Welcome

Welcome! 

I’m Inka, one of the founders of Sisus, a contemporary circus company originally from Finland. Let me make one thing clear: we’re not here to play it safe. Never have been. Never will be. For us, circus is about more than the flashy tricks and the glitter (although, yes, we love that part too). It’s a philosophy, a way of life, and above all, it’s a rebellion against the ordinary.
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After more than a decade of pushing boundaries and defying expectations, we’ve decided to open a window into our world with this blog—not to explain ourselves, but to provoke thought, share our journey, and maybe offer a glimpse of the strange, joyful, and often wild ride that contemporary circus can be.

Sisus officially came into being in 2014, but our roots go much deeper. We--Iida Sipilä, Milla Lahtinen, Rosa Tyyskä, Sofia Defour, and myself—first met as kids in youth circus, tangled up in trapeze ropes, building human pyramids, and taking part in those inevitable trust falls. Before we even knew it, we were laying the foundation for something that would eventually grow into a circus company. But we never set out to create a brand. What we built was born from our need to create, to laugh, to dream—together.

In those early years, we had only one rule: more is more—more sequins, more sweat, more meaning, more mayhem, more everything. It was chaotic, honest, and loud. And somehow, that rule still sticks.

So, why a blog? And why now?

The answer is simple: circus is a conversation. Too often, the audience only sees the final product—the performance, the posters, the premiere. But behind all that, there are a thousand quiet questions, the kind that get lost in the rush of opening nights and standing ovations.

Recently, I’ve been asked a lot: “Does Sisus still exist?”
The short answer is: hell yes.

Maybe not in the same form as we once were. The five of us aren’t performing together anymore, but Sisus is very much alive. Over the years, we’ve created numerous shows, films, and projects of all shapes and sizes. We even celebrated our 10th anniversary last year.

What most people don’t know is that we actually began as an association called Hiljaiset Hissukat ry. Under this umbrella, there are three different groups—and Sisus is one of them. We continue to work within this structure, and the board meets regularly to plan our future, from small-scale projects to larger endeavors. Whether they’re carried out under the Sisus name or under the association’s broader umbrella, our mission is the same: to carry our values forward.

This blog, then, is a way to open up a bit of our lives. To reflect. To ask the questions we ask ourselves in our work—and maybe ask a few more you’ve never thought to ask.
And yes, to throw a few punches at the status quo while we’re at it. Always.
Here, you’ll meet the people behind the shows, the ones who keep the creative fire burning. You’ll hear about the flops, the fights, the festivals, and those flashes of insight that hit like a trapeze to the head. We’ll talk about what it’s like to tour, to train, to fail spectacularly—and to find meaning in this strange thing we call "circus life."

It won’t always be neat.

But it will always be honest.

Welcome to the behind-the-scenes of the unbalanced.