circusnext Laureates Programme
circusnext · Europe
circusnext Laureates Programme
One ticket – two venues, two performances.
On November 18–19, Cirkuliacija presents works by four circusnext Laureates of 2026. Each day, audiences are invited to experience two distinct performances across two venues in Naujoji Vilnia – Naujosios Vilnios Cultural Centre and Dūmų fabrikas.
circusnext is one of Europe's leading contemporary circus platforms, supporting a new generation of circus artists whose work stands out for its originality, artistic risk-taking and innovative approaches to circus creation.
One ticket grants access to both performances on the selected day.
November 18
16:00–16:20 | Naujosios Vilnios Cultural Centre
Aurora Dini (Italy) | Sola
Aerial hoop, contortion
If the mind forgets, the body remembers everything. In Sola, Italian circus artist Aurora Dini explores the body's memory and the traces left by lived experiences.
Combining aerial hoop, contortion and text, she draws parallels between the gestures of a performer on stage and those of a surgeon in the operating theatre. Sola unfolds as an intimate, fragmented and tragicomic performance-diary, revealing the body as a keeper of memories.
16:40–17:00 | Dūmų fabrikas
Cie L’Art Nak / Christian Padilla (Ecuador / France) | Don Baltha
Juggling
As the only Black child at his school, Christian Padilla was repeatedly cast as King Balthasar in Christmas nativity plays. This childhood experience became the starting point for Don Baltha, an autobiographical work combining juggling with Afro-surrealism.
Through this personal story, Padilla explores imposed identities, stereotypes and representation. Who gets to decide the roles we play, and what place do non-white artists occupy in today's cultural landscape?
November 19
21:00 | Naujosios Vilnios Cultural Centre
Daniel Kvašňovský (Slovakia) | Les choix tremblants / cirkus nevkus
Rope, hula hoop, clowning
Inspired by Slovak folklore, this solo introduces an unconventional clown searching for his place in the world.
Combining rope, hula hoop and clowning, Daniel Kvašňovský creates a dreamlike universe where humour meets melancholy, physical minimalism meets theatrical excess, and the pursuit of perfection becomes both comic and tragic. A poetic journey through uncertainty, belonging and the choices that shape us.
21:30 | Dūmų fabrikas
Verena Schneider (Austria) | Holding on to everything I’ve got
Hand balancing, juggling
How do we destroy the landscapes around us – and those within us?
Austrian artist Verena Schneider combines hand balancing, juggling and movement to explore our relationship with the Earth, inherited experiences and ecological scars. In dialogue with a musician, she creates a sensitive exploration of mutual dependence, vulnerability and the search for common ground.