2026 Tour· Poland· Czech Republic· Slovakia· Slovenia· Sweden· 20 cities· Co-funded by Creative Europe· 2026 Tour· Poland· Czech Republic· Slovakia· Slovenia· Sweden· 20 cities· Co-funded by Creative Europe·
A cultural project·Contemporary circus·2026
CASES
by Upsala-Circus · 2026

Cases is a cultural project for European cities where migration has become a source of tension. Through contemporary circus and real people's stories, it creates space for local residents and newcomers to get to know one another a little better, so that conversation becomes possible

↓ Brand guidelines & Communication strategy
Why this matters

For newcomers, everything is unfamiliar. For locals, change brings unease. Without contact, tension grows quietly, and society polarises

We believe something simple: when someone tells their story, they stop being a category and become a person. That is where dialogue begins

Cases was built on that belief

Cases · Artists in the city · 2026
Three formats
Every visit is built around three interconnected formats
Cases
Cases
Cases
01Performance

A 45-minute contemporary circus performance about the migration stories of its artists, for audiences aged 10 and up. The work speaks through the body. No language barrier

2,700+ people across 5 countries have seen this performance since 2023

"I have to say I was rather impressed by the performance, it was a real high quality"

Theatre Director

"The performance was very moving. The music further underlined the whole picture, and you could truly feel along with it. There were several goosebump moments — you could feel the weight of it, but also the hope. The acrobatic numbers were mesmerising and left us in awe. Thank you so much for this wonderful work"

Audience member, Germany

"Die Performance war sehr bewegend. Die Musik hat die Darstellung noch weiter untermalt und man konnte richtig mitfühlen. Es gab einige Gänsehaut Momente und man konnte die Schwere aber auch die Hoffnung spüren. Vielen Dank für die tolle Inszenierung!"

Audience member, Germany

«Как журналист и человек, который много лет занимался инклюзией, я наблюдала за работой Упсала-Цирка с момента его основания. Мой сын был в восторге, и воспоминание об Упсала-Цирке стало важным для нас обоих. Здорово, что любимые и важные проекты тоже можно положить с собой в чемодан»

Journalist, Riga
Tour in progress · 2026
SwedenSep 2026Coming soon
Czech RepublicOct 2026Coming soon
SloveniaOct 2026Coming soon
PolandNov 2026Coming soon
SlovakiaNov 2026Coming soon
Half the tickets are always free (details to be announced)
↓ Technical rider Watch trailer
02Digital Avatars

An interactive communication format at the intersection of technology and culture: real stories of local residents and newcomers in urban space, told in the language of the viewer

Watch stories Share your story
03Workshop

A workshop for those who work with people in difficult life situations through creative practice: how to find a topic for a creative project that truly matters to your audience

Every person has an artist inside, someone who can explore complex topics if given the right image to start from. We share our own practice, then work together with participants to find their own images for the dialogue they want to have

Format: 1.5 hours. First part: discussion and sharing of our methodology. Second part: hands-on practice

Larisa Afanasyeva
Upsala-Circus art director
Up to 30 participants per session Prior registration required
Tour in progress · 2026
SwedenSep 2026Coming soon
Czech RepublicOct 2026Coming soon
SloveniaOct 2026Coming soon
PolandNov 2026Coming soon
SlovakiaNov 2026Coming soon
"

In essence, we are all part of this universe of refugees, for at some point we were refugees ourselves, or we turned others into refugees, making them victims and perpetrators at the same time

Ai Weiwei
The tour

We are going to the small and middle size cities

Where new voices don't come so often, dialogue is not easy, and migration is a lived reality, not an abstract debate

20 cities, 5 countries, each chosen carefully in partnership with local organisations who know their communities

Tour schedule is in development

Poland
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Slovenia
Sweden
Your vote
Which city should be next?
The Consortium
Cases is co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union and produced by a consortium of organisations across Europe
🇧🇪 Belgium
Caravan Circus Network

An international network of 36 youth and social circus schools from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Caravan advocates for the positive impact of circus as an educational and social tool, and connects organisations across 4 continents

caravancircusnetwork.eu
🇸🇪 Sweden
SKRUV

A Swedish circus and community organisation working with migration and integration through circus arts

Sweden
🇸🇮 Slovenia
Zavod Bufeto

The first professional circus institute in Slovenia, developing circus theatre, contemporary circus production, and education since 2007

zavodbufeto.com
🇩🇪 Germany
Upsala e.V.

Lead coordinator of the project. Provides methodological support for educational components and facilitates post-performance discussion platforms across all tour cities

upsalacircus.de
🇩🇪 Germany
Upsala-Circus gGmbH

Beneficiary partner responsible for the artistic and operational cores, managing international tour logistics, and running the communication campaign

upsalacircus.de
Upsala-Circus
Who we are

Upsala-Circus is a contemporary circus organisation working at the intersection of art, education, and social engagement

Founded in St Petersburg in 2000, Upsala-Circus relocated to Germany in April 2022, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. We started over in Zeitz, Germany and built something new: circus with children and teenagers, professional productions, festivals, community work

Upsala-Circus Germany
Since 2022 in Zeitz
200+
children in regular long-term circus programmes
5
circus productions created with children and teenagers
1,500+
young people reached through performances, festivals, and public events
3
international contemporary circus festivals organised in Zeitz
50+
international artists brought to Zeitz for collaboration and exchange
1,200+
festival audience members
600+
participants in two city-wide carnivals
3
professional contemporary circus productions created
Team & Contact
Follow the tour
Get in touch
Polina Goryanskaya
Producer
🇵🇹 Lisbon
Anastasiia Bessonova
Project Manager
🇵🇹 Porto
The team
Performers
Georgii Zozulia
Arina Gribalyova
Vladimir Nozdrin
Music
Daniil Koronkevich, Composer
Artistic Direction
Larisa Afanasyeva, Art Director
Vera Zhukova, Producer
Set & Costume
Maria Chernysheva
Light Design
Iurii Galkin
Performance Coach
Igor Arefiev
Iurii Kharchenko
Made possible by
Sergei Fomin
Olga Avrutskaya
Diana Mubarakshina