GOAL AND VISION
JONK! Performing Arts presents national and international guest performances of contemporary circus, dance, and theatre in Jönköping County. We want to create creative platforms for artists to come to and for the audience to feel included in. We want to work where the people are but where they may not expect performing arts to be. From markets and city festivals to schools and various stage rooms – the expected and unexpected.
We want to make the arts more accessible and a natural element of everyday life.
Creating more culture in urban spaces and for special occasions has become a trademark of JONK! Where no stages exist, we create them “site-specific” with the help of artists and our partners.
HISTORY
Since August 2014, JONK! Performing Arts has presented 90 performances by 30 groups from 22 countries, attracting about 18,000 people in the audience – from small groups of children at performances for the youngest to major crowds at city festivals (Aquanauts with 11,000 people in the audience, not counted. See under Programme).
During the first 3 years, JONK! worked with international performing arts for children and young people. The project was initiated by Hellen Smitterberg and Birgit Berndt. Hellen Smitterberg has been running it ever since. Later, the project came to involve all ages and focus on integration with the arts as the basis for meetings.
Since 2018, JONK! Performing Arts is a non-profit organisation. In continued collaboration with Region Jönköping, the association intends to place even greater focus on contemporary circus.
JONK! creates local presence through partnership, but also through performances, when, for example, local parkour members meet professionals in front of an audience. Through interactive performances like Leaf Duet (EST/BEL), where the audience participates, dancing in a pile of leaves, the street theatre Kamchàtka (ESP/CAT) that brings the audience into the city, and Colourful Games (LTU), which allows the youngest up on stage to co-create. Or through community theatre, where the Portuguese artist collective Casa Branca worked with 17 young people from Nässjö and Höglandet. Together, they created Trigger of Happiness. Several of the kids then continued in what became “Scenkonstklubben” (“The Performing Arts Club”), which is now established in several municipalities. See under Scenkonstklubben.
The name JONK! is short for Jönköping.
““JONK’s focus on quality and professional artists has been a valued and inspiring element in Jönköping’s cultural life.””
FUNDING
JONK! Performing Arts is funded by Region Jönköping County and the Swedish Arts Council. For the first three years, it was also funded by Jönköping Municipality. The partnership will continue, as will those with the other county municipalities involved. JONK! is often free to the public and revenue then comes from co-financing and partnerships. See under Partners.
““What really struck a chord with me after the two amazing experiences at the 2015 and 2016 Vetlanda Festivals...was that Vetlanda is growing, that there is hope and a positive atmosphere when such incredibly cool things are happening in our squares... It is important for Vetlanda to have benefitted from JONK; it fills us with a sense of pride and faith in the future!””
““My opinion, as a project manager for the Jönköping Festival and the Street Festival, is that JONK! added quality and attractive elements to these projects, as well as a collaboration expertise that brought both events to a whole new level. The events produced have been of top quality and of great public and media interest.””
““I think it’s crucial that JONK! continues in order to secure the future of the performing arts. It both develops with and invites young and old to participate in and check out the performing arts.””
“”Through collaboration with municipalities, civil society, institutions, etc., JONK! has enabled the presence of the performing arts (contemporary circus, parkour, dance) in the county in new places and before new audiences.””
“JONK has been involved in producing events like the Street Festival, but also helped temporarily vitalise empty industrial premises through events like “KulturDagNatt”, which, in turn, helps achieve the goals of the project “Stadens liv och innehåll”. ”
