The adventure began in 2001–2002, at the initiative of the Ministry of Culture, in conjunction with the Year of the Circus Arts in France. Under the name “Jeunes Talents Cirque,” a new initiative was launched: to identify the next generation of contemporary circus creators and provide them with the resources and conditions they needed for their careers to emerge—a writing grant, residencies, and a collective review of their work.
In 2002, thirteen young companies presented their projects at the Théâtre de la Cité internationale in Paris. This first edition immediately set the tone: Raphaël Navarro and Clément Debailleul invented magie nouvelle there, Ludor Citrik reinvented the black clown(le clown noir), Camille Boitel made an impression with his circus of ‘calamities’, (cirque de “calamités”) and Baro d’Evel embarked on a poetic journey that was never to endnames. Their names that have since become essential figures in the field.
Every two years, the selection process is renewed and expanded to include a new region, starting in 2007. Recognizing that contemporary circus is a pan-European phenomenon, “Jeunes Talents Cirque” became “Jeunes Talents Cirque Europe.” In 2009, the first European cooperation initiative was launched, co-funded by the European Commission. Projects now came from Croatia, Finland, Belgium, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The juries became international, and the deliberations more complex and richer, as they brought together perspectives shaped by vastly different artistic contexts to evaluate emerging projects.
In 2012, to ensure the initiative remained open to Europe, a new European cooperation project was launched. It was at this time that the name circusnext was adopted, unambiguously affirming the project’s mission: to identify and support emerging creators in contemporary circus across the continent. A second cooperation project followed from 2013 to 2017, further expanding the network of partners.
With each edition, the juries face the same fundamental questions, without ever reaching a definitive conclusion: what defines a unique circus style? Is it better to support fragile projects that would never see the light of day without this backing, or solid projects that stand as symbols of excellence? Far from being obstacles, these debates are a sign of a vibrant sector.
In 2017, circusnext reached a decisive turning point with the launch of circusnext Platform, the only contemporary circus Platform co-funded by the European Union under the Creative Europe program. This marked a major expansion for the consortium of partners: twenty-eight creation and presentation venues across 17 countries became members. Year after year, a growing community has formed around a shared conviction: that contemporary circus deserves greater collective attention. Members of the Platform share common goals—supporting emerging artists and creative development, promoting artistic excellence, and fostering European cooperation—and they make important artistic decisions together.
At the same time, the circusnext+ project (2018–2021), an Erasmus+ strategic partnership, specifically explored the skills of emerging artists as creators and project leaders and provided inspiration for the Platform’s support practices.
In 2022, a second phase of the Platform (2022–2025) saw a significant evolution of the support program. Selections became annual. The three-stage selection process—national and regional preselections, European selection of Finalists, and selection of Laureates —became a permanent feature, bringing together jurors who are members of the Platform and artist jurors to share a common vision. Artistic labs organized at partner venues across Europe allow some fifty preselected artists each year to develop their creative projects in a collective setting: these labs quickly become one of the program’s highlights.
The editorial line grows stronger and clearer. What circusnext is looking for has become clearer while remaining true to its core: creators who bring long-lasting artistic innovation to the circus and embrace artistic risk. To select them, the focus is on the uniqueness of the project, its interest from a dramaturgical perspective—the writing, the composition, and how the work engages the audience—and the quality of the performance on stage.
In 2025, circusnext enters the third phase of the Platform (2025–2029), continuing the annual selection process and fine-tuning the support offered to artists.
In over twenty years of existence, circusnext has organized 13 editions and supported 135 laureate and finalist companies.
A few examples of artists we have identified and supported who have gone on to make their mark on the field: Camille Boitel, Denis Paumier (Les Objets volants), Ludor Citrik, Baro d’evel, Cécile Mont-Reynaud (Cie Lunatic), Clément Debailleul et Raphaël Navarro (Cie 14:20), Roman Müller (Tr'espace), Collectif Le Petit Travers, Adrien Mondot, Satchie Noro (Furinkaï), Alexandre Fray (Un loup pour l’homme), Fanny Soriano (Cie Libertivore, le GdRA, Rémi Luchez, Jonathan Guichard et Franck-Nicolas Feldman (Cie Ieto), Maroussia Diaz Verbèke, Erwan Ha Kyoon Larcher, Vimala Pons, Tsirihaka Harrivel (Ivan Mosjoukine), Marion Collé (Porte 27), Alexander Vantournhout (Not Standing), Laura Murphy, Inbal Ben Haim, Julian Vogel.
While the format of the editions has evolved with each new European project, the essence of circusnext remains unchanged: identifying artists with unique approaches, supporting them in their careers, and promoting the circulation of their works—always with the hope that they will leave a lasting mark on the contemporary circus landscape.