Jay Gilligan
Contemporary Circus Artist
Workshop/Lecture:
April 29 at 7:00pm - 8:30pm FREE at the Little Theater Auditorium
What is Circus in the 21st Century?
Come join professional circus artists Jay Gilligan and Benjamin Domask-Ruh as we spend the evening discussing where circus is as an artform in the year 2026 in the United States and across the globe. Attendees will join this interactive lecture as we define what circus is together and then look at what it can be. We will finish the evening by putting some of what we learned into practice with an accessible to all circus workshop. Free and open to anyone interested in learning and having a good time! Drinks and snacks will be provided. Come dressed ready to move and think!
Join us for these contemporary circus performance created by international circus artist Jay Gilligan, a juggler with more than 30 years professional and artistic experience all the way from Sweden, and Benjamin Domask-Ruh, all the way from St. Paul, as they invite you to experience what circus means in the year 2026. Everyone is welcome and will enjoy the explorations of this 21st century artform through the discipline of juggling.
Jay Gilligan has performed in 38 different countries, touring solo work and collaborating with companies such as Spiegelworld, The Gandini Juggling Project, Cie Jérôme Thomas, Les 7 doigts de la main, Cirkus Cirkör, Cie Ea Eo, and Cirque du Soleil. He is the former head teacher of juggling at the National Circus School of Sweden, in Stockholm (2000-2019), and has published a book about contemporary juggling titled "5 Catches." His most recent work is the one-man Off-Broadway show in New York City titled "Stories About Gravity," which offers a new genre of juggling: Close-up Juggling. The show is an homage to a lifetime of looking at juggling as a visual art form. Jay also runs his own contemporary circus company in Stockholm, called Kapsel.
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Benjamin Domask-Ruh is a multidisciplinary circus artist whose work merges clown, juggling, music, and physical theater. He has collaborated with organizations including the International Jugglers’ Association, Fox and Beggar Theater, Tigerlion Arts, and the Children’s Theatre Company. Recent credits include Fun & Games (2025) by composer Carolyn O’Brien (Chicago), The Paper Operetta (2024), and An Evening with Benjamin and Thom (2025). As a Teaching Artist with COMPAS and Director of the IJA’s Youth Juggling Academy, Benjamin leads residencies and workshops internationally, fostering connections between rural and urban arts communities. His artistic practice explores humor, humanity, and accessibility in live performance. Benjamin serves as Board Chair of the International Jugglers’ Association, Associate Editor with Modern Vaudeville Press, and one of the founders of the Circus Center of Minnesota. His work continues to cultivate spaces of play, joy, empathy, and creative exchange. Professionally managed by Afton Benson. BenjaminDomaskRuh.com