' '
From Denmark
and other Scandinavian countries
A weekly updated internet magazine
Last updated : 20. July 2024
19 July 2024
Soft circus lots. The recent heavy rain in Denmark means that many circus lots are so wet that you can only drive onto them with difficulty. And not at all without leaving clear traces of the heavy circus wans.
Circus Arena was scheduled to visit Birkerød on Wednesday 17 July. But the lot at Byagervej is at the foot of a slope and is very swampy when it has rained a lot. After looking at the conditions on Tuesday morning, Arena gave up on entering the lot and cancelled Wednesday's performance. On Tuesday they played in Allerød and on Thursday in Farum. In both places, the lots were good enough for the performance to be carried out.
Circus Arena on the lot in Allerod. Many circus lots in Denmark are grassy lots owned by the municipality. In the past, the municipalities cut the grass before the circus came to town. But such costs are cut in many municipalities. Thus, the lots almost look like a wild meadow when a circus comes to town.
Other circuses have also been bothered by the fact that the heavy rain has made some lots almost swampy. Circus Baldoni was thus supposed to have visited Hillerod on 15 July, but chose instead to stay a day longer in Elsinore due to the wet lot in Hillerod.
In terms of number of visitors, the circuses that visits campsites notice that the number of campers is much lower than before. Rain and weather forecasts mean that many campers choose destinations other than Denmark or leave their tent or caravan at home.
17 June 2024
Circus Krone. Jørgen Lorenzen reviewed the premiere performance here on this website on 11 June. Below are some photos from the performance on 15 June at Camp Hverringe, which is located north of Kerteminde.
Circus Krone on the scenic site at Camp Hverringe. In the background is the Great Belt.
"This season, the show will still be for the whole family, but will especially be aimed at the youngest, from 2 years and up", Circus Krone writes. And the many smaller children rejoice over the entrée with the clown Allando and the mischievous rabbit in the bin. The entrée ends with Allando juggling empty plastic bags.
Allando also has an entrée with a mischievous penguin.
In the show you meet Sacha the Frog.
Sacha has brought his wife Aurélie along. However, not as a frog, but with an elegant handstand act.
Some of the acts are accompanied by the director Frank Thierry, who is also the show's ringmaster. His main act is Circus Krone's artist school, where he and his mother Irene first have a couple of children and then a young woman in the ring. The GDPR regulations mean that we cannot post photos from this act online without the consent of the volunteers.
16 June 2024
Circus Trapez in Madsbyparken. True to tradition, Circus Trapez has a unit during the summer holidays that shows approx. 1-hour long performances in Madsbyparken in Fredericia. This year it is David Sosman who is at the head of the artists in Fredericia, while his mother Isabella Enoch Sosman, assisted by Bernhard Kasselowsky, leads the touring circus.
Circus Trapez should in Fredericia have used a brand-new tent, which they bought in Hungary. But they have not yet had the tent certified, so they used an older elongated tent they had in their winter quarters. Danish rules require a circus tent seating more than 100 to be certificated. This requires a lot of technical documentation for tent construction and security
Inside the tent, there are 2 rows of ringside chairs and a grandstand with 4 rows of benches of which only the back one has backrests.
The performance began with the well-known illusion number, where an empty box turns out to contain two female artist
Next, David, who was also the show's ringmaster, had an entrée where he played bells
Duo Fantasia comes from Ethiopia. It was intended that they should have been with Circus Trapez for the whole season. But it has dragged on to get the necessary work permits. Now the permits are given and they are part of the performances in Madsbyparken. Their first act was a roller-skating number. Unfortunately, their podium had not yet arrived. They therefore had to use a hastily assembled podium.
Next, we saw David's girlfriend Soley with a dance act
Then David came back into the ring. The act started with him playing on bottles. Then followed a bit of juggling with wine bottles and finally balancing with first a bottle and then glasses on a stick, which he held in his mouth.
Yetinayet Melese, who is the female partner in Duo Fantasia, performed with hula hoops, where she stood on a large ball, among other things. Something I don't recall seeing other hula hoop artists do.
The other half of Duo Fantasia is called Asmare Dress. He showed a number with diabolos.
After an act where David took advantage of the centrifugal force when he swung a full glass of water around in a ring, came a number that is completely unusual in a circus ring: trained lambs, trained and presented by Barbara Schnegg, who even did the splits in front of her lambs.
