Turku, the European Capital of Culture 2011, disembarks to the centre of the European Union for about a week at the end of May.
Five students of the Performing Arts Circus line at Turku Arts Academy will travel from Turku to Brussels to give surprise performances at the EU institutions located in different parts of the city.
The week of events will be organised between May19 and 25. During the week, the circus students will perform, e.g. at the main building of the European Commission, in a meeting of the Committee on Culture in the European Parliament, and also in the Nato headquarters.
The event in the main building of the Commission, in Berlaymont, is open to all EU officials and it will be organised in cooperation with the cabinets of EU Commissioner for Culture Androulla Vassiliou and Finnish Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs Olli Rehn.
The Turku-Southwest Finland European Office is in charge of the planning and arrangements of the event week.
“The purpose of the performances is to happily surprise the official EU meetings, officials at lunch, as well as people in the Nato headquarters. The idea of the week is the same as for the whole Capital of Culture year: take culture to the people – also to different and unusual environments, and show how culture is good for us all,” says Krista Taipale, head of the European Office in Brussels.
During the events, the circus students of the Turku Arts Academy embark to the EU institutions. Students will also show up in the middle of meetings as a surprise, and will carry circus performances.
Turku is the first European Capital of Culture to organise this type of greeting in the EU institutions and Nato in Brussels. The preparation of the events has taken a long time, and has required plenty of different discussions and permits. Each party who allows performers into their premises has been delighted and happy about Turku’s decision to bring culture to the heart of the EU.
Coordinator of the Turku Capital of Culture year programme, Cay Sevón, Managing Director of the Turku 2011 Foundation, reminds that the Capital of Culture is now being taken back to where the idea of such a special year originally started.
“Circus attacks in the middle of meetings will continue the open-minded merging of culture and other areas, typical of the Turku Capital of Culture year. Culture will be good to the EU officials, and will certainly keep a smile on their faces for the rest of the work day,” said Mr Sevón.