Formed in 1992 by word-renowned jugglers Sean Gandini and Kati Ylä-Hokkala, Gandini Juggling continue to be at the vanguard of contemporary circus, reinventing and reinvigorating juggling for the 21st century. Gandini celebrates juggling in all its facets, exploring not just what juggling is, but what juggling can be.

Currently and ever-evolving ensemble of virtuosic juggling performers, producing everything from elegant duets to 20- strong choral pieces.

Ferociously prolific, Gandini are constantly creating new work that ranges from edgy visual art experiments to family friendly entertainment; from narrative infused dance escapades to humorous shenanigans.

Liberation call them the “Kings of Juggling” whose works are “...marvels of originality”, whilst The Guardian says of the company “juggling that is not just artful, but art”.

Since their inception, the Gandinis have performed over 5,000 shows in 50 countries. They continue to perform at many of the most prestigious festivals and venues throughout the world.

Their work transcends cultural barriers: the simple pleasure of watching people move whilst keeping objects in the air has a natural theatrical quality that has beguiled audiences globally.

As well as the conventional theatre spaces ad public squares, their performances have taken place in disused quarries, tennis courts, water fountains, art galleries and school playgrounds.

Gandini continue to collaborate with a wide range of leading artists ranging rom ballet choreographers to computer programmers; from costume designers to set makers; mathematicians to composers. They have spent several seasons working with symphonic orchestras, their choreographed juggling patterns lightly meshed to canonical classical works.

In addition to performing, Gandini continue to be very much in demand at leading circus school; teaching workshops, creating performances and supporting the next generation of circus artists. Alongside this, Gandini publish their own books and DVDs, continuing to support the wider understanding of the beautiful possibilities of juggling, for jugglers and non- jugglers alike.

The company is currently touring 4x4, Smashed, Director’s Cut and CLØWNS & QUEENS.

More information is available at www.gandinijuggling.com

“The marriage of Ballet, considered the highest of arts, with Juggling, frequently considered amongst the lowest of arts, is full of rich possibilities, both from a structural point of view but also thematically. Both worlds come with an arsenal of perceived images ready to be reassembled and ripe for a challenging marriage. We hope that this work will help blur the labelling barriers between the art forms. Over the years, we have developed a very thorough lexicon of juggling vocabulary. We are excited and intrigued about this new language meeting the complex, older and well documented world of Ballet.“

Sean Gandini, August 2014

The piece will be modular, initially with 4 Jugglers and 4 Ballet dancers, hence its little. Other incarnations are possible, incorporating live music and more performers.

Some notes about the artistic process:

• Exploration of purity, formalist and space
• 2 beautiful languages in their own form. What do they share and how are they different?
• Balanchine style dancing, women on pointe
• Juggling with clubs and balls
• Pushing the high quality of both forms
• How would a non-juggler dancer manage with juggling concepts?
• Similarities of rhythm, musicality, coordination

A co-production between

• Gandini Jugging
• National Centre for Circus Arts
• Lighthouse Poole and
• La Brèche Pôle national des arts du cirque de Basse-Normandie / Cherbourg-Octeville

SUPPORTED BY

• Arts Council England
• Royal Ballet Studio Programme
• Agit Cirk
• London International Mime Festival
• Shoreditch Town Hall
• Jacksons Lane

“At the moment, Gandini Juggling’s work and my contribution as an artistic director has more credibility than ever and I find this very rewarding.

The company's reputation in the arts world is better now than it has ever been. Together with Kati, our ambition was always to challenge preconceptions about the nature of juggling and we feel that it is slowly happening."

Sean Gandini, July 2014

“A show of elegant, wistful beauty"

The Guardian, January 2015

“A splendid blend of talents imbued with both elegance and wit”

The Times, January 2015