YOUNG STAGE CIRCUS • TEDXBASEL • EXPAT EXPO • BOBBY MCFERRIN • OPEN HOUSE BASEL Volume 6 Issue 8 CHF 6 6 A Monthly Guide to Living in Basel May 2018 Get in Line for Skating Season Daily Non-Stop Bus to/from Basel Badischer Bahnhof +49 (0)7626 91610 [email protected] Black Forest Academy bfacademy.de Magical Cafe Play Cafe in Basel Unveil the magic... LEBRA CE T X E LA E R RN A & G LE R FUN O VE W A SH H OP Icons by freepik Max Kämpf Platz 2 4058 Basel - May 15 > 19 - Tuesday > Saturday We celebrate our 9 am > 5.30 pm 1st BIRTHDAY with Swiss Intern. surprises all week ! (> 7 pm on Friday) Riehenring angentenweg School rlenmattstr. T www.magicalcafe.ch E - May 27 - Erlenstr. Meet us at the or join us on Musical Theater EXPAT EXPO ! 2 Basel Life Magazine / www.basellife.com LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Readers, The month of May is a real treat for anyone who loves the circus as this year marks the 10th anniversary of Young Stage—a circus festival where young, talented artists from all over the world present their modern cre- May 2018 Volume 6 Issue 8 ative acts in 6 consecutive shows with the hopes of landing gigs in estab- lished circuses. You can also bring the family to see the more traditional TABLE OF CONTENTS Circus Royal, experience the delightful Jeudi Cirque in the small tent at Dreispitz, or watch the young talents of Basel’s own circus school per- Feature Event: YOUNG STAGE Circus Festival Basel 4–5 forming their annual show as the Zirkus Rägeboge. Culture also knows no bounds this month, starting with the first-ever Open House Basel, where the public is invited to visit over 60 buildings and out- Events in Basel: May 2018 6–11 door spaces throughout the city to discover outstanding architecture from various time periods. You can also be enchanted when Basel hosts the bi- ennial European Festival of Youth Choirs, discover film as an art form at Fun Outings: Beyond Basel 12–13 the Bildrausch Filmfest, listen to ideas worth spreading at TEDx Basel, or be among the fantasy freaks and game addicts at the Fantasy Basel. If the warmth of spring calls you outdoors, there are many options with Markets and Fairs 14–15 Basel’s open-air pools opening this month. There is also a multitude of great sporting events, including the Dreiländerlauf (three-country run), the Basler Frauenlauf (women’s run), numerous bicycle tours, and the in- Did You Know? 16 line-skating event City Skate Basel; check out our “Get Going!” special for more information on rollerblading in and around the city. Calendar: May 2018 18–19 Numerous markets and fairs also entice you this month. Those in the mar- ket for a bicycle will surely find what they are looking for at the annual Velomärt Basel. A stroll through the quaint old-town area of the Spalen- Sports and Recreation 20–21 berg will have you meeting merchants and locals at the evening “Spalenacht” or at the Saturday-morning brunch on the Spalenberg. Find unique cre- ations at the Blickfang designer fair, and be sure to visit the Expat Expo, an Get Going!: Inline Skating 22–23 annual fair that introduces expats to many of the products and services available in the Basel area in English. Adventure-seekers looking for a day of natural beauty will enjoy a visit to Workshops, Tours, and Education 24–25 the Haslital region of canton Bern, where they can take the breathtaking passageway through the Aare gorge, followed by a scenic funicular ride up to the Reichenbach falls, where visitors can spot the location from which Entertainment: Night on the Town 26–35 the fictitious Sherlock Holmes fell to his death. Families with young chil- dren should read on to learn all about the services and support that the Basel Children’s Trust (BCT) offers to English-speaking families. Mark Your Calendar: June 2018 back page As always, don’t miss the great line-up of concerts, musicals, theater, op- era, ballet, dance parties, physical and stand-up comedy, as well as the Ticket Office: Get Your Tickets Now! back page numerous wine-tasting events, including the Mondovino wine fair, the Swiss Wine Days 2018, and the open days at local wine cellars in the Ger- man-speaking region of Switzerland. Warm wishes for fun-filled days, Christine Basel Life Magazine Photography Contest! What Does Summer in Basel Mean to You? Your photo can be the cover of our July/August 2018 issue! Send us your best Basel summer photos for a chance to make Basel Life Magazine Staff: the cover of Basel Life Magazine! Editor-in-Chief: Requirements: Christine Pesold – The photo should have recognizably been taken in Basel Advertising & Subscription Manager / Editor: – The final size of the photo will be almost square (21 cm wide x Susanne