Children and Soldiers the Main Targets of the Circus Attacks

The European Capital of Culture -Year Belongs to Everyone

Children and Soldiers the Main Targets of the Circus Attacks

The students of Turku Arts Academy brought the Capital of Culture greetings in form of a circus show to two totally different target groups on Friday 20.5. Young children and NATO-staff members were the ones who were entertained for a few minutes each.

The annual festivity called Footfest, organised by the European School in Brussels, got their share of Turku-inspired culture. 3000 students of the biggest European school in Brussels enjoyed the circus performance in the morning sun. Especially the youngest of the pupils, the preschool students, were fascinated by the show that was performed by the five Arts Academy students.

- The audience of 3000 students and parents isn’t the biggest of the audiences we have had, said Toivo Kautto and Pyry Kääriä, because our Arts Academy class performed already in the opening ceremony of the European Capital of Culture in Turku in January.

Already before the opening of the Footfest -festivity the circus artists delighted the audience by throwing orange Capital of Culture –marked balls to the pupils. After the show, the students of the European School were eager to get autographs from the circus artists. Especially the only female-artist in the group, Saana Nissinen, was the most popular among the youngest of girls in the audience.

The circus show topped off the opening of the Footfest –festivity, which was organized for the 30th time. The European School consists of students, i.e. children to EU-officials and –representatives, from Estonia, Finland, UK, Sweden, Germany, France, Portugal, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania and Holland.

Lunch-time yellow coloured attack in NATO

NATO’s headquarter was the next stop to be culturally invaded during lunch-time. The yellow-shirted circus artists seized the lunch-space of the staff centre, which was placed in the heart of a small green-area including a tennis-field and a playground.

There wasn’t a clue of any so called military stiffness amidst the audience when an audience of a hundred staff-members in uniforms enjoyed the show beside lunch.

The circus attacks of Turku Arts Academy are part of the greetings of Turku European Capital of Culture year into the heart of the European Union. The attacks follow a common theme for the year, which is to bring culture to the people and to new places without prejudice.

The circus surprise-events will continue until 25.5. The welfare-aspect of culture is by then brought as a reminder to the EU-officials as well as local people in Brussels.