Ukemi: The Art of Falling

Simon Granit Ossoinak received a grant to develop Ukemi: The Art of Falling, an outdoor performance combining parkour and circus about risk, performed on a movable parkour structure. By blending humor, tension, and personal vulnerability, the performance explores how to mentally and physically handle risks. It is inspired by ukemi, a Japanese concept referring to the conscious and skillful act of receiving a fall — an art that can be trained.

Simon is a performer, teacher, and theatre maker from Stockholm, Sweden, with a background in contemporary circus. His specialty is dance acrobatics, combining elements of handbalancing, breaking, tricking, circus acrobatics, and dance. Simon enjoys working in a multidisciplinary way. He began as a musician at 12 and has since worked in circus, dance, music, theatre, parkour, and public speaking. His work has been shown at venues including Theater Rotterdam, Circusstad Festival, Amare, Lowlands Festival, and Schuur.