Chainsaw Princess X the Fear of Going Bald is a contemporary circus creation composed of two solos forming a diptych. Blending text, object manipulation, and performative practices, the artists use the Cyr wheel and hula hoops to explore identity, vulnerability, and the gendered expectations that shape how bodies are perceived.
The two solos, distinct yet intertwined, reflect and complement each other throughout the piece. By subverting gendered aesthetic codes and circus archetypes, the work transforms the gentle into the brutal, and the fragile into the powerful. Humor, absurdity, and an emotionally charged physicality invite reflection without confrontation.
Our performance embraces an environment attentive to diversity. It aims to identify and deconstruct normative roles, especially in circus arts, where role expectations are still often strongly present. In a field where bodies, skills, and identities are still often framed by rigid norms, we consciously work to loosen these expectations and imagine alternative ways of being on stage.
Our creation is currently looking for last collaborators to finish the creation period of 2026. Also looking for venues to perform after the premiere in February 2027.
THE FEAR OF GOING BALD - Aapo
I am a circus artist specializing in the Cyr wheel. My work explores vulnerability and challenges masculine ideals from a queer perspective. I like to perceive myself as a miserable antihero and try to bring up topics that are missing from the male conversation: How does it feel to slowly get bald? Is it manly to like other men? How does it feel when the mustache just doesn't grow?
My research focuses on breaking the image of the fearless, strong, and invincible circus man. I prefer to keep my shirt on on stage, and in my practice, fragility and emotions are just as important as physical mastery.
The masculine body I present is not strong or dominant. It is weak. At times also headless, fragile, contradictory, feminine. I seek to confront the images of masculinity by making them surreal, strange and unstable - revealing the clumsiness of the whole construct.
CHAINSAW PRINCESS - Sirje
I am a circus artist specializing in hula hoops. In my work, I explore aesthetics coded as feminine and question how the female body is expected to embody fluidity, beauty, and delicacy within the circus world. I approach the field with irony and provocation, seeking ways to challenge and shift the audience’s gaze.
I feel like people expect me to be a certain way; you're kind, nice, cute, the kind of girl who smiles. I'd never think you'd ever get angry, someone says. You're so zen.
I love the smile, the softness, the cuteness, the pink, the beauty, the gentleness, but;
What if I'm a black hole that sucks you into a void.
What if my hoops are gonna kick your ass.
How can the feminine, the decorative, the controlled also be fierce, dirty, heavy and wild?
For more information (Dossier, Budget, Schedule, Bookings...) -> aaposirje@gmail.com
Working group
Concept / Creation: Aapo Honkanen & Sirje Tolonen
Lightdesign: Jaakko Sirainen
Photography / Video: Sonja Tolonen
Outside eye: Gaëlle Bisellach-Roig
Dramaturgical assistance: Milla Jarko
Support
Co-production: Dansinitiativet
Support: Latitude 50, Cie Point Zero, Dynamo, Silence association, École Supérieure des Arts du Cirque, DanceTheater Hurjaruuth, WHS Teatteri Union, Tohmajärvi artist residency and Ylitornio municipality
Financial support: La Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, Arts promotion center Finland and Samuel Huber Fondation
