Budapest Aerial Meeting
WHAT IS IT?
- An aerial meeting designed for professional and amateur aerialists of all abilities
- To pull aerialists together from across Hungary and Europe
- To establish a sense of community within the aerial and circus scene in Hungary that branches internationally across Central and Eastern Europe
- A platform for aerialists to meet, train, exchange, learn and discuss- An opportunity for aerialists to teach and perform internationally
WHEN IS IT?
29.-31.09.2025
WHERE IS IT?
BUY YOUR TICKET HERE!
WHAT WE HAVE DONE SO FAR
In 2019 we hosted the first BAM event. Over three days aerialists came together to practice, share, exchange, research and discuss. Anyone who was working on tricks, movement, num bers or pieces who were seeking guidance and feedback could take the opportunity to demon strate their work to fellow aerialists of all levels, backgrounds and experience. The program was relaxed with open training in the mornings, a time for aerialists to get to know each other in a relaxed environment. In the afternoons there was the opportunity for participants to lead a work shop if they so wished. On the second evening we opened up our intimate practice environment to the public who watched our international mix of aerialists from Poland, Slovakia, Czech Re public, Italy, UK and Hungary demonstrate what goes on behind the scenes in the studio.
Our second BAM event was postponed until 2022. We took on board the feedback we re ceived from past participants in 2019 and de veloped the three day program and what more we could offer. We invited aerial instructors both local and international to lead a range of workshops: Straps by Viktor Franyo, Aerial Yoga by Age Györe, Tissu by Ariadna Vendelo va. Other workshops were hosted by the or ganisers themselves: Georgina Cassels, Réka Zetelaki and Rolland Andre covering creative approaches, rigging and safety, aerial tech nique and air/body awareness.
For the 2022 edition we teamed up with one of Budapest’s most popular concert venues Durer Kert who invited us to use their outside space - an open barn where we hung our equipment and cooked together while onlookers and the public socialised under the same roof.
WHERE?
So far, BAM has been hosted at Inspiral Circus Centre, the only circus space in Budapest which houses and generates most of Hungary’s alternative circus. The space is founded and operated by the Hungarian Juggling Association and frequented by artists of the contemporary circus scene in Budapest. A renovated warehouse and now a rustic circus training venue, the space has two big and bright studios suitable for aerial practice with a maximum height of 10 metres. Since our collaboration with Durer Kert in 2022 we have been inspired to develop our relation ship with Durer Kert by hosting more workshops over the BAM weekend in their outside space and to bring aerial and circus into their green, peaceful and frequented garden. As BAM is hosted during the summer season we wish to evolve the project so the events and workshops can be held outside offering more opportunity of engagement with the public and offering more circus and the arts to the city of Budapest and its people. To this end, we hope that this collabora tion can grow beyond just the BAM weekend developing into more outside aerial events and performances and site specific shows in this venue and elsewhere.
HOW WE WOULD LIKE TO GROW
Our priority is to focus on establishing a community within the circus and aerial arts in Central and Eastern Europe. We wish to be able to put together a strong and exciting program of tech nical and creative workshops throughout our weekend. Workshops to be taught by renowned artists within the industry that have a diverse background, from self-taught artists to thoroughly trained professionals. We hope to create a program that has a balance between inside and out side activities. Dürer Kert is a beloved venue and known to the whole of the city. It is a great place for all live events across the arts. What we hope is to evolve our relationship with Dürer Kert beyond just the Budapest Aerial Meeting, to initiate further events to take place over the summer period. We would love to be able to host work in progress events and Impro Labs, scratch evenings, workshops etc. to bring aerial and circus outside.
OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE
As community is important to us, we would like to evolve our relationships with neighbouring circus and aerial homes across the region. Our vision would be to host three aerial workshop weekends throughout the year in our partner’s circus spaces as well as continue to host our own aerial meeting in Budapest. Over these weekends we would involve workshops covering not only technical and creative aerial disciplines but also rigging safety and emergency action workshops as we feel there is a lack of this knowledge (at least in Hungary).
Email: budapestaerialmeeting@gmail.com
Instagram:@budapestaerialmeeting
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwkDq_3igg8&t=1s
Image and poster by Ren Huszka, Irene Pepe, Eva Palffy & Anita Lencsés