Sharing the Backstage: A toolkit for sustainable, non-hierarchical artistic communities
Ki Omos Kineitai (And Yet it Moves)
Greece
We’re a collective of circus & performing artists in Athens, with 20 years of history and our theatre in a former working-class neighbourhood. Our practice is non-hierarchical, socially engaged, and rooted in everyday life: shared rides, collective cleaning, post-rehearsal talks—the social fabric that makes access to the arts possible. With this project, we want to document this invisible knowledge. We’ll create a visual essay, an online meeting and two workshops on how micro-rituals and care practices fuel motivation and participation, advocating that democracy is built on the ground.
Founded in 2003, our collective unites 20 core artists—acrobats, dancers, musicians and performers—with over 50 artists having passed through our community over two decades. We operate a theatre in Kerameikos, a former working-class neighbourhood now transformed into an emerging cultural hub, and are members of the Circostrada network. Our philosophy is non-hierarchical; artistic exchange happens horizontally, embedded in collaboration and mutual care. This invisible modus operandi—our micro-rituals, shared responsibilities, and informal support networks—is what audiences value and what makes our group distinct. Having survived Greece's economic crisis, the principle of resilience underpins every aspect of our work and connects us to international examples—from state-supported groups to those with no funding, each practising their own survival strategies. A sociological perspective can now help us capture this creatively, transforming lived experience into shareable knowledge and fostering access for people with no experience, semi-professionals and circus lovers. We'll produce a visual essay, an online exchange meeting for circus in Global South and open workshops in Athens.