ARTISTS 2025

From over 640 applications across 66 countries, ten outstanding acts from twelve nations have been selected to compete in Basel. In the Event Hall of Messe Basel, they will showcase their exceptional skills – blending modern artistry with circus tradition.

Look forward to seeing three former main award winners return to our stage with unique guest performances outside of the competition, and hear them reflect on their inspiring journeys.

Everything is set for this very special edition of the festival. Let’s come together once more to celebrate the magic of the circus. We can’t wait to see you there!

Artists 2025
Guest-Acts 2025

Artists 2025

HAND TO HAND / PARTNER ACROBATICS

Mariana Punchak & Daria Naumeika (Ukraine) 

Since 2017, when Mariana and Daria met, they have been united by their passion for acrobatics. Their performance tells of the inner conflict between a younger and older self in impressive images. Themes such as finding one’s identity and personal growth take centre stage. A central element of the performance is a highly complex hand-on-hand sequence that only a few duos in the world have mastered. They are driven by their love of movement, working together on details and the magic of the moment when they surprise and touch the audience.

AERIAL SILKS

Clara Alex (Canada)

With her performance ‘Underdog’, Clara Alex tells the story of a young pilot who finds the courage to take off in an old aeroplane. It is a symbol of confidence, self-conquest and inner strength. The performance, characterised by fast movements and risky ‘drops’, is inspired by her own journey. At the age of 14, she decided to become a professional circus artist. ‘Most people thought it was a crazy idea,’ says Clara. But that didn’t matter to her. Her self-confidence and passion drove her to follow her path, which has now taken her all the way to the YOUNG STAGE festival in Switzerland.

AERIAL STRAPS

Frank Álvarez (Mexico)

Frank first came into contact with circus through friends at the age of 15, but initially continued his successful career as a pentathlete. This was to change two years later. During another visit from his friends, he got to know the aerial straps. ‘I immediately fell in love with the discipline. It offered exactly the challenge I was looking for at the time’, says Frank. He followed his passion and became a professional artist. In his performance ‘Solitude’, he tells of the emotional consequences of a break-up. The act takes you on a physical and emotional journey through grief, resistance and ultimately liberation.

DIABOLO

Jano Schorno (Switzerland)

Jano discovered his passion for playing the diabolo at the end of 2019 when, in search of peace and quiet, he happened to try out an old diabolo belonging to his brother. What began as a distraction quickly became a great passion. Since then, he has been training with great perseverance and ambition, mostly self-taught. His act ‘In Dreams’ tells of a dreamlike state of complete concentration, a silent dance between him and the diabolo. Jano loves being on stage and his big dream has always been to perform on YOUNG STAGE one day. Fortunately, this dream is now coming true.

DIABOLO DANCE

Matéo Turbelin & Aélia Savary (France)

Matéo and Aélia tell a touching story about forbidden love in a narrow-minded society with their number ‘Attablé’. Inspired by Jacques Brel’s song ‘Ces gens-là’, they combine dance, diabolo, acting and strong visual storytelling around a central table. Their performance is a poetic invitation to reflect on freedom and love. The two met at an art school in France. What began with joint training sessions soon became a professional collaboration. Aélia contributes her background in dance, Matéo his fascination for the diabolo, which he has played enthusiastically since childhood.

HANDSTAND EQUILIBRISTICS

Vladyslava Naraieva (Ukraine)

With her act ‘The Witch’, Vladyslava presents an impressive fusion of hand-balancing and hula-hoop artistry. Inspired by a Ukrainian song, she embodies a witch who plays with hoops as if they were destinies—controlling, enchanting, and letting go once her goal is achieved. Her greatest challenge is combining precise handstands with the dynamic movement of the hoops. Beyond the circus, Vladyslava also enjoys writing poetry and dreams of one day inspiring people—not only on stage, but also as a writer.