Hiller 22 cm high)—keep that in mind when selecting a photo – The photo must be submitted as a high-resolution jpg file Design & Print: Please submit your photos (no more than 5 per respondent) to Schwabe AG [email protected] no later than May 31, 2018. For more information about subscribing or advertising – please contact us: The Basel Life Magazine team will select a winning photo that info basellife.com will be published on the cover of our summer issue. The winner www.facebook.com/basellifemagazine will receive bragging rights (photo credit) and a few extra cop- ies of the magazine to share with family and friends. www.basellife.com BASEL LIFE MAGAZINE / BASEL FAMILY GmbH © Copyright 2018. All rights reserved. It is our goal to provide valuable, timely information to our readers. The opinions expressed in the articles in this magazine are those of the contributing authors and do not reflect those of other members of the editorial staff and of any organizations or agencies distributing this magazine. Though we make every attempt to provide accurate information, we cannot be held respon- sible if any event is cancelled, postponed, or modified. We encourage readers to contact the event organizers or their websites to obtain the most current event information. Please note: No part of this periodical may be duplicated in any fashion, or redistributed in any written language, without permission from the executive staff at Basel Family GmbH. If you have any questions, contact Basel Family GmbH staff at: info basellife.com. photo credit: © christophe varaklis (cover) May 2018 3 Feature Event May 11–15 YOUNG STAGE Circus Festival Basel Turns 10! The YOUNG STAGE interna- ed, and very creative new form of circus came with the founding of Can- tional circus festival is one of ada’s Cirque du Soleil in 1984—an interface between theater, artistry, the most important circus music, variety show, and dance. Successful circus artists these days festivals worldwide and the have to be imaginative, try out unusual objects as props, work drama- biggest in Switzerland. This turgically, and develop their own character. top-class event celebrates its 10th anniversary this year— coinciding with the anniver- sary “250 Years Circus,” which marks the founding of the first circus in 1768, when Briton Philip Astley engaged acrobats for artistic riding demonstrations in his London riding school. A Brief Circus History Man’s fascination with the circus actually dates back at least 5,000 years, as evidenced by depictions of artists such as jugglers and acro- bats painted in rock tombs. In the ancient Roman empire, acrobatic performances entertained spectators in large arenas and amphithe- aters during breaks between chariot and horse races as well as gladi- ator fights. In medieval times, juggling troops amused courtiers and the general population at taverns, marketplaces, and fairs. Other acts, such as tightrope walkers, fire-eaters, acrobats, and trained animals, were added as forms of entertainment in the beginning of modern times. The fascination with circus acts led to the construction of circus buildings in Europe in the early 19th century, and by the end of that century, travelling circuses in the United States necessitated the cre- ation of the transportable circus tent—the “Chapiteau.” Circuses es- sentially disappeared during World War I, but quickly regained popular- ity after the war as the population craved carefree entertainment. During the economic crisis of the 1920s many circuses went bankrupt, and the remaining ones were destroyed during World War II. Their post- war comeback after 1945 was tenuous due to the competition with tele- vision, cinemas, and amusement parks, leading to the “big circus death” in the 1960s—the art of circus was lost. A French movement in the late 1970s can be thanked for the revival of the circus, which led to its inevitable modernization, referred to today as “Nouveau Cirque.” It is a new form of circus that favors theatrical and even dance-like productions. An artistically versatile, sophisticat- 4 Basel Life Magazine / www.basellife.com Don’t miss this year’s 10th anniversary, which will also include two free open-air circus events for the public on May 12 and 13. On May 12 at 14:30, Laurence Tremblay-Vu will perform a 20-minute high-wire act at the Mittlere Brücke. At 15 meters above ground, he will cross the 190 meters from the Grossbasel side to the Kleinbasel side of the Rhein, showing his tricks without a safety net. On May 13 from 13:00–18:00 several contemporary circus troupes and individual artists—most of them previous YOUNG STAGE participants and winners—will present their acts to the public at Messeplatz.