Magic Circus - on tour through Holland's major cities
- Daniel Burow
- Sep 30
- 5 min read
Anyone who travels through the neighborhoods of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Leiden, or Alkmaar in the Netherlands between the beginning of March and the end of November will sooner or later spot a small white and purple striped circus tent. It's the tent of the Magic Circus, the "Dutch city circus," as it calls itself. Maurice Veldkamp's small but fine traveling circus only visits the residential areas of these cities and a few surrounding communities. It visits the same location at the same time every year, with a yearly changing program. This is helped by the fact that the tent and a small number of vehicle fit even into the smallest spaces. The Magic Circus typically changes location twice a week. This way, the circus reaches its audience, distances are short, and audience loyalty is high.
With this concept, the Magic Circus has become the only remaining classic touring circus with full tours from spring to autumn in the Netherlands. With a mixture of entrepreneurial skill, passion, and a can-do mentality, Maurice Veldkamp has established his circus as an integral part of the Dutch circus landscape.
Maurice Veldkamp began his circus career at a young age in 1976, working behind the scenes in the office for various circus productions. It was during this time that he developed the experiences that would later lead him to his concept: "Big cities perform better than small villages," he describes his observations while touring throughout the Netherlands. So why not focus on the places that are performing well?
Maurice Veldkamp became known primarily as the ringmaster for the Ahoy Christmas Circus in Rotterdam – a role he held for a total of 31 years until 2010. In 1987, he became a circus director. Together with Wim de Jong, they toured with a water show as "Aqua Circus." Afterward, they continued as "Circus Royal" for several years. When the founder of the small "Circus Piste," Willem Boekschooten, died, Maurice Veldkamp, along with Rob Ritman, purchased the company and continued to run it together. Willem Boekschooten's son Jofri remained loyal to the company – he is still involved today as a clown.
Maurice Veldkamp describes his program concept as the "missing link" between classical and modern circus. At its core, he presents classic programs with acrobatics and clowning. Small animals are often included; the tent would be too small and the stage unsuitable for any other animals. He takes a pragmatic approach to the much-discussed topic of "animals in the circus": "I love animals myself, but I don't know anything about them." The routines of acts are often similar, and he wonders whether the audience recognizes the differences. As a result, the number of animals has decreased over the years. "You can design a program better without animals," he notes.
So what makes Magic Circus modern, what makes its shows special? Perhaps crucial is that it utilizes the creative potential of its artists and has the courage to experiment. At Magic Circus, the ensemble concept is key, and so, despite its small size, you see group performances that have become rare elsewhere. "In 2000, I had a slingshot with a five-man high," he recalls proudly, "and that's when I realized it was a huge step forward in quality." At that time, a "Romanian State Circus" was touring the Netherlands with moderate success. The company was shut down, the troupe wanted to stay, and so Maurice Veldkamp seized the opportunity.
Otherwise, however, the programming is anything but left to chance. Every year, he places ads on social media: "Run away with the Circus to Amsterdam." This year, he was won over by an application from a group of young Finnish artists. "Finland is a small country, but it has many young people who do and love circus," he notes. Last year, he already hired a Finnish artist, hoop juggler Roni Heimo. This year, the artists of the Usva Company will perform a large part of the show. Five members of the nine-person collective are on tour. They all attended the Lahti circus school together before joining forces to offer various solo, duo, and group acts, as well as entire shows.
The artists, aged between 22 and 28, were eager to travel, perform in a tent, and experience the old-fashioned circus life. Their versatility is a major part of this year's Magic Circus show, "VALO." Lukas Peurala can be seen on the unicycle, Linnea Lohela with acrobatic dance. Roosa Pyoria masters the rare discipline of the Washington Trapeze, Ada Sainio combines handstand acrobatics with contortion, and Jaakko Kallioniemi participates in the acrobatic group scenes.
After the tour, the artists of the Usva Company will return to their own show projects. They most recently presented the family-friendly, one-hour show "KINNI" in 2024. Maurice Veldkamp made use of the Finnish artists' experience in collaborative creation also to realize his own idea. He still had the materials and basic ideas from a number involving large truck tires a few years ago, and with Usva, he reimagined the performance. The spring effect of the tires is used to create interesting sequences of movements.
In addition to the five Finns and long-time comedian Jofri, the program also features tightrope walker Felicity Lucy and Anka Jednorowicz on the aerial spiral. Behind the scenes, Jofri Boekschooten is also responsible for lighting and sound. And PR and marketing are also handled by someone well-known in the Dutch circus scene. Circus enthusiast, collector, and photographer Piet-Hein Out has been working for Magic Circus for almost 10 years now.
Maurice Veldkamp's joy in creating together with his artists doesn't end with the start of a tour – the show is constantly being refined. One of his mottos: A show must be alive; you can try out ideas, even testing their effectiveness in front of an audience. In the summer, Roos Hermanides from Duo Musa, who had previously worked with Magic Circus several times, joined the group for a few days. With her talent for directing, she made some adjustments, further emphasizing individual strengths and group collaboration. "I can do something with the show, can I?" she asked Maurice Veldkamp – and he trusted her to make it happen. She will direct again next year.
The Magic Circus is a wonderful example of how, even in a classic circus concept, creation can be conceived from bottom up rather than top down. Finding the right artists and then letting them unleash their full creativity and joy of performing is certainly a recipe for Magic Circus' success. Another aspect is the well-thought-out touring concept and the fast and flexible changing of locations.
The tent requires no anchors. All ropes are attached to heavy trucks instead of iron anchors, and the masts are cranked up from a wagon that also serves as the stage. The trucks, which are positioned around the tent like part of the scenery, are genuine vintage vehicles – not only for reasons of nostalgia, but also because vintage vehicles are exempt from the truck restrictions on entering Dutch city centers. An electrical connection is not required on site; a private generator is always on hand. And a water connection neither is required, instead relying on mobile storage tanks. This makes traveling less complex.
"Big circuses also mean big problems," says Maurice Veldkamp, explaining why he's focusing on a small, compact company and doesn't want to expand beyond that. His sustained success proves him right.
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