Meet the Artist

Swantje Kawecki (*1996) is an artist of contemporary circus, a dancer and researcher curious about the meeting point between theory and practice. She completed her studies in Circus and Performance Art in Tilburg 2021 and is currently based in Cologne, where she is completing her Master´s degree in Dance Studies at the Centre of Contemporary Dance.

Swantje Kawecki performs frequently with varying concepts and styles, including the site-specific duet Leverage from choreographer Hannah Rogerson, the techno rave performance Habitat from Doris Uhlich, the theatre-circus show A Clockwork Orange from Tall Tales Company and and the Christmas show at Porto Ageas Coliseu.
Since autumn 2023, Kawecki has been performing in the installation circus performance Structure#1 from The Berkey, and they were awarded the BNG Prize for their outstanding performance at the Festival Circolo 2023.

Her diverse movement background from martial arts, handball, climbing and vaulting, shapes her capability to adapt to multiple spaces and groups and this is visible in her multifaceted collaborations.

The Master´s study has inspired Kawecki to follow her journalistic writing interest and has opened her collaboration with the trade magazine TanzNetz, where she published reviews about the festival tanz nrw.
Furthermore, Swantje Kawecki is researching about the use of dance terminology in hybrid performances of contemporary circus and dance and the influence of such within the cultural field.

Sharing her experience and skills with others, as well as supporting them in their creative process, inspires Swantje Kawecki as person and artist. Curious and empathetic, she follows the development and changes of the children, adolescents, and adults with whom she works in different contexts. Over the years, Swantje Kawecki has mediated in both German and English as part of further education, school projects, regular training courses, holiday camps and festival workshops.

She’s currently working together with Eric Berkey on a new piece with a self-standing structure made out of nine poles, where the two artists explore and examine the dialogue and juxtaposition between soft skin and cold steel, while questioning perception of time.

© Tamara Mauss