The Sophie Hulthén’s Circus Grant 2014 has been awarded to Mira Leonard and Esmeralda Nikolajeff

Photo: Einar Kling-Odencrants

The Sophie Hulthén’s Circus Grant 2014 is the single most valuable grant to a circus student in Europe and is awarded to a student showing exceptional talent in combination with successful studies and artistic maturity. The grant can also be awarded to a group of students working together. In memory of the world citizen and circus enthusiast Sophie Hulthén, a grant was instituted 2010 to be awarded to a graduate student at the circus education at DOCH, The University of Dance and Circus, Stockholm University of the Arts. The jury consists of nationally and internationally well-renowned artists that contributes to the development of circus art. The sum awarded is 100 000 SEK.

Extract from the jury’s motivation
These two artists take risks and manage to catch the moment over and over again. They play with their individuality as a duo showing high technical brilliance with very innovative and interesting aesthetics in a demanding, yet traditional discipline that is stretched to the limit – still with a humble approach never losing the attention of the audience. (…) They place the act in a conceptual discussion, in relation to normativity, gender and aesthetic, which makes the work most relevant. They challenge gravity with a smile and express with seriousness the complexity in a relationship. They have something urgent to tell… Through persistent research and poetic presence, they will move the circus art forward toward new forms of expressions.
Please see website for the complete motivation.

The Jury
The jury of Circus Artist Alexander Weibel Weibel, Circus Artist Faon Shane, Theatre Director Lars Rudolfsson and Artist and Professor of Choreography Efva Lilja who also act as chairperson.

Sophie Hulthén 1967-2008
Sophie Hulthén was the chief legal advisor at Euroclear in London. Besides her official career, Sophie Hulthén was a creative person and one of her strongest dreams and ambitions was to apply herself to the art of circus. In 2007 she took a sabbatical to complete a year of circus training in Bristol where her disciplines were the trapeze and juggling. That year of training was interrupted by a cancer disease. Sophie passed away at the age of 41.

For more information please see www.doch.se or contact Tove Hellkvist, Public Relations Manager at DOCH +46 8 49 400 303, tove.hellkvist@uniarts.se