Kompani Giraff creates visual and unique circus performances with a foundation of poetic narrative and a passion for magic in everyday life situations. With this foundation, we seek to explore new ground in contemporary circus and make use of our own different experiences in the performing arts to create truly interdisciplinary works of art.
Kompani Giraff’s shows are based on young people’s perspectives and the trust in children’s ability to absorb complex subject issues. We explore the seriousness of play with an approach that is both respectful and curious. Our belief is that circus as an art form has a great potential to reach new audience groups by breaking linguistic and cultural barriers.
The company has roots going back to the early millennia with the legendary variety show Salong Giraff in Stockholm. As it progressed, one of the creatives behind the show, circus performer Viktoria Dalborg, decided to carry on the legacy and formed Kompani Giraff. She was joined by visionary magician Axel Adlercreutz and high fashion designer Sus Soddu. The three artistic directors, together with their hand-picked ensemble, create shows with the unique flavor of visual elegance, fluid magic, and intelligent choreography which the company is known for today.
Kompani Giraff gives about 150 performances per year. Internationally, the company has performed in China, America, France, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, and Malta. Kompani Giraff has support from the Swedish Arts Council, The Region of Stockholm, The City of Stockholm, and the Swedish Arts Grants Committee.
AVAILABLE WORKS
A STUDY OF LOSSES
A magical circus performance about losses with music by the American artist Beirut. The work is inspired by the novel “Verzeichnis einiger Verluste” by Judith Schalansky and strives to push the boundaries of contemporary circus. Through circus, contemporary magic, and object manipulation, we are striving to find and examine the allure of what has been lost. Four circus artists and an array of forgotten everyday objects awaken in an atmospheric landscape where objects carry memories, dreams, and phantom pains. Realities crumble, buildings turn to ruins, cultural artifacts are destroyed, and animals face extinction. Most of these losses remain unknown, precisely because they are lost, not recorded in either history or memory. These unknowns form the vast sea of losses that we intend to explore.
“In A Study of Losses, we will explore the apocalyptic themes of loss and disappearances from Judith Schalansky’s book, through circus choreography and metaphorical language. The stage is set in a vanished landscape, where circus performers and everyday objects emerge in a twisted, modern ruin. It’s a fragmented narrative encompassing animals, landscapes, buildings, concepts, and memories that are lost to us. The incredible music by Zach Condon, aka Beirut, has become the nervous system of the performance and creates the ground for its choreographic universe. Beirut’s music adds an expansive ambiance and celebrates the beauty of life, reflecting on what it means to be human amidst a sea of known and unknown disappearances.” – Viktoria Dalborg, Director
“A Study of Losses has turned into a rather unexpected piece of music for me. At 18 songs and nearly an hour long, it’s by far the largest album I’ve ever done.” – Zach Condon, Composer
THE PILE
A flexible circus performance about an unmanageable pile and the desire to break free. Three unreasonably flexible circus performers navigate an unwieldy pile. They change shape, dissolve, and reinvent themselves in startling formations. Through circus, humour and magic, The Pile tells the story of the contradiction of wanting to belong, and at the same time longing to break free. Kompani Giraff invites young audiences to a work inspired by an absurdist and surrealist art tradition. Through spectacular, movement-based fabric sculptures, existential themes of growth, resistance, and liberation are explored.
The work has its world premiere on March 20th, 2026 at and is co-produced with Dansens Hus
GIRAFFENS ABC
In Giraffens ABC, the youngest audience is welcomed into an amazing alphabet studio, where two circus artists have been given the daunting task of getting through the 29 letters of the alphabet in just 35 minutes. It will be the start of an inventive and acrobatic circus journey through a rebellious alphabet. Wild capitals tumble upward as princes and swans step out of their frames to help. Giraffens ABC is a dizzying journey through the alphabet where the letters finally decide to dance a ballet high up in the clouds. With Giraffens ABC, Kompani Giraff wants to offer a humorous and ingenious circus and magic show that arouses curiosity and creative reading comprehension for children aged four to eight. In connection with the performance, we can offer creative school workshops.