Hungarian National Circus and the Capital Circus of Budapest. In 2022, they worked with world-famous film producer Nani Moretti, where they acted as the Hungarian fligende group in the highly successful and multi-award winning film “Il Sol Dell'Avvenire”. The group currently consists of six members, the youngest of whom is only eight years old - which is unique in Europe!
BACKA member of the latest generation of the Adam’s circus dynasty, the multi-talented Henrik Adam will be thrilling audiences with his dizzying high-wire act. As a proof of his talent, in 2022 he appeared in the Capital Circus of Budapest’s Christmas show "Which of the 9?" and in 2023 he won one of the gold prizes at the Ukrainian “Yaskrava Arena Dnipra” international children's circus festival.
BACKYaser Abdel Hamid is a student at the Baross Imre Artists’ Training School in Budapest. He began his studies six years ago and started practising with the Chinese pole five years ago, although he has tried his skills in several genres. Last year, he passed his final exam with an excellent score in a romantic duo act. For the Budapest International Circus Festival, he has prepared a solo act about a strong, hard-working man whose efforts are worthless if he cannot share his life with his partner, a woman. In the young artist's performance, choreographed by Roland Csonka, the Chinese pole symbolizes the WOMAN. Beáta Ivu-Murai and István Berkes were his teachers.
BACKRegina Russnák was a student of the Imre Baross Artists’ Training School in Budapest. She has been involved in the art of performing and circus arts for seven years, and has also performed in his parents' lifting act. At the Artists' School, she specialised in aerial gymnastics, which has already won her considerable professional recognition. In 2021, she won the Most Successful Exam Production Award at the Artists’ School and the Gold Award at the 11th Dnipro International Youth Circus Festival, and in 2022 she also won the Young Star of the Stage in Hungary.
BACKOlivér Buti and András Jagudits studied for seven and five years respectively at the Baross Imre Artists' Training School in Budapest, where they became lovers of Korean teeterboard. Their goal was to get better every day and show that it is possible to dream big. The duo, who successfully graduated from the Artists' Training School last year, created a humorous production based on absolute confidence, with Tibor Kőmives as their professional master and Roland Csonka as their choreographer. Their first major competition was the Dnipro Youth Circus Festival, where they won the gold medal and a special prize.
BACKThe legendary Caballero Family, with over a hundred years of circus history, are world renowned as being one of the best Trapeze Families in the world by achieving many records, and also by owning two different touring circuses in the USA. In recent decades, many historic moments and rare records have been linked to the names of various family members and ancestors. The new generation of the Flying Caballero were invited to participate at the 11th International Circus Festival in Girona (2023), and they won the Golden Elephant by making history once again by presenting for the first time in circus history three quadruples somersaults by three different flyers in the same show and to the same catcher.
BACKKai Cao belongs to the legendary China National Acrobatic Troupe, but he has also a standing as a solo artist. He started juggling as an eight-year-old little boy. He won different awards and applause from the audience due to his special acrobatic performance of combining tapping dance with ball bouncing. The world record for bounce juggling 9 balls is 1 minute and 7 seconds by him. "If you can endure the hard times, you will view the difficulties as nothing when you look back." – told once, as an ars poetica of his art.
BACKVladimir Serov and Elizaveta Demidova won the gold medal in the children's category of the ARTIST International Circus Festival 2023, held for the first time at the Nikulin Circus in Moscow, with their hanging perche performance „Bamboo Act”. In addition to the gold prize, the students of the Circus School of the Kazan State Circus also received a special prize from the Capital Circus of Budapest: an invitation to the 2024 Budapest International Circus Festival.
BACKPhilippe Renaud graduated in Montreal in 2007 in hand-to-hand, a number that won him a bronze at the Cirque de Demain festival of 2009. Shannon started her career as an aerialist, she won the journalist’s award in Latina (2010), and the Bronze Lion in Wuqiao (2011). They started working together in 2014 to create a duo in the cyr wheel. Some years later inspired by „Le Petite Prince”, they have created an awe-inspiring act called, “Lamp Lighters” that has already taken them around the world, from Canada to Singapore.
BACKAndrey Pogorelov is a former athlete, master of sports in trampoline jumping. He has been working in the circus for 15 years, during which time he has mastered several genre in acrobatics and balancing act. Six years ago he discovered a new genre of the "wheel of courage", since then he has achieved high results. Today he is the only performer in the world of a back somersault with a 360 turn on the outer part of the wheel. In 2023 he took part in the international circus festival Echo of Asia where won a silver award.
