Budapest International Circus Festival–Invested in Tradition & Exploring New Connections
The bi-annual Budapest International Circus Festival, in its 12th Edition, will be held between the 8th and 14th of January, 2018. Since its beginnings, it has become one of the biggest circus festivals in the world and has established Budapest as one of the key global meeting points for the circus arts. The European Circus Association (ECA) will officially open a much anticipated year-long celebration of 250 years of circus at the Budapest festival.
Part of the charm and growth of this festival is undoubtedly that it is located in the legendary East gate of Europe in the beautiful city of Budapest, Hungary. But another aspect of its persistence as an important festival is its diverse approach to circus. There will be classic circus competitions, a contemporary circus festival and classic circus groups performing in town. Top performers will get opportunities for contracts with Capital Circus of Budapest. According to a report in the Hungarian theater magazine Szinhaz, festival director Péter Fekete says “The world is listening to Budapest for a week.” He also said that in the Capital Circus there are 126 artists from 15 countries and four continents who showcase their productions, which are viewed by more than 30 circus directors and circus managers alongside the audience.
Besides the classic circus competition programs (A and B program), the festival also presents a contemporary showcase and a midnight competition called “Lyrical Circus.” For the competition, three different juries will award prizes: a professional international jury; the Hungarian circus directors’ jury and the Central European circus artists’ jury. There is also a place for new performances at the Hungarian Newcomer Show.
Fekete wants to emphasize that this year’s festival will be commemorating the 250th year anniversary of circus arts based on Philip Astley who opened the amphitheater of the first modern circus in London in 1768 and later established 18 permanent circus throughout Europe. Astley’s horse production featured performers doing trick riding stunts on horses with swords. In the opening production, therefore, the Monte Carlo Golden Clown-winner Richter Flórián and his son, Kevin, are introducing a large-scale equestrian production with their team.
At the festival, the Budapest Castle Bazaar will provide a show by numerous circus and variety groups. Part of the festival programming is the Maski Theatre’s comedy show from Odessa which will be presented in the Hungarian National Theater between the 8th and 14th of January.
The Castle Garden Variety show occurrs in the evenings and includes musicians, illusionists circus artists and comedians. The master of ceremonies will be Ferenc Kohalmi who won the bronze award for the Illusionist European Championship. Illusionist, Ferenc Galambos who placed 3rd in the Illusionist World Championship will also perform. Rob Alton of Cirque du Soleil (a BMX flatland world champion) is performing as well as Andrea Alton who won the Cirque du Demain special prize for aerial ring. Also performing are dancers, Sebastian and Krisztina, winners of the bronze award at the International Circus Festival Ensendei. Peter Wagner-Puskas will be accompanying on the piano.
This year a master of visual humor, Hungarian comedian and pantomime Csaba Mehes, will team up with five street musicians to go on a journey around the world with instruments as vehicles and imagination and joy as fuel. Attendees will also get to see PlanSHET, a collaborative comedic act between two pantomime groups PinUp Quartet and DEKU.
Eugene Chaplin will be chairing the international professional jury this year, with the following jury members deciding on the prize winners; Fabrice Becker, director of production at Cirque du Soleil, Paul Bernhard, director of the German Roncalli Circus, Laszlo Endresz, director of the UK Blackpool Tower Circus, Elisa van der Meiden, German Stardust BV Presentatrice casting director, Ludmila Shevchenko, director of the Ukrainian National Circus of Kiev, and Szun Lili, creative director of the Chinese National Acrobat Group.
Also this year, an educational conference will be held in conjunction with the circus. On the 10th of January, as part of the festival programming, European Circus Association (ECA) member organizations will gather and participate in a conference that aims to explore how to use circus better for public service, community outreach and audience development challenges, specifically with elementary and high schools.
Certain disciplines in the circus are now being used for specific curriculum called circus pedagogy. Festival organizers say they have been experimenting with this educational approach for two years and they have been documenting which subjects are being taught. Meanwhile, the educational component has increased festival attendance numbers by one third.
As an interesting parallel to the social circus movement, by focusing on education, the conference will examine what role circus can have in childhood education. Many European countries are participating in this endeavor. The hope is that this approach will help circus to play a larger role as an art form by making it a relevant place for teachers to bring their students to learn. Fekete has been presenting this paradigm shift to many scientific conferences as well as the St. Petersburg Cultural Forum. Currently the curriculum for circus pedagogy is being developed and adapted for traveling groups as well.
Regardless of your reason for attendance– entertainment, professional networking, education or thrills–it will be heartening to see how this art, which has been alive for generations, continues to evolve and honor tradition, and to witnessing the infinite capacity of the human spirit to regenerate meaning and adventure!
Artists List:
Chinese National Acrobatic Troupe, antipodism with umbrellas, act with umbrellas from China
Nomuna – Mongol Nomads, teeterboard and hand voltage from Mongolia
Without Socks, clown trio from Russia
Tom Brothers, icarian games from Ethiopia
Nova Africa, hand voltige from Ethiopia
Duck Cardio, perch from Mexico
Agustín Viglione, bubble manipulation from Argentina
Andrejs Fjodorovs, dogs and pigeons from Latvia
Las Bellas Chicas, Chinese pole from Cuba
Duo Solys, handstand from Cuba
Hametov Family, aerial strap from Uzbekistan
Vogyanik Jaroszlavna , trapeze from Russia
Brayan Gambit, handstand from France
Kalashnikov Brothers, diabolo from Russia
Duo Feeling, aerial strap from Ukraine
Stylazlav Viszockij, juggling from Ukraine
Los Bazan, handstand from Italy
Duo Supka, juggler from Czech Republic
Rafal Walusz, illusion from Poland
Main Image Credit: Budapest Circus
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