La Tanik
La Tanik is Carmen , born in Nürnberg in Bavaria
(Germany). In her childhood she took ballet lessons (which she really didn´t like) and went to the Rupprecht
modern dance school in Erlangen for several years, while being the
star of every carnival of her village. She was always involved in music
and drama projects until, when eighteen, she left her village to
discover northern Germany. There
she carried on dancing, became proficient with Poys, and fell in love
with fire-dancing. Between
2002 and 2004, she was part of the fire performance
group Plan B. Also in this time she started to work in a refugee centre,
where
she worked principally with adolescents, teaching them German, and
organizing free-time activities with them. She realized that she wished
to work in the social and cultural field, which is why she went to
Nijmegen in
Holland to study Cultural and Social Education. While studying she
performed as a stilt-walker for “De Circuswinkel”, and did her first
solo fire shows for the “Kunstkeet Festival”, “Kids ´n Billies
Festival”, “Bliksem Festival”,
“Cultuurspinnerij de Vasim”, “Evenementenbedrijf Carpe Diem”, and other
artistic organisations. In 2009 she needed to do work experience, as
part of her studies, and she
decided to do so in Spain. She went alone and without a lot of money,
but with
her fire show, to Andalucía where she learned Spanish, by meeting people
from her audience, and other street artists. When she came to Granada,
she became fascinated by the city, and decided to stay. She did her
practicals, working at Animasur, a street theatre company, and she
organized
the weekly shows in “CAU”, Center of urban arts. There she also helped
to found the “CAU International School of Circus and Dramatic Arts”.
Besides her work at the school, she dedicated herself to the discipline
of Hula Hoop, and took acrobatics and dance courses. When Carmen left
Spain, she returned to Holland inspired by what she had learnt and done
in Granada, and
with the idea to mix that with Social Circus. Between 2010 and 2012 she
was
involved in giving courses in different circus schools for adolescents,
like
“Circus Stefke” (Nijmengen), “Groete Broer” (Nijmengen), and “Circus
Poehaa”(Arnhem), where she organized their adolescent cabaret show
“Poehaa gooit the trossen los”. In this period she
enjoyed staying in “Circus Space” in Nijmegen, where she traded skills
with other
artists, and she organized with them their “Bike ´n Bamboo” cabaret, as
a big
solidarity event for childrens´ support projects in Vietnam. After
finishing her studies
in Holland, Carmen returned to the hotter climate of Andalucía. From
2012 to 2013 she worked at “Neue Horizonte” in Almeria, as a social
educator
for adolescents with behavioral problems, where she continues to create
and carry out, experience
projects for those young clients. Here she uses circus training as a
medium for
their social development. Carmen lives in Granada, where she has found
the possibility to combine her activities in artistic work, social work
and organizing events. She
teaches Hula Hoop, performs with her fire show, and street show, and in
cabarets,
festivals and other events. She forms part of the artistic association
Estreyarte, where she took part and performed in the cabarets “Freak”,
“Super 8”, “Ultima Llamada” and “Circo Bizarro”.
La Tanik is Carmen , born in Nürnberg in Bavaria
(Germany). In her childhood she took ballet lessons (which she really didn´t like) and went to the Rupprecht
modern dance school in Erlangen for several years, while being the
star of every carnival of her village. She was always involved in music
and drama projects until, when eighteen, she left her village to
discover northern Germany. There
she carried on dancing, became proficient with Poys, and fell in love
with fire-dancing. Between
2002 and 2004, she was part of the fire performance
group Plan B. Also in this time she started to work in a refugee centre,
where
she worked principally with adolescents, teaching them German, and
organizing free-time activities with them. She realized that she wished
to work in the social and cultural field, which is why she went to
Nijmegen in
Holland to study Cultural and Social Education. While studying she
performed as a stilt-walker for “De Circuswinkel”, and did her first
solo fire shows for the “Kunstkeet Festival”, “Kids ´n Billies
Festival”, “Bliksem Festival”,
“Cultuurspinnerij de Vasim”, “Evenementenbedrijf Carpe Diem”, and other
artistic organisations. In 2009 she needed to do work experience, as
part of her studies, and she
decided to do so in Spain. She went alone and without a lot of money,
but with
her fire show, to Andalucía where she learned Spanish, by meeting people
from her audience, and other street artists. When she came to Granada,
she became fascinated by the city, and decided to stay. She did her
practicals, working at Animasur, a street theatre company, and she
organized
the weekly shows in “CAU”, Center of urban arts. There she also helped
to found the “CAU International School of Circus and Dramatic Arts”.
Besides her work at the school, she dedicated herself to the discipline
of Hula Hoop, and took acrobatics and dance courses. When Carmen left
Spain, she returned to Holland inspired by what she had learnt and done
in Granada, and
with the idea to mix that with Social Circus. Between 2010 and 2012 she
was
involved in giving courses in different circus schools for adolescents,
like
“Circus Stefke” (Nijmengen), “Groete Broer” (Nijmengen), and “Circus
Poehaa”(Arnhem), where she organized their adolescent cabaret show
“Poehaa gooit the trossen los”. In this period she
enjoyed staying in “Circus Space” in Nijmegen, where she traded skills
with other
artists, and she organized with them their “Bike ´n Bamboo” cabaret, as
a big
solidarity event for childrens´ support projects in Vietnam. After
finishing her studies
in Holland, Carmen returned to the hotter climate of Andalucía. From
2012 to 2013 she worked at “Neue Horizonte” in Almeria, as a social
educator
for adolescents with behavioral problems, where she continues to create
and carry out, experience
projects for those young clients. Here she uses circus training as a
medium for
their social development. Carmen lives in Granada, where she has found
the possibility to combine her activities in artistic work, social work
and organizing events. She
teaches Hula Hoop, performs with her fire show, and street show, and in
cabarets,
festivals and other events. She forms part of the artistic association
Estreyarte, where she took part and performed in the cabarets “Freak”,
“Super 8”, “Ultima Llamada” and “Circo Bizarro”.