BACKRuslan Kalachevskyi's father was a circus performer, but he never planned to connect his life with circus arts. Until, at the age of 15, he was completely impressed by the balancing acts. In 2021 he graduated at the Dnipropetrovsk College for Culture and Arts. From that day he has continued to improve and develop his skills every day. The next two years he worked and participated in different festivals in Ukraine, traveled around Poland, worked in Germany, Turkey and Portugal.
BACKBorn in Paris, Marceau Bidal started the circus at the age of 4 at the Cherche-Trouve circus school in Cergy. He has always been attracted to working in stage management, and in 2019, obtained his communications degree from the University of Paris to work as a producer for shows and events. He tried different circus disciplines before specializing in aerial straps. It was then, that his stage calling finally led him to join the Academy of Circus and Performance Art in Tilburg (Netherlands). After a year, he joined the National Circus School of Montreal, graduated in June 2023. During his years at ENC, Marceau created and developed a new aerial apparatus: Asymmetrical Straps.
BACKFor the first time in Hungary we are attempting to introduce a genre that is hardly seen in circuses, shaker cups juggling, by Spanish-Italian artist Bruno Macaggi, selected as best young Spanish artist 2016. Bruno started practicing at the age of 8. His family has a great success with two circuses in Spain, Gran Circo Wonderland and Gran Circo WOW. There are just two jugglers in the world who can play with 12 shaker cups, and Bruno it’s one of them.
BACKAnton Mikheev was born in Moscow, in 1998. His parents were part of the Mikheev Trio, a famous Russian perch act. His mother, Margarita (Rita) had been an aerialist, she is one of the few women to have completed a quadruple somersault on the flying trapeze. Anton was trained in aerial straps at Circus Nikulin in Moscow by Gennadiy Totukhov, a former aerialist. He made his professional debut with his strap act at Circus Nikulin in 2014. That same year, he won a Gold Medal at the European Youth Circus Festival in Wiesbaden, Germany, and in 2015, the Silver Award at the New Generation Festival in Monte Carlo. Soon after, he was featured on the French television hit variety show, Patrick Sebastien's Le plus grand cabaret du monde. A special feature of his act is that he also plays with a ball in the air, balancing and doing tricks.
BACKAtlantulga Narmandakh, Altanchimeg Erdenechimeg, Buyannemekh Onongoo, Chinbat Otgonjargal, Davaanordog Nomuun-Od, Makhval Uyanga, Tuguldur Michimdaa, Ganchuluun Namuundari
Extreme agility has become a trademark of Mongolian circus performers, which they showcase in their group handstand act at the Capital Circus of Budapest. The performance, performed in Mongolian costume and to music, not only demonstrates the art of hand balancing on thin sticks, but also the art of arcing on their hands. In 2023, they performed in the show “Spirit of Steppe” in the Capital Circus of Budapest.
BACKShannon and Philippe began working together in 2014 and a few years later, inspired by Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince, they created their stunning show "The Lantern Strikers", which has toured the world from Canada to Singapore.
BACKThe four young artists' breathtaking handstand performances are guaranteed to captivate the audience. Their act shows elemental strength, deep concentration and absolute confidence.
BACKCLASSICAL CIRCUS PERFORMANCES, OFFICIAL COMPETITION PROGRAM
09 JANUARY 2024 7PM Triumph of the Nutcracker – The performance of the Baross Imre Circus School
10 JANUARY 2024 5PM RED CARPET SHOW
10 JANUARY 2024 7PM RED SHOW
11 JANUARY 2024 10AM Circus, Education, Heritage – ECA International Academic Conference
11 JANUARY 2024 12PM WONDERFUL CIRCUS WORLD International Circus History Exhibition opening ceremony
11 JANUARY 2024 7PM GREEN SHOW
12 JANUARY 2024 3PM GREEN SHOW
12 JANUARY 2024 10PM WHITE SHOW - LYRICAL CIRCUS LATE - NIGHT SHOW
13 JANUARY 2024 11AM GREEN SHOW
13 JANUARY 2024 8.30PM RED - WHITE - GREEN SHOW - HUNGARIAN SUPERTALENTS
14 JANUARY 2024 11AM RED SHOW
14 JANUARY 2024 3PM RED SHOW
15 JANUARY 2024 7PM GALA SHOW