The dangerously good return of Festival Circolo

You won't find lions, clowns with red noses or ringmasters there. No, from 22 to 31 October you will be surprised by something much better: the state of the art in the field of innovative circus. The international top of the top, just within reach in the Leijpark in Tilburg. On the program, these artists stand side by side with young talents from the two Dutch circus schools: Codarts (Rotterdam) and AcaPA (Tilburg). Festival Circolo brings an enormous amount of heart-stopping, eye-catching and dangerously ingenious performances. Artistic director Wendy Moonen is happy to tell you all about it.

Breathtaking journey

Last year, due to corona, there was no Circolo. This year the festival is making up for lost time with a dangerous return to the Leijpark. So it's time to first refresh the memory: because with this innovative circus, what should we imagine again? "The most important characteristic is that every performance contains a story, with a beginning and an end. It's not separate 'tricks' that you see, no, the technique and the circus material together tell the story," Wendy explains. "You'll laugh, hold your breath, marvel or be touched in some other way. And you'll get to interact with all the different disciplines there are: from acrobatics to strap and trapeze artists flying high through the air. The performances are very physical; there is actually always a choreography behind them. If it's good, you get sucked into the piece. And when you walk out of the tent, you have experienced a breathtaking journey."

"It's not separate 'tricks' that you see, no, the technique and the circus material together tell the story."
Wendy Moonen

Breakneck acts, slapstick and next level circus

What, according to Wendy, are the gems that you absolutely must have seen? "I would dare to send everyone to the performance by Familiar Faces," she says. "This company performs its show in a kind of swimming pool, a basin with a layer of water, and of course this involves a lot of slipping and sliding." These artists, who also studied in Tilburg, are always looking for the limits of what is physically possible. With 'Surface', they experiment with the effect of water on their breakneck feats. "This is an incredibly cool elaboration of a co-production we started two years ago. Of course we are very proud of that. In addition, it is also a fine performance to visit with children from about six years of age." And then there is a cheerful Frenchman named Rémi Luchez - a master of balance, who also excels with his slapstick humor. "That's really a little gem," Wendy says. "If anyone knows how to both amaze you and put a smile on your face, it's Rémi." A highlight - literally and figuratively - is the performance 'L'absolu' by Les choses de rien. On the square in front of the theater, a thirteen-meter high silo has been in place since October 16, containing one hundred seats. Wendy: "As a spectator you are part of the scenography. You see super innovative and enormously fascinating circus here: truly the next level of this profession. It is the life's work of creative mastermind and acrobat Boris Gibé, which after the last minute cancellation in 2019 we can now finally show here."