13 July 2024
Norwegian Circus Jesper: "New and better - The performance "Circus Jesper" in Kristiansand Zoo excites and impresses in a new and more complete version," the theater reviewer Amanda Øiestad Nilsen wrote in the Norwegian newspaper Fædrelandsvennen. Later in the review it is stated. «I allowed myself to be impressed and excited by spectacular circus acts and charmed by the good contact with the audience contact. The circus acts chosen fit in the universe... To conclude: «Circus Jesper» is both new and better this year.» (My translations from Norwegian).
Below some press photos which Lasse «Bonbon» Nørager has been kind enough to send me.
The actor Håkon Sigernes as the circus director Jesper. Press photo/Kristiansand Zoo
Julia Myllykangas impresses on the tight wire. Press photo/Kristiansand Zoo
Philippe Renaud in full swing. Press photo/Kristiansand Zoo
Joakim Myllykangas juggles while his older sister Julia looks on. They are the children of Lasse Nørager and Mrs. Tiina. At last year's Danish circus awards, the two talented siblings received travel grants from the Nelly Jane Benneweis Foundation. Photo: Press photo/Kristiansand Zoo
Light in the lamp. Press photo/Kristiansand Zoo
The ensemble in Circus Jesper. Press photo/Kristiansand Zoo
11 July 2024
The Circus farm in Løkken. Many things have happened since Katja Schumann bought a dilapidated agricultural property outside the Danish seaside resort Løkken in 2015 to establish a circus farm with a focus on animals. Together with Luffe Bøgh, she has created an impressive circus farm. For several years there has been an arena with a ring for performances and an environment that attracts many visitors every summer. And the plans for a circus museum focusing on the Schumann family are being implemented. The premises already contain a collection that is absolutely worth seeing.
The entrance to the arena is decorated with Viggo Salting's beautiful clown paintings
Grandstand and ring
The entrance to the museum is not yet fully completed
From the museum. In the middle photo, you can see the clown painting, which is the visible proof of the honorary award The Danish Circus Award, which Katja Schumann received in 2022. In the bottom photo, the painter Viggo Salting looks at the exhibition.
During the summer period, there is an almost 2-hour-long performance every day at 16, however not on Mondays. For the many who like to see horses in a circus, a visit to the Circus Farm is a must. Today, the farm is the only place in Denmark where you can see a liberty horse act in high quality. Part of the performance consists of Luffe explaining how to train horses etc. with the animals in the ring. And where Katja, when she enters the ring, shows that she is what you call a horse whisperer. The contact between her and the horses is absolutely fantastic.
In addition to Luffe and Katja, you will meet 3 young girls, Frida, Lilje and Liv, in the ring. They all have a past with Einar Trie at the Circus Factory. At Katja, they get the opportunity to improve their skills in a professional environment. Katja says (my translation):
We have a talent program where young people are helped into the real circus world.
When they come here, they have the dream, they have played and learned, but mastering is what separates pranks from art. We can't always do it ourselves, which is why we have assigned the very best supervisors:
Paul Binder choreographer, frequently asked questions, can this be sold.
Dolly Jacobs technical.
The animals. Freddie Knie Junior. Liv has been in Zurich and trained with the famous Circus Knie. Liv is an apprentice and now, after high school, 100% enters the role of trainer student.
Lars Rasmussen, rider. Daily horse training.
Norman Barrett, Ethics and Discipline.
Eric Smiley, horse trainer.
Bjarne Pedersen, officer and medal winner at the Olympics. Coach for the young.
Frida (Frida Lindskov Dyrholm Nørskov) opened the performance with a fine act in a prop kindly provided by Agnete Louise Enoch.
Luffe explains how to train a pony
The talented Liv is a trainer student with Katja Schumann
Katja with one of her horses
Luffe in the saddle
The just 13-year-old Frida presented the best act in the aerial ring (aerial hoop) that I remember seeing. With help of videos that are sent back and forth, she is trained by, among others, the legendary American aerialist Dolly Jacobs.
Liv with goats. Photo: Jens Chr. Sorensen. All other photos: Ole Simonsen
Lilje in trapeze
Luffe with ponies
The horse whisperer Katja Schumann with four beautiful Arabian horses. The Circus Farm is the only place in Denmark where you can see high quality liberty horses.
