History

Founded in Budapest, Hungary in 2012 by director and choreographer Bence Vági, Recirquel has by now become one of the leading contemporary circus companies in the world, representing a unique style of circus combined with dance and theatre, building upon the flair of mid-eastern European – Hungarian classical theatre culture. The productions of this pioneering company bewitch audiences worldwide with the immersive quality of the magical universes they create. Recirquel has opened the gates for contemporary circus in Hungary and carries a strong mission to acquaint audiences with this new form of performing arts.

Recirquel's first show, Night Circus, premiered in the spring of 2013 and was an overnight success. The company not only attracted appreciative audiences, but also gained practical support from Hungary's leading cultural institution, the Palace of Arts – Müpa Budapest. Csaba Káel, Müpa's CEO, played an important role in providing a home for the new company in an institute that was best known for hosting classical, jazz, world music and dance performances. The company has performed all its subsequent productions at the venue.

In the spring of 2014, The Naked Clown, Recirquel's second show, premiered at the Budapest Spring Festival. The same year the company released its third production, Paris de Nuit, bringing to life the artistic work of the famous Hungarian photographer Brassaï, who captured the decadent, yet enchanting nights of 1930's Paris.

In the autumn of 2015 Bence Vági created Non Solus, a unique blend of dance and circus wrapped in a world spun full of illusions, with two performers telling the story of two people finding one another and exploring the innermost depths of their imagination. With the creation of Non Solus the company, for which intertwining the genres of circus, dance and theatre has always been a focus, turned towards an even more ground-breaking form of theatrical expression creating a new genre, cirque danse.

My Land, conceived in 2018 represents the next milestone in this pioneering process. The moving new piece exploring humanity’s roots – the eternal inheritance of humankind and earth premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and was the best-rated show by critics of the entire 2018 Edinburgh International Festival. In 2022 the leading European art television, ARTE commissioned and broadcasted a documentary feature about My Land. 

The seeds of the cirque danse genre can also be found in the, up until now, largest scale production directed and choreographed by Bence Vági, the Closing Ceremony of the 17th FINA World Aquatics Championships held in Budapest in 2017. The show, based on Hungary’s most ancient legend, The Golden Stag, united two hundred circus artists representing the highest quality in their genre and some of the finest representatives of modern dance from all over the world.

IMA (Pray) premiered in April 2022 in the program of the Bartók Spring International Art Weeks - the pioneering production elevates cirque dance to a new level, into the world of immersive theatre.

In recent years, Recirquel has been experimenting with even more innovative forms of performing arts to create formats combining immersive theatre, site-specific shows with cirque danse.

One of Hungary’s most successful cultural brands today, Recirquel has a busier travel schedule than any other artistic company in the country. They have dazzled their constantly expanding audience everywhere from Edinburgh, Paris and Avignon to Bogotá, Montréal and New York.