DEAR PRESSURE

About the Show

Contemporary circus piece „Dear Pressure“ is a duet performance of two young circus artists Kęstas Matusevičius and Aino Mäkipää which can be considered a letter to pressure that we face in our everyday lives due to social norms. The performance explores prominent topics in the current society as dissatisfaction with body image, internalized gender roles.

The artists try to challenge the stereotypes surrounded by the ideal circus artist body shape. Even though the only thing that matters for a circus artist is to be strong enough to perform the tricks, members of the community and spectators still tend to judge their physical appeal. In a similar sense the creators of “Dear Pressure” confront the general standard in contemporary circus of man being the base and woman – the flyer. For instance, there is a scene where Aino is lifting her one and half times heavier acrobatics partner.

Nevertheless the artists based the show on their personal experiences, the language of circus and the everyday topics present a collective experience relatable for the viewers since everyone faces some kind of pressure no matter the professional field, body image or sexual orientation. The artists attempt to point out that these difficult problems shouldn’t scare us away. On the contrary, “Dear Pressure” seeks to explore these topics in front of the audience so they could have a good laugh and feel more relaxed and less alone after the show ends.