10 July 2024
Obituary: Bjoern Schult – Bjoernlys. The German-born artist and animal trainer Bjoern Schult-Bjoernlys has passed away after a long time of illness. He was 75 years old. He had performed in several Danish circuses and felt something special for Denmark, where he lived for the last several years.
He was born in Freiburg, Germany, where his mother and father were respectively ballet master and chief technical officer at the local theatre. In 1963, Bjoern joined the Cossack rider troupe Golgojew, where he was for three years. In 1968 and 1969 he worked with the Adamski bears, three brown bears that ran on a bicycle etc. He worked also for a while as reprise clown in Circus Busch-Roland and as Cossack rider. In 1970 he established in partnership with Alex Wandruschka a jockey riding act ”Three Hansel” in which they appeared in musketeer costumes. In 1970 they toured with Circus Bouglione. Afterwards, they performed at circus festivals in Lisbon and Madrid. In 1971 they worked in Spain and in 1972 and 1975 in Norway at Circus Berny. Following that Bjoern created together with his wife at that time a jockey riding act "Bjoernlys" which first appeared during the winter of 1975 in Cirque D' Hiver in Paris. They also took a young man into the troupe which then had three persons.
In 1976 Bjoern toured Denmark with Claus Jespersen’s newly established Circus Dania. The troupe's young man didn’t like life in a touring circus and left the Bjoernlys troupe shortly after the start of the season. Thus Bjoern and his wife decided to become "Two Bjoernly”. In 1977 they were at the Hippodrome Circus in Great Yarmouth, England. In 1978 they toured Denmark with Circus Dannebrog. Later Bjoern became head groom in Circus Benneweis. In season 1980 the Benneweis audience could see him with a comical entrée called Bjoern and his horse. With the same act he appeared in 1982 in Circus Arena where his act was called Bjoernlys and partner. After the season 1982 Bjoern left Denmark and worked in Italy (Circus Nando Orfei / Circo Berlin) and later in France with Circus Amar, Circus Pinder-Jean Richard and Circus Diana Moreno.
From 1990 to 2005 Bjoern worked for Berufsförderungswerk Schomberg in southern part of Germany. Then he got an interesting offer from Luffe Bogh who at that time run a permanent circus No Name Circus in connection with the socio-educational institution No Name. Bjoern was artistic director of No Name Circus until 2008.
Since he came to the now closed Christianshede Zoo Circus and trained at the same time animals which he rented out to the show, movies, commercials, etc.
Bjoern Schult - Bjoernlys in No Name Circus in 2008
Recently he published his memoirs "Sägemehl im Blut". The book has 304 pages with more than 50 photos etc. It costs 25 Euros + shipping. It can be ordered from Dr. Friedrich Hoffmann, at friedrich-hoffmann-bs@t-online.de.
9 July 2024
Circusland summer 2024. In the theme park Circusland, located in Circus Arena's winter quarter in Aarslev by Slagelse, you can during the summer holidays see:
The magician Christofer Eötvos (Christofer Eötvös Dobritch). He comes from Hungary and has performed in a number of European circuses.
Michael the clown (Michael Alves), who also performs with ladder balance
Kelly Folco on unicycle
Suzanne Berdino with her dogs, goats and the pet pig Gulli
Aerial acrobat Georgina Szotkó in aerial rope
There is a magic show at 12, children's show at 13:15, Circus school at 14 and performance in Circus Landino at 15.15.
Changes may occur. Circusland is until 19 August open every day from 10 am to 4pm.
1 July 2024
Circus Trapez in Madsbyparken in Fredericia. Isabella Enoch Sosman tells that it is her son David Sosman, who manages the performances in Madsbyparken as ringmaster and with juggling, comedy and illusions, assisted by his girlfriend Soley.
You will also meet Duo Fantasia. Two young Africans who should have been with Trapez for the entire circus season, but whose work permit has only just gone through. That's why they perform in Madsbyparken with a roller-skating act, diabolo, hula hoop on a ball and aerial ring. Furthermore, Barbara Schnegg performs with something Isabella Enoch has never seen before, namely trained lambs.
Trained lambs are not an everyday sight in a circus ring.
Performances from 6 July to 4 August. Every day at 11 and 14:30, 6 July, however, only at 11. No performance on 14 July. The performance lasts approx. 1 hour. Tickets cost DKK 125 for adults and DKK 95 for children under 12.
Link to news from 2007
Link to news from 2006