Benedikt Löffler

Country: Germany
Specialization: Hand-to-hand, Globe
Coach: Francesco Sgrò
Email: b.loeffler06@gmail.com
Instagram: @duonorben_bene

Biography:
Benedikt has been practising gymnastics since he was a child. After a professional education in the field, he went on to refine his hand-to-hand skills in the bachelor programme of Codarts where he is now finalising his graduation piece. He is the base in the male duo Hand2Globe with Malte Gerhardt. Their work stands out for the rare combination of the walking globe with their hand-to-hand acrobatics. In the future he aims to combine his love for circus with his passion for photography to be an enrichment for the circus scene.

Act: 
The Act is an 8-minute high-energy circus act in which two long-time friends combine their circus techniques with a one-meter ball, a so-called walking-globe. The humoristic and fun number gives you an insight in their friendship, their thoughts and their interesting and sometimes blunt way of communicating with each other. Are they trying to solve problems or are they creating more?

Malte Gerhardt

Country: Germany
Specialization: Hand-to-hand, Globe
Coach: Francesco Sgrò
Email: malte-gerhardt@web.de
Instagram: @malte_artist & @hand2globe

Biography:
The combination between concentration and explosiveness in partner-acrobatics has inspired Malte since he started to train circus arts at the age of nine in the Southwest of Germany. In the years after, Malte continued to develop his skills and later even taught various circus disciplines. At the age of 14, he successfully applied to the Ballet School and School for Acrobatic Arts in Berlin and finished his professional education four years later at CircArtiveSchool. With his friend and base Benedikt Löffler he is in the final year of Codarts. They have created a rarely seen combination of partner-acrobatics and a globe, called Hand2Globe.

Act: 
Hand2Globe is a hand-to-hand acrobatic duo based in Germany. They have been working together for about seven years. Hand2Globe’s shows are both thrilling and visually stunning, with the acrobats seamlessly transitioning from one trick to the next as they balance and spin themselves on and off the globe. Their rare combination of hand-to-hand acrobatics with a globe has made them a standout act in the acrobatics world, and they continue to captivate audiences with their intimate friendship and the humoristic approach to the problems that come with it.

Fidel Rott

Country: Germany
Specialization: Object manipulation
Coach: Gerindo Kamid Kartadinata
Email: fidelius@posteo.de
Instagram: @fidel_ius

Biography:
Hey fellow human, my name is Fidel Rott. Fidel like Fidel Castro and Rott like Rotterdam. So, what have I achieved so far? I survived this crazy thing called life till now. I had my first kiss at 17 (which was shit). Right now, I want to find a balance between my life and my work. Learning to say No to things I don’t wanna do and Hell Yes to the things that give me a spark. Next to that I am desperately looking for a freezer to create ice blocks which I balance on my head. Oh, I almost forgot… I am about to graduate from Codarts with object manipulation a.k.a. juggling.

Act: 
The act NILAT BOAJ, which stands for: ‘Nobody is looking at the balls of a juggler’ researches the behaviours of a young soul pouring his life into throwing objects from one hand into the other. Commonly known as juggling. Coming straight from the underground, our protagonist Nilat Boaj takes you on a trip into his world. From the realisation of the meaninglessness of his dream to his pessimistic outlook on life and his passion for chewing gum. This act will give you some hope for humanity or perhaps you will lose it all. Most likely, Nilat will paint a smile on your face.

Joe Baker

Country: United Kingdom
Specialization: Aerial rope
Coach: Francesco Sgrò
Email: joeelandbaker@gmail.com
Instagram: @aver4ge.joe

Biography:
Joe Baker is a circus artist from the UK, graduating from Codarts and specialising in aerial rope. “I want to establish my identity within the circus community, combining my passion for music production and circus. Performance arts have been used as a tool to comment on society long before the beginning of modern circus. My ambition is to use my knowledge of circus as a tool to highlight what I consider to be socio-political inequities. I want to bridge the gap between society and circus, to bring meaning to my work, creating a better place to exist.”

Act: 
WRAPPED IN - SECURITIES delve into the insecurities and vulnerabilities felt by men during everyday life. In this piece, aerial rope artist Joe Baker unwraps what it means to feel vulnerable on stage, taking the audience along on the journey. Fragility and masculinity are not two traits often associated with one another. WRAPPED IN - SECURITIES will aim to tackle this, exhibiting the male physique on stage, not only in the way we have come to expect it. The piece tackles the stereotypes that men have to adhere to in order to fit into the norms within society.

