Take Care: European Conference on Mental Health and Well-being in the Circus and Performing Arts Sector

Finding quality of life and work/life balance is tough but essential for better relationships with ourselves and others. From young circus artists to senior professionals, we juggle many tasks, and the pressure can be overwhelming. How can we smooth this out and align with our true needs? Can we learn to respect our mental, emotional, and physical health while developing healthier habits and fostering cooperation?

On June 7th, the CircusDanceFestival hosts a conference to address these questions, marking the launch of the Take Care project—the first-ever EU initiative dedicated to supporting mental health and well-being in the circus arts sector.

Two keynotes, three workshops, and a final panel, all exploring the connection between individual and collective well-being, covering topics such as mental health, working conditions, health habits, and queer identity. The objective of the Conference is to unite physical, mental, and ethical perspectives, while creating a space for people of all generations to share their experiences and ideas.

📅 Saturday 7th of June 2025, 9:00-15:30
📍 Latibul @ CircusDanceFestival, Cologne (DEU)
🗣️ The event will be held in English.

Programme

👉 Programme overview (for the detailed Conference programme, please visit CircusDanceFestival website):

➡️ Check out the article on the Around About Circus website for details on the session content and speakers.

Registrations

🎫 To attend the Conference, please register here.

Acknowledgments

Take Care is a European project co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Commission, and led by FEDEC - International network for professional circus education, with the following partners: Around about circus (DEU), Circus Dance Festival (DEU), Codarts (NLD), Filip Jacobson (DEU) and Miikkael Kukkula (FIN).