The CASCAS project is currently inviting European circus professionals to apply for one of four 'facilitated' tours of Sweden, the UK, Belgium and Finland.
Each tour lasts six days, and while at this stage there's no detailed public itinerary, participants will 'meet local organisations, artistic companies, educations and key players', and the purpose of the project is broadly to assist cross-cultural collaboration and develop artistic and industry practice through an exchange of working knowledge. A researcher will accompany each of the four tours and conduct a series of interviews with participants to form the basis of a book documenting the project.
It's open to more or less everyone – artists and companies, producers, company managers, researchers, critics, presenters. The tours will be run by Subtopia (Sweden), Circus Development Agency (UK), MiramirO (Belgium), and The Finnish Circus Information Centre (Finland).
Travel, accommodation and food are all provided. Applications are now open, and the deadline is 30 November 2010. You can apply to up to two tours, but if selected will only be allocated one, and you can't apply for a country that you're connected to by current residence or citizenship. You have to have a European passport. The tours will take place:
Sweden: 15-20 February 2011
Belgium: 17 – 22 July 2011
United Kingdom: 28 June – 3 July 2011
Finland: 30 August – 4 September 2011