Published: 7 May 2025
Kolektyw Kejos on vulnerability and coping with failure
The performance “No Yes You” by Kolektyw Kejos has been selected as the winner of the open call for a Polish contemporary circus presentation at the 16th Carnaval Sztukmistrzów in Lublin. This win, part of “The Polish Incident” project, means the show will be performed three times during the festival.
“The Polish Incident” is a unique initiative dedicated to supporting and promoting Polish creativity in contemporary circus. It aims to inspire new performances and boost the visibility of Polish productions both at home and abroad. Since its launch in 2020, the project has been instrumental in the growth of many artists, leading to numerous original circus shows, many of which have graced the Carnaval Sztukmistrzów stage.
One of the key goals of The Polish Incident is to showcase existing productions. From a strong selection of open call submissions, the jury chose Kolektyw Kejos’s circus-theatre piece, “No Yes You.” The show is a whirlwind of clowning, physical comedy, surprsing choreography and live music.
About “No yes You”
Three performers set out to deliver a flawless, highbrow show… but the universe has other plans. One mistake snowballs into another, and suddenly we’re deep in a delicious storm of mishaps, misunderstandings, and misfired tricks. What should be a polished spectacle becomes a gloriously imperfect mess — and that’s when the magic really begins.
Part improv, part choreography, part sheer chaos, No Yes You is always evolving — shaped by audience reactions and fuelled by unpredictability. It’s a whirlwind of clowning, physical comedy, surprsing choreography and live music.
Behind the flops and fumbles lies something sneakily profound: a glimpse into big emotions, tensions, and the tricky business of being human. As roles crack and real feelings peek through, we’re reminded that falling apart — with flair — can be its own kind of triumph.
No Yes You celebrates failure with flair and invites you to do the same.
About Kejos
Kolektyw Kejos is a group of artists who champion contemporary circus techniques as an expressive medium equal to theatre, dance, music, and multimedia. Their performances blend various artistic disciplines, structured—much like in a theatre production—around a cohesive script, theme, and storyline. Unlike traditional circus shows that often present a series of disconnected acts, Kejos delivers a unified and profound artistic statement.
Members of the collective actively contribute to the evolution of both Polish and international contemporary circus scenes,, frequently participating in renowned festivals such as Cyrkopole and OFCA, among others. A testament to their commitment to the art form, since 2016, Kejos has co-run the Centre for New Circus in Wrocław, in collaboration with the FAMA Library and Cultural Centre. This dedicated space serves as a hub for the development, practice, and promotion of New Circus in Poland.
The performance “No Yes You” will be presented three times.
Ticket sales open mid-May.
About this year’s edition
With most of the programme held outdoors and free to the public, Carnaval Sztukmistrzów brings high-quality performance art into the very heart of the city — making circus arts accessible and unforgettable. A few shows are ticketed and held under the big top or in theatres.
The 2025 edition will feature performances from international stars such as Gabriela Muñoz, whose show Julieta is a tender, comical portrait of a woman navigating aging and memory. Bursting with humour and zest for life, Julieta invites the audience into her tiny apartment — a space that becomes her entire universe. Through her daily rituals, we glimpse the stages of her life, watching her transform with tenderness and whimsy. The show draws inspiration from the real-life story of Muñoz’s great-aunt, adding an intimate, personal layer to an already enchanting performance.
Also featured in the 2025 programme is Winter, a genre-defying spectacle by the boundary-pushing collective My!Laika. Blending influences from literature, film, and music, this performance breaks every rule — and does it with masterful precision. What appears to be chaotic and absurd is, in fact, a tightly crafted celebration of the new circus form. Expect mysterious characters, poetic circus vignettes, and a web of interwoven stories that reflect on death, fleeting joy, and the quiet despair of facing global crises.
We’ll also be joined by Art For Rainy Days and Teatronas—two groups set to challenge and expand our understanding of contemporary circus.
Art For Rainy Days will present How a Spiral Works—a hypnotic performance blending aerial acrobatics, dance, and traditional Baltic folk music.
Meanwhile, Teatronas offers Itch, a bold and thought-provoking circus-theatre essay delving into our fear of death. Inspired by Irvin D. Yalom’s book Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death, this Lithuanian production invites us to confront life’s deepest questions through the language of performance.
Stay tuned — more artist announcements are on the way!
Ticket sales launch mid-May.
