CS LAB #5: Leadership in Times of Crisis

An E-learning and information sharing experience co-hosted with Circostrada

The fifth edition of the CS LABs, co-hosted by Circostrada, the European Network for Circus and Street Arts, and XTRAX ran between June 3-5 2020 as a series of online inspirational Keynotes and workshops.

This was the first large scale online event organised by both Circostrada and XTRAX and it welcomed 150 Outdoor Arts professionals from 25 countries, bringing together a community of friends from all over the world and encouraging the attendees to build new connections with promoters and artists. It demonstrates our continuing our commitment to supporting the UK and International Outdoor Art sector creatively and to the exchange of cultural values during these unprecedented times.

The live Keynote sessions were recorded,  you can watch them at the bottom of this page or via our YouTube Channel where you can enable subtitles. Full transcripts of the sessions are available as downloads on the sidebar.

This event will be followed up by LABStories, a publication which will delve into some of the areas explored during this online event, follow XTRAX and Circostrada on social media for updates.


Topics included:

– Leadership in times of crisis | How can we best manage our teams and organisations in times of crisis?

– Developing diverse and inclusive leadership practices | How can we genuinely embrace equality, diversity and inclusion in the Street Arts and Circus sectors?

– Advocacy for change | How to advocate effectively for greater recognition and support?

Speakers included:

– Vicki Amedume – Artistic Director and Founder of Upswing

– Hilary Carty – Director of the Clore Leadership Programme

– Michael Hoar – Independent Consultant

– Bettina Linstrum – ArtsAgenda – Coach and Creative Consultant

Here is what some of our audiences said:

“A great start to the Lab – not one but two inspiring Black women: thank you to both of them for encouraging more of us to be comfortable with uncertainty, and to Xtrax/CS as well for so visibly putting diversity and inclusion at the forefront of our thinking about leadership.”

“Great to connect during these times, I feel this is really important. Keep taking, inspiring and creating work.”

“This was a very inclusive, relevant, informative and enlightening seminar that really got quickly to the roots of the subject matter in a clear manner. Thank you.”

“Amazing and very professional job from everyone. Thank you!”

This event is part of Platform 4: UK, a strategic programme designed to support the international promotion and export of UK outdoor artists.

Co-organised by XTRAX, Circostrada, and ARTCENA

With the support of:

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Our Videos

CS Lab #5 Keynote #1: Leadership in times of crisis
CS Lab #5 Keynote #2: Diverse and inclusive leadership practices
CS Lab #5 Keynote #3: Advocacy for change
CS Lab #5 Wrap-up Session