Second day @ the Festival

Athmosphere at the backstage was quite diarrheaish




Best girl of the festival taking care about catering




Magmanus rehearsing with younger generation.

Building up Circus Ruska Festival @ Klubi&Pakkahuone

Changing light bulbs.



Andreas putting up a banderol at Pakkahuone entrance



So many things to do at the Festival-office

Porkka Playboys gets you to PARTYMOOD!!!

Porkka Playboys will have special gueststars tonight @ Circus Ruska Festival's club at Klubi. They had rehearsals yesterday-evening at Sorin Sirkus. Can't wait to see what they have planned!!!





Finnish award winning street band Porkka Playboys performs for example Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. The performance on this video takes place in the most obvious place of all - inside a rusty old Volkswagen Polo!

Circus Ruska Festival artists @ Sorin Sirkus

Circus Ruska Festival artists are training their shows at Sorin Sirkus.



Pasi and Kate finilizes their circus technics to their premiere on Friday. On background you can see the father of finnish juggling, Jani Suihkonen, who gets ready for his show,SRP. You can see Jani at Circus Ruska Festival on Saturday @ 1600hrs






Cirque Aital & musical training.



Compagnie Morosof loads in to Sorin Sirkus

We have started to build up Circus Ruska Festival at Sorin Sirkus.

Jouni Kivimäki, The Master of rigging, at skyjack.



Matias Salmeaho is having festival spirit at catering-point, although his leg is broken.

Another broken leg

There's some bad luck clouds over the Circus Ruska Festival. Our own boy, Matias Salmenaho broke his leg and therefore Cirque Aital can not do their whole show as it is planned. But still they will perform a shorter version of New Creation-show.
There's always something good in bad things. Our surprise-guest will be juggler from the top, Jay Gilligan. We will see some of his latest material at the same display.
So if you have ticket to Cirque Aital: New Creation, you will get Jay Gilligan with same price. How cool is that!!

A long way from home

It's finally happening for real! We met with Rafael and Blancaluz in Stockholm last winter. We told about our festival and they were really interested to come to Tampere with their upcoming show. Since their set is so big and heavy we decided it would be best if they drive to Tampere with their car and trailer.

After long planning Compagnie Morosof started their long journey from Barcelona to Tampere on friday. They picked up their set and technicians from France and now they are somewhere in the northern Germany. Tonight they'll drive to a ferry in Travemünde. By then they have driven apx. 2000 km. From Travemünde they will enjoy a relaxing voyage on Finnlines Europalink. After 27 hours and 1132 km they will arrive to Helsinki harbor where they'll meet us and change to car with good winter tires and continue the last 180 km. They will finally arrive to Tampere on wednesday around 11.00.

Just have to admire their willpower! Circus people are so cool!

Here's some photos from the road.

Packing the car in Barcelona.

Weather in Spain.

Taking the trailer with set on board from southern France.

Weather on french highway. Starting to get darker..

Rainy day on the road.. Somewhere in northern France.

Grey weather at the german border.

Race Horse Company will perform @ Circus Ruska Festival instead of Sirkus Aikamoinen

Race Horse Company will perform next Saturday at Tampere for the very first time with their show, Petit mal.

”Described as a contemporary circus, the performers fused break-dancing, hip-hop, Chinese pole, acrobatics and martial arts creating a visual feast for the eyes that left you open-mouthed in amazement.”
Ashley Bolton / Daily Echo

Petit Mal's building blocks are black humour and collisions. The traditional form, poetry and soft movement of contemporary circus are challenged through randomness, dream-like logic and the menace of violence. Petit Mal is a part of our disintegrating culture and world.

”This is circus completely outside the box.”
Donald Hutera / Times

Circus Ruska Festival proudly presents The Irrationals!!!

The Irrationals is a wild bunch of well marinated specialists whose unorthodox caravan brings you a good deal of hip-hop flavored rhythm music moving from kebabrock to rautalanka, from foxtrot to bashing garage sounds with a self-made attitude all easy to dance to.

Started as a hip hop duo by Tyko Haapala and Totte Rautiainen, the band found its final form a couple years ago when the other guys joined in, all highly respected in the Finnish field of jazz, blues, rock and hip-hop.

Released on 7th September 2011, the bands debut album "Hold Your Horses" climbed all the way to the 14th position on the official Finnish album chart and was highly acclaimed among the national music press.

A music video for the second single "My Baby" was shot by Pablo Films. The video is a tribute to all the bass players in the Galaxy and on it you can find 32 bassists from Finland.

Antti Hynninen, also known as a Circus Ruska's composer, plays at The Irrationals. You can see him and rest of the band alive at Circus Ruska Festival evening club on Saturday 28th of Jan.

Girls rock @ Circus Ruska Festival on Saturday!!

We bring you The Big Ass Barbeque - Sweden’s Most Famous Country And Western Comedy Show.
Three hickory flavored blondes arrive in a caravan, spark up the bbq and invite you to partake in a brutally optimistic country western comedy show.

Lasso acts, yodelling, six shooting, trick roping, linedancing, whipcracking, daredevil stunts and live music all wrapped up in one chorizo that will make your mouth water for more!

These girls aren’t just funny, they’re wild and dangerous too! So hang onto your hats and sharpen your spurs because they’re going give you a show you´ll never forget.