Cikada Circus, run by Ali Stanger and Henrik Gard, is an acrobatic performance company that has been creating performances and events in Ireland for ten years. Their work focuses primarily on outdoor performance, acrobatics, and the activation of unusual spaces and places, using circus as a means to reimagine how audiences encounter their surroundings. Their thoughts and praxis in outdoor arts and site-specific possibilities are explored in Henrik Gard’s 2025 book, Context Creators, which provides a theoretical framework for creating work outside traditional performance venues.
Their 2025 show, A Stroll On Our Shoulders, created in collaboration with Duo Les Mains En L’air, is a site-adaptive performance centred around an alleyway in a city. The performance builds a route through the space, taking audiences on a journey and inviting them to experience the alleyway from a new perspective. The show requires 2–3 days of in-situ creation and adaptation. In 2026, it has toured in Finland, Romania, Wales, and Ireland.
SYMBIONT is a “living exhibition” featuring mushrooms, plants, and performance, taking place inside the company’s own 10 m geodesic dome. Audiences explore the exhibition, which gradually morphs into a live, acrobatic, and participatory performance experience.
Festivals can programme their own events in the dome and use it as a venue, or Cikada Circus can offer a complete programme of performances, music, and talks.
Cikada Circus has kindly received support during the years from Arts Council Ireland, Art Council Northern Ireland, Festival of Fools, Ulster Presents, Cairde Sligo Arts Festival, Creative Sligo’s Shared Island programme, Dance Ireland, Carlow Arts Festival, The Belonging Exhibition and Nenagh Arts Centre.
CURRENT SHOWS
A Stroll On Our Shoulders(2025): A Site adaptive promenade experience. Includes a 2 day creation in each city/site.
SYMBIONT(2025): A living exhibition and performance in the company’s own geodesic Dome
Belonging (2022): A performance for exhibition spaces and galleries or unconventional performance spaces.
Walk the plank(2022): Pirate show for families. Teeterboard and acrobatics.
Cikada(2018): Debut show, hand to hand acrobatics – inspired by the poetry collection ‘Cikada’ by Harry Martinson
ACTS
Hand to hand act
Table slide slapstick act
Teeterboard act
Past performances:
Encounter (2022): A Site Adaptive show for a park bench
WORKSHOPS
Workshops and creative labs available in:
Site specific creation (using the context creators framework) half day/one day or several day options.
Hand to hand acrobatics
Handstands
For more info check out our website www.cikadacircus.com