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Common Ground

How common is the ground? Quite normal if you stand on your feet. But what if you are doing circus?

How common is the ground? Quite common when on your feet. But what when doing circus? When standing on your partner, your ground is two hands. If you climb a pole it’s a vertical line. When hanging from a trapeze, is the ground above then? The artists challenge each other, push their limits, take care of each other and share not only their artistic vision but also their vision of community with the audience. Common Ground is a show full of acrobatics, positive energy, excitement and humour. The artists shine in their solos but more importantly they perform as a group.

We are convinced that a group can far exceed the sum of its parts when it finds and identifies a Common Ground. We believe that recognising the value of this heterogeneity simplifies the construction of a liveable common future – one that is based on both a guarantee of individual freedom and the positive experience of companionship. In this way the concept of Common Ground offers an alternative model to compulsory collectivism on the one hand and radical individualism on the other. Common Ground is a concept that contains both the guarantee of individual freedom and the positive experience of the collective – because together we are more than just the sum of individuals.

Six artists challenge each other, push their limits, take care of each other, and share their vision of community with the audience.

Common Ground is a collective of six internationally experienced circus artists who have come together to create a show. They met at the Academy for Circus and Performance Art in Tilburg, Netherlands, and have all had successful careers as solo and duo artists as well as performing in different collectives, companies and circuses. They have always wanted to get together again to share their collective experiences and produce something new and exciting. Common Ground are Andreas Bartl, Christopher Schlunk, Evertjan Mercier, Zinzi Oegema, Iris Pelz and Lisa Rinne.