PENDULAR HOOP

Nicolás Teusa (Colombia)

Nicolás calls his discipline ‘Pendular Hoop’, an original and unexpected reinterpretation of traditional Chinese ‘Hoop Diving’. In his performance, he tells of the first encounter between the artist and his prop – a moment characterised by curiosity, amazement and emotion. His artistic career began at the ‘Circo para Todos’ in Bogotá, a place that was not only his first stop as an artist, but also the origin of his passion. Despite social challenges in Colombia, where circus art is still barely recognised today, his path took him beyond national borders, all the way to Basel.

SLACK WIRE

Jie Liao (China)

‘Being on stage means the world to me,’ says Jie Liao. It’s where he feels connected to people and completely fulfilled. In his slack-wire performance, he tells the story of a boy who takes his fate into his own hands and bravely faces the challenges of life. When Jie first saw a circus performance at the age of ten, he was immediately mesmerised by the artists on stage. From that moment on, he carried within him the dream of one day performing just as skillfully and expressively. At the age of 20, he is already living this dream, travelling the world and loving to explore other cultures.

TEETERBOARD

‘Blauwal Company’ | August Rohde Aass, Tobias Niemöller, Lovisa Wengerzink, Simon Malmsten (Norway, Sweden and Germany)

Simon, August, Lovisa and Tobias met at Stockholm University of the Arts, attended the same class and have been following a common path as the ‘Blauwal Company’ ever since. They all originally attended the Circus Gymnasium at Cirkus Cirkör. Their performance ‘Intro’ shows the first chapter of their artistic journey together. They work with the teeterboard and appreciate the combination of simplicity, adrenaline and creative challenge. Musically, they focus on contrasts to the dynamics of the apparatus.

PARTNER ACROBATICS & TEETERBOARD

‘Les Triphasés’ | Nina Thibault, Benjamin Jules Godfroy, Janosch Jötten (France & Germany)

Nina, Benjamin, and Janosch form the trio Trio Triphasés. Their name symbolises concentrated energy – just like three-phase electric power. In 2024, they completed their training at the circus school in Lomme, France. Their specialties are partner acrobatics and the Hungarian teeterboard. In their piece ‘Palpitation’ they explore the cycle of training, exhaustion, and the power of mutual trust – underscored by a driving rhythm in 7/8 time. Interaction with the audience is central to their work – because it is only in the moment of performance that their art truly comes to life.

Guest Acts 2025

YOYO

‘Toy Toy Toy’ | Naoto Okada & Shu Tokada (Japan)

‘Toy Toy Toy’ is a Japanese YoYo duo consisting of Naoto Okada and Shu Takada. Both are multi-award-winning YoYo world champions and have been honoured with various international awards throughout their careers. Shu Takada received the Silver Star for his performance at YOUNG STAGE in 2022. In the same year, the two decided to join forces and have been travelling as a duo ever since. In 2025, they received the silver medal at the ‘Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain’ in Paris. Their performances impress with their wide technical range, precise execution and captivating choreography.

DUO VERTICAL ROPE

Natalie Oleinik & Joachim Ciocca (Switzerland & USA)

Natalie and Joachim met at the National Circus School in Montreal and have been performing together ever since. In 2018, they developed their aerial duo ‘No Longer Strangers’, for which they received the Golden Star at YOUNG STAGE 2019. Since then, they have performed all over Europe, including at the renowned Budapest Circus Festival 2020. The duo continues to explore new formats. They recently premiered a duo unicycle act and are now working on a street show that made its debut in Geneva this summer.

CYR WHEEL

Mikail Karahan (Germany)

Mikail has been performing on stage since childhood. After his first theatre performances, he discovered his enthusiasm for circus at an early age, especially for the Cyr Wheel. He completed his training in this discipline at the École Supérieure des Arts du Cirque in Brussels in 2018. Mikail has toured internationally with his unique solo act ‘IT SOCKS’. In 2021, he was awarded the Golden Star at the YOUNG STAGE Festival. Since then, he has performed all over the world, always in his red socks, which have become his trademark.