Natalia Koskela

Country: Finland
Specialization: Partner acrobatics
Coaches: Aurélia Brailowsky, Francesco Sgrò
Email: koskelanatalia@gmail.com
Instagram: @nataliasofiaaaa & @lucas.and.natalia

Biography:
Natalia Koskela is a dynamic 24-year-old performer and partner acrobat from Finland. She started her circus career at just six years old, attending circus camps and eventually joining the semiprofessional performing group Sorin Sirkus, a Finnish youth circus. There, she trained in a range of acrobatic disciplines on the ground and in the air. Her love for sharing moments on stage with other performers and the audience made her decide to pursue further education and she started her studies at Codarts Circus Arts in 2019. Here, she specialised in partner acrobatics with Lucas Chacón.

Act: 
As an acrobatic duo, Natalia Koskela and Lucas Chacón combine hand-tohand and Mexican freestyle wrestling, called Lucha Libre. They draw inspiration from the theatrics of it, the unexpected movement patterns and raw and fast technique, bringing them into new context in their work. In RUDO, two characters navigate through odd situations, while they explore power dynamics and blur the lines between status and strength in their own absurd yet honest way. Relatable actions, like holding hands, falling and laughing bring a deeply human element to their work. They play with how the audience perceives them and what makes them laugh.

Lucas Chacón

Country: Spain
Specialization: Partner acrobatics
Coaches: Aurélia Brailowsky, Francesco Sgrò
Email: lucaschacon.circus@gmail.com
Instagram: @liloeos & @lucas.and.natalia

Biography:
ucas Chacón is a versatile 24-yearold partner acrobat from Spain, currently based in Rotterdam. As long as he can remember he wanted to be a circus artist. Lucas has worked with theatre companies, gymnastics teams and circus companies in various settings including street shows, cabarets, theatres and circus tents. In 2019, he started his studies at Codarts Circus Arts, pursuing a professional career. His passion for learning new things keeps driving him to grow as an artist. Alongside creating performances with his acrobatic partner Natalia Koskela, Lucas also skilled himself in music production, video editing and juggling.

Act:
As an acrobatic duo, Natalia Koskela and Lucas Chacón combine handto-hand and Mexican freestyle wrestling, called Lucha Libre. They draw inspiration from the theatrics of it, the unexpected movement patterns and raw and fast technique, bringing them into new context in their work. In RUDO, two characters navigate through odd situations, while they explore power dynamics and blur the lines between status and strength in their own absurd yet honest way. Relatable actions, like holding hands, falling and laughing bring a deeply human element to their work. They play with how the audience perceives them and what makes them laugh.

Luise Hoffmann

Country: Germany
Specialization: Static trapeze
Coach: Benjamin Kuitenbrouwer (Monki Business)
Email: luise_hoffmann@gmx.de
Instagram: @luise.hoffmann

Biography:
Luise Hoffmann was born in 1998 in Kassel, Germany. Luise discovered various circus disciplines at Circus Rambazotti in Kassel. She worked as a freelancer in Germany in 2018 before she started studying static trapeze at Codarts. In the frame of her studies, she created several acts and took part in creations with directors such as Francesco Sgrò and Daniel Gulko. Luise believes that creating pieces is a tool to get to know herself, to research and to discover new things. Her latest work, about expectations, biodegradable glitter and techno music, is an act called WHAT I THINK, THEY THINK.

Act: 
WHAT I THINK, THEY THINK is a captivating and mesmerising static trapeze act that explores the complex relationship between thoughts, perceptions, and reality. The performer uses movements on the trapeze and spoken words to convey the complexity and contradiction of the human mind. The act invites audiences to contemplate the ways in which our thoughts and beliefs shape our perceptions of the world around us. With its evocative music and powerful themes, WHAT I THINK, THEY THINK is a compelling and captivating performance that challenges audiences to examine their own thought processes and preconceptions

Arvi Yrjölä

Country: Finland
Specialization: Applied floor acrobatics
Coach: Kim-Jomi Fischer
Email: info.ajyrjola@gmail.com

Biography:
Arvi Yrjölä will soon graduate from Codarts Circus Arts. During his studies, he specialised in applied floor acrobatics and trampoline. Additionally, he invested in developing as a contemporary dancer. Dedicated to movement research, he is always searching for ways to develop his movement language combining acrobatic elements such as tricking, breakdance and soft acrobatics with his improvisational and experimental way of dancing. After his graduation he is looking forward to continuing his career as an acrobat, dancer and performer in various movement-oriented collectives and projects.

Act:
In AND ONLY THE EARTH HELD ME the performer gets lost in the expansiveness of the space and the flow of movement inside the body. One is faced with the necessity to rediscover the relationship with his very own body and the surrounding vastness. Encircled by time and space that seem limitless, the performer shares the physical and emotional experience of sensations emerging from inside the body together with the audience. The sketch-like audio-visual design combined with the bare and genuine never-ending rediscovery of one’s physicality leave plenty of room for the imagination of the audience and the performer himself.