On the final days of Festival Circolo in Tilburg, four up-and-coming circus talents amazed the jury and audience with their short presentations. After the performance on Sunday 19 October, the winner of the BNG Circus Prize was announced. Tim received the title and cash prize of €7,500 from Margo Mulder, Mayor of Bergen op Zoom and board member of the BNG Culture Fund.
Acrobatic dancer Tim van den Bos de Lucas presented an impressively layered performance with Kenova, combining technique, storytelling and emotional depth. The act not only demonstrated his technical mastery, but also a mature and clear dramaturgical structure. The theme of loss was conveyed with integrity, without becoming sentimental.
From the jury report:
‘With Kenova, Tim van den Bos de Lucas shows how parcour can be used to bring together movement, dramaturgy and scenography in a universally accessible and impressively professional performance.’
Since 2012, the BNG Circus Prize has been awarded to the most striking graduation act from the Dutch circus training programmes Codarts and Fontys Circus and Performance Arts. Every year, the audience is surprised with four innovative and original performances by young super talents. The other nominees were:
With acrobatic handstands in With Eyes Closed, Lily Nolan captivated the jury from the very first second. Her poetic and physical world was refined and personal, demonstrating a strong artistic signature. The combination of her unique movement quality, precise musicality and carefully constructed scenic world gave the act a dreamy yet layered atmosphere.
Handstand artist Tom Laurent impressed with Make the Unseen Visible, an act that stood out thanks to its powerful visual storytelling and cinematic scenography. His mastery of the handstand technique was integrated into the overall picture in an inventive way, with light and shadow functioning as active dramaturgical elements. Tom shows that, as a creator, he thinks in images, layers and meaning.
Tightrope walker Tatjana Sommer brought a powerful and fresh approach to her discipline with her act ZAP, immediately capturing the attention of the jury. Her stage presence was intense and confident, and she approached her discipline with a raw, almost rebellious energy. ZAP was playful and daring, with a raw edge that stretched the conventional boundaries of the genre; exactly the kind of innovative approach the jury wants to encourage.
‘With Kenova, Tim van den Bos de Lucas shows how parcour can be used to bring together movement, dramaturgy and scenography in a universally accessible and impressively professional performance.’Jury report BNG Circus Prize 2025
De jury voor de BNG Circusprijs 2025 bestond uit verschillende samenstellingen om een zo breed mogelijk perspectief te bieden.
De BNG Circusprijs wordt uitgereikt aan het meest onderscheidende talent dat in dat jaar afstudeert aan een van de twee HBO-circusopleidingen in Nederland: Codarts Circus Rotterdam of Fontys Circus and Performance Art in Tilburg. De BNG Circusprijs is een initiatief van het BNG Cultuurfonds en Circuspunt, het platform van het Nederlandse circusveld. Het is één van de cultuurprijzen om aanstormend talent te stimuleren én te ondersteunen in hun verdere ontwikkeling.
Ask your question to the secretary of the BNG Culture Fund.
Ana Buzón
Secretary of the BNG Culture Fund