Organizers

Patron of the Festival: Minister of Culture and Sport Stefan Wallin

Minister of Culture and Sport Stefan Wallin Dear friends of the Circus Arts,

Circus speaks in a language which doesn't necessarily require words to understand. That is why circus is a very international art form and a significant part of the field of arts and culture. This is also true in Finland. We have hobbyists, training and professionals in our country. During the past few years circus arts have undergone huge structural development which has translated into increasing activities and diversity.

Finnish circus is also internationally acknowledged. As a proof of that we have been granted the privilege of organizing the largest juggling event in the world. This convention will not only allow us to present our expertise but also to learn from others. Interaction and positive communal spirit in workshops and seminars will create a lot of new ideas and the possibility for self development for the artists and hobbyists. The professional acts that come along with this convention will allow everyone to enjoy the circus. That is why I would like to express my thanks for all those who have participated in organizing this event. For the all friends of the circus arts, I also wish great moments with art, skill and why not with magic as well. For true mastery often appears to be magical.

Helsinki, 26. January 2010

Stefan Wallin

EJA

Goals of the EJA

The European Juggling Association, the umbrella organisation of European jugglers, has made its main goal "to promote juggling in Europe, especially by ensuring, that each year, a European Juggling Convention (EJC) takes place in a different European city or town.". (www.eja.net)

Apart from the Board of Directors (chairman, secretary and treasurer) the EJA consists of the country representatives, who are elected every two years during EJC, and the festival representatives of previous EJCs.

Support

In order to ensure the continuity of the annual EJC, the EJA supports the organisers financially as well as logistically. So that the organisational team is able to cover costs occurring prior to the event (all from stamps to large batches of poster prints), the EJA provides them with an interest-free credit. In return an agreement is made whereby any potential profits will be passed on to the EJA to enable the continued support for future EJCs.

At least as important is the logistical assistance the EJA offers. In addition to the collected wisdom and experiences of past EJCs the EJA supports the EJC in various practical ways, most noteworthy the (online) registration system, which will also be used for this EJC. But also during EJC the members of the EJA are active, be it behind registration, at the EJA-Meetings or as point of contact for the jugglers from their country and the local organisers.
At this point a big Thank You to all those active in the EJA for their work for the EJA and EJC.

This year there will be another feature from Karlsruhe convention 2008: The EJA Meet & Greet! On three mornings the EJA country representatives will come together to inform all those interested about the EJA and its activities. This is a good opportunity to get to know your country representative and of course ask questions about matters you've always been interested in.

Crew

The EJC could never be organised without the support of local jugglers. In Finland, Sirkus Supiainen, Sirkus Kumiankka, Finnish Youth Circus Association and many others are supporting this event. The whole Finnish juggling scene is very excited about having this unique event in Finland for the first time, and is committed to organizing a perfect juggling convention. The core crew of the festival includes following people:

Samuli Männistö

Shows, main organization

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Laura Poranen

Finance, traders, technical manager

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Janika Hämäläinen

Production

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Veikko Sariola

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From Jugglers For Jugglers

The European Juggling Convention is a non-profit event organised by volunteers. Supported by the European Juggling Association, the European Juggling Convention is organised on an annual basis by a team of voluntary unpaid jugglers since 1987.

The whole juggling scene of Finland will be involved in the organization of the event. The core team in Joensuu is taking care of the basics, contracts, permissions etc. and is pulling the strings together. All over Finland organisers are working on the concept and organisation of the different areas around EJC. And there are plenty: the shows and workshops are obvious, but also the co-ordination behind the scenes, e.g. technical issues, volunteers and waste disposal, need taking care of.

Closer to the event the crew will be complemented by a host of jugglers who will see little of the event, but will work very hard for it.

Very important for the EJC are the volunteers, all made up of participants who give a few hours of their time to support the event. And there are many jobs: badge checking, stewarding, runners... There will be an opportunity for everyone to volunteer: before, during and after the event.

Only if everyone pulls their weight the EJC can continue to happen in its current form, true to the motto of - from jugglers for jugglers!

Collaboration

EJC2010 is held in collaboration with: