Academy of Artistic Thinking aims at developing dramaturgic and critical thinking. It invites artists of different disciplines of performing arts to learn together and from each other in a creative, constructive, dialogical and relaxed atmosphere.

The Academy of Artistic Thinking (AAT) was a three-year project run by the Cirko Center for New Circus. Funded by the Kone Foundation, the project aimed at developing dramaturgic and critical thinking. It invited artists of different disciplines of performing arts to learn together and from each other in a creative, constructive, dialogical and relaxed atmosphere. The project consisted of a two-year educational program offered during the academic years 2018–2019 and 2019–2020 in collaboration with the Open Campus of the University of the Arts Helsinki as well as digital performances that were produced during the academic year 2020–2021.

AAT continues with a second edition 2021–2022. The second edition is run by Cirko and University of Arts with own resources. It consists of 16 students who represent all fields of performing arts. AAT is led by Jarkko Lehmus (Cirko) and Ville Sandqvist (University of Arts). During intensive periods there are also visits by experienced makers and experts of performing arts.

The target group of AAT is performing arts makers and Helsinki University of the Arts performing arts master students. The course (16 ECTS) is aimed for makers of all forms of physical theatre, circus, dance and music who want to develop their skills in dramaturgical thinking and performance composition and to understand different forms of dramaturgy. With makers we mean dancers, actors, circus artists, designers, directors, choreographers, composers and other artists involved in the making of performances.

The course consists of watching performances, facilitated discussions of the performances, written assignments and practical group work. The course strengthens the participants’ abilities to analyze dramaturgy and composition of performances and empowers them to argue their viewpoints and to understand the other viewpoints. The course develops the participants’ awareness of their own way and history of seeing and experiencing and enables them to develop ways and languages to deconstruct their experience and talk and write about it. Through understanding the structure of performances from dramaturgical and compositional viewpoints the course aims to help the participants to find and develop new tools for their own artistic practice.

ESSAY: WHAT ROLE DOES ART PLAY