Carnaval Sztukmistrzów
24–27 July 2025
Lublin – Old Town & Błonia near the Castle
Admission to most events is free | | Selected performances ticketed
Published: 7 May 2025
Kolektyw Kejos on vulnerability and coping with failure
The performance “No Yes You” by Kolektyw Kejos has been selected as the winner of the open call for a Polish contemporary circus presentation at the 16th Carnaval Sztukmistrzów in Lublin. This win, part of “The Polish Incident” project, means the show will be performed three times during the festival.
“The Polish Incident” is a unique initiative dedicated to supporting and promoting Polish creativity in contemporary circus. It aims to inspire new performances and boost the visibility of Polish productions both at home and abroad. Since its launch in 2020, the project has been instrumental in the growth of many artists, leading to numerous original circus shows, many of which have graced the Carnaval Sztukmistrzów stage.
One of the key goals of The Polish Incident is to showcase existing productions. From a strong selection of open call submissions, the jury chose Kolektyw Kejos’s circus-theatre piece, “No Yes You.” The show is a whirlwind of clowning, physical comedy, surprsing choreography and live music.
About “No yes You”
Three performers set out to deliver a flawless, highbrow show… but the universe has other plans. One mistake snowballs into another, and suddenly we’re deep in a delicious storm of mishaps, misunderstandings, and misfired tricks. What should be a polished spectacle becomes a gloriously imperfect mess — and that’s when the magic really begins.
Part improv, part choreography, part sheer chaos, No Yes You is always evolving — shaped by audience reactions and fuelled by unpredictability. It’s a whirlwind of clowning, physical comedy, surprsing choreography and live music.
Behind the flops and fumbles lies something sneakily profound: a glimpse into big emotions, tensions, and the tricky business of being human. As roles crack and real feelings peek through, we’re reminded that falling apart — with flair — can be its own kind of triumph.
No Yes You celebrates failure with flair and invites you to do the same.
About Kejos
Kolektyw Kejos is a group of artists who champion contemporary circus techniques as an expressive medium equal to theatre, dance, music, and multimedia. Their performances blend various artistic disciplines, structured—much like in a theatre production—around a cohesive script, theme, and storyline. Unlike traditional circus shows that often present a series of disconnected acts, Kejos delivers a unified and profound artistic statement.
Members of the collective actively contribute to the evolution of both Polish and international contemporary circus scenes,, frequently participating in renowned festivals such as Cyrkopole and OFCA, among others. A testament to their commitment to the art form, since 2016, Kejos has co-run the Centre for New Circus in Wrocław, in collaboration with the FAMA Library and Cultural Centre. This dedicated space serves as a hub for the development, practice, and promotion of New Circus in Poland.
The performance “No Yes You” will be presented three times.
Ticket sales open mid-May.
About this year’s edition
With most of the programme held outdoors and free to the public, Carnaval Sztukmistrzów brings high-quality performance art into the very heart of the city — making circus arts accessible and unforgettable. A few shows are ticketed and held under the big top or in theatres.
The 2025 edition will feature performances from international stars such as Gabriela Muñoz, whose show Julieta is a tender, comical portrait of a woman navigating aging and memory. Bursting with humour and zest for life, Julieta invites the audience into her tiny apartment — a space that becomes her entire universe. Through her daily rituals, we glimpse the stages of her life, watching her transform with tenderness and whimsy. The show draws inspiration from the real-life story of Muñoz’s great-aunt, adding an intimate, personal layer to an already enchanting performance.
Also featured in the 2025 programme is Winter, a genre-defying spectacle by the boundary-pushing collective My!Laika. Blending influences from literature, film, and music, this performance breaks every rule — and does it with masterful precision. What appears to be chaotic and absurd is, in fact, a tightly crafted celebration of the new circus form. Expect mysterious characters, poetic circus vignettes, and a web of interwoven stories that reflect on death, fleeting joy, and the quiet despair of facing global crises.
We’ll also be joined by Art For Rainy Days and Teatronas—two groups set to challenge and expand our understanding of contemporary circus.
Art For Rainy Days will present How a Spiral Works—a hypnotic performance blending aerial acrobatics, dance, and traditional Baltic folk music.
Meanwhile, Teatronas offers Itch, a bold and thought-provoking circus-theatre essay delving into our fear of death. Inspired by Irvin D. Yalom’s book Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death, this Lithuanian production invites us to confront life’s deepest questions through the language of performance.
Stay tuned — more artist announcements are on the way!
Ticket sales launch mid-May.
Carnaval Sztukmistrzów
24–27 July 2025
Lublin – Old Town & Błonia near the Castle
Admission to most events is free | | Selected performances ticketed
