Short introduction

Tjaž Juvan is a Slovenian performing artist based in Ljubljana. His interdisciplinary approach has led him to exploring relations between circus, dance, music and physical theatre, trying to stretch the borders between the disciplines as thin as possible. He is a member of collective Mismo Nismo (eng: we are, we are not) that he established with his colleagues in 2018. 

He earned a degree at the Scuola di cirko Vertigo (circus school Vertigo) in Turin that he attended from 2015-2017. During this time he also finished his bachelors studies in social pedagogy at the University of Ljubljana. His circus base is in juggling and object manipulation, but during his time in the circus school he specialised at balancing on chairs and handstands.

Video links

Biography

His early years were spent performing in alternative spaces and squats which fundamentally influenced his view on art and society in general. The DIY and "get your hands dirty" attitude from those places has remained with him and is a big influence on his way of working. 

If his first steps in circus were full of youthful innocence and energy his entry into contemporary dance world were more mature and methodical. Seeing the difference in approach and philosophy of movement between circus and dance, he immersed himself fully into his personal research of contemporary dance. Following classes from many different teachers and choreographers such as: Ohad Naharin, Sita ostheimer, Dor Mamalia, Keren Rosenberg, ...

He was classically  musically educated in Saxophone, which ended with him selling his old saxophone to buy a new unicycle in his teens. But his connection to music did not fade into non-existence since he started to dabble in electronic music production, klezmer clarinet and especially loud experimental leaps into noise genre.

And the last piece of the puzzle to understanding his performing vocabulary is physical theatre. He has a long history of collaborating with 2 Moscow school trained Russian clowns (Natalija in Ravil Sultanov) who introduced him to physical comedy and pushed him to follow many different classes of world renown clowns: Yve Menetes, Joana Bassi, Korolevski Giraf,...

Remaining time he had, he spent using circus as a pedagogical approach to reaching kids and youth. Being  himself a "troubled youth" and "an annoying brat" once,  he wanted to give something back to the community. He is a member of Cirkokrog which is a Slovenian association for circus pedagogy.

Body of work

Body of work is summarised to the more important projects (post-production not included) – for the full body of work contact Tjaž directly

 Work:

2023:
- Ways of being (circus duet in 2m^2): performer, sound designer
-Mission Tent!: scaffolding stage (continuation of the project from 2022)
- Perspective's gravity (interdsiciplinary aerial performance): movement consultant, sound designer


2022:
- Music table (multimedia/circus street performance): author, performer, sound designer, producer
- Mission Tent! (group project teaching street performing by performing): author, mentor, performer, sound designer
- Juggling concert (post-production)
- Prag (post-production
- Etude for prepared piano (aerial-musical perfromance):sound designer

2021:
- Noister: wave^3 (interdisciplinary circus-musical performace): author, performer, producer
- Prag (aerial circus performance): choreographer, sound designer)
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 2020:
-Juggling concert (juggling and musical show): co-author and performer,producer
- Noister (a short film, sound art and circus): author,performer, producer  
- Nihanje in nehanje (a short circus film): co-author and performer
 
 
 2019:
- Noise circus (improvised circus show with discarded objects and noise music): co-author and performer, producer
- Niti (threads) (aerial rope show): choreographical and directorial advisor
- Radio show on slovenian radio about circus: editor
 

 

2018:
- Rutina (circus show): co-author, performer,  producer
- "Who? Where? when?" (circus show): co-author, performer,
 
 
 2017:
- Path to Shangri-La (circus in windows)
- Bears favor (circus kid's show): co-author, performer, producer
- Odissea: Another journey (circus show): performer
- Circofolia (circus show): performer
- Vertigini Circense (circus show): performer

 2016:
- Nothing for something (circus show): co-author, performer
- Improptu (circus show): performer
- Padec (Festival of experimental circus) organiser
- Vertigo christmas show (circus show): performer
- Kale (circus show): co-author, performer

informal education (master classes, workshops)

2021:
- Pau Aran (online)
- Fabian Thome
- Jon Ole Olstad (online)
- Lynn Jamieson (online)
- Fulvio Faudella (online)
- Scott Jennings (online)
- Jermaine Spivey (online)
- Eric Beauchesne
- Luca Signoretti
- Tony Panaro

2019:
- gymanstics classes (full year)

2018:
- Fraser cooper
- Tom Weinberger
- Guy Shomroni
- elita Cannata
- Celia Amade
- Pedro Goucha Gomes
- Dario Dinuzzi
- Sita Ostheimer
- Dor Mamalia
- Keren Rosenberg
- Dario Rigaglia
- Yael Cibulski
- James Finnemore
-Ohad Naharin

2017:
- Marie-Celine Daubagna
- Valentina Cortese
- Cristina Fontanelle

2016:
- Guy Nader
- Joana Bassi
- Elodie Donaque
- Pascal Angelier
- Malte Peter
- Edward Alleman
- Stefan Sing

2015 - :
- Sven Demey
- Korolevski Giraf
- Yve mentes
- Gonzalo Arias
- Irena Tomažin
- Jaša Jenull
- Noël Spauwen