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Festival Circolo 2023. A sneak peek with...

Just a few more weeks until Festival Circolo will be back in Tilburg! From October 13 to 22 you can enjoy ten days of contemporary circus of the highest level. Prepare yourself for spectacle, excitement and beauty, because from the heart of the festival in the Spoorpark, Circolo will take you along wonderful stories and breathtaking stunts. We sneak a preview with co-organizers Lea Willems and Soesja Pijlman.

Who is who?

Soesja: "I'm Soesja and I provide the in-depth program at Festival Circolo. I studied circus myself from 2007 to 2011, at Codarts in Rotterdam. After that, I was a performing artist for a number of years, but now I have also very much focused on developing circus education and development in the field."

Lea: "I'm Lea, I'm head of marketing and communications at Festival Circolo and therefore responsible for all the posters, campaigns and expressions around the festival!"

Festival Circolo is the largest circus festival in the Netherlands. The festival heart is located in the Spoorpark. There you will find several circus tents, food trucks, attractions and an outdoor stage where daily free circus performances can be enjoyed. Performances can also be seen at other locations in the city, such as theater De Nieuwe Vorst, the Schouwburg or the Hall of Fame.

Photo: Nori Xhofleer

What kind of festival is Festival Circolo?

Lea: "For me it is above all a festival where everyone is welcome. The circus has always been a place where all the excesses of man found a place, and you still notice that when you walk around at Festival Circolo. For me, circus is also very much about being able to do whatever you want, and that is really a part of Circolo. Circus is a very broad art form and no two performances here are the same. There are so many different things to see, which also works very connectively."

Soesja: "For me, Festival Circolo is a very poetic and cozy circus festival, which shows mainly contemporary circus, but also winks at the classical forms of circus. I really like that connection. I think circus can be appealing or interesting to everyone in a way. You can come because you want to see cool tricks, or because you want to be surprised or amazed. But also because you have a need for an interesting story."

Lea: "Or just for fun! Because you'd like to come and have a beer in the courtyard here in the Spoorpark. We have a bonfire there every night, which is open to anyone who feels like it. That's just a very cozy place, even if you don't attend any performances.

Photo: Nori Xhofleer

What is the difference between contemporary circus and classical circus?

Soesja: "Many people know the circus mainly from the past, or from what we see of it in children's books or movies. Those are often big tents with sawdust and a ringmaster, where different acts are shown. Contemporary circus often contains a storyline, and is also more often discipline-specific. Therefore, contemporary circus also has much more common ground with theater or dance. But then again, what makes it real circus is that the boundaries of the possible are always being explored. 'Making the impossible possible' is what we sometimes call it."

Lea: "I think the line between theater and contemporary circus is thin. The difference is that in a contemporary circus performance, a circus discipline does really take center stage. The tricks are used to tell the story, not just for spectacle. And circus can certainly be comedy, too. An awful lot is possible within the art of circus."

Why in Tilburg?

Lea: "Tilburg is often seen as a raw city, but still friendly. Circus has a bit of that too. Artists sometimes literally build their own tent and then play in it. In circus, it doesn't all have to be super slick. If you walk around the grounds of Circolo you can also just see how an artist comes out the back of a tent in his underpants, for example! Circus has some frayed edges, and that suits a city like Tilburg."

Soesja: "And of course this festival also fits well in Tilburg because there is a professional circus school here and a youth circus. That makes it very logical for Circolo to take place here. Such a festival is a place where all elements come together; from children experiencing it for the first time to professionals who have been in the business for years."

What are you looking forward to the most on Festival Circolo?

Lea: "I am really looking forward to the fun on the grounds around the campfire at night. As for the performances, I think the performance 'RUNNERS' by the duo Hipana Maleta is very fun. That will be a hilarious performance with two men, on two treadmills with juggling balls and music. In the Schouwburg, there's also a very cool performance by Circus Baobab. This is a collective of thirteen performers from Guinea. Their performance is about the importance of water, especially the water shortage they have there. They actually argue about water all the time in this performance, and it's shown in a very spectacular way through somersaults and aerial work.

The Kempentoren in the Spoorpark during Circolo is also the stage for a very special performance. In the performance 'Funnel Vision' by Company Alud, two acrobats with aerial straps float through the core of the Kempentoren. The audience gathers on the steps surrounding the spectacle.

Foto: Jona Harnischmacher

Soesja: "Personally, I am also very much looking forward to 'GLORIOUS BODIES,' by Circumstances / Piet van Dycke. That's a performance with six acrobats between the ages of 55 and 67. In the performance, they also explore the strength and limitation of the aging body. I find it very fascinating to see what they do and what that looks like. In circus, you almost only see fit and young bodies. What they do is different and therefore very authentic."

Lea: "I am also very much looking forward to the performance 'En Attendent le Grand Soir' by Le Doux Supplice. That is played by a large company of artists, and ends in a dance together with the audience. That will really be a huge party!"

Are you feeling the anticipation already and want to be there? Festival Circolo 2023 takes place in Tilburg from Friday, October 13 to Sunday, October 22. The festival heart in Spoorpark Tilburg is free to enter. Here you will find campfire sites, food trucks and a number of free outdoor performances. For the performances in the tents and on other stages around town, you can buy tickets at www.festivalcircolo.nl! Fond of circus? Then go for a 5-ride ticket, or opt for the passe-partout for unlimited circus spectacle!

 

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