Contemporary circus beats strongly in La Palanca

EsparregueraFrom October 3rd to 5th, Esparreguera will host the fifth edition of La Palanca, Contemporary Circus Festival, a well-established cultural event that emphasizes its more inclusive, participatory, and vibrant side. The festival offers a diverse and high-quality program, bringing the circus closer to all audiences.

For three days, the city of Baix Llobregat will be transformed into a grand stage open to creativity, emotion, and expression through contemporary circus. The program presents a selection of shows, workshops, and activities for all audiences. The official festival program will kick off on Friday, October 3rd, with a double opening. On the one hand, the show Fargar will transform the façade of the Teatro de La Passió by combining vertical dance and horizontal castles, thanks to the collaboration of the Castellers de Esparreguera. Furthermore, The staircase will bring together great names in contemporary circus for a festive and multidisciplinary evening, accompanied by the TheseHarmónics choir and with the collective power of the castells as a common thread and symbol of unity.

Over the weekend, the public will be able to enjoy a selection of shows that reflect the richness and diversity of contemporary circus. On Saturday, October 4th, you can see Wow!, a poetic and wordless proposal; Baktana, a story of an encounter between an acrobat and a juggler; Playground, in which the spectators become an essential part of the scene; Akri, a poetic solo built around a staircase as a scenic axis, and Wild Fire, a revealing show that shows the most human side of the circus.

On Sunday, October 5, the excitement will continue with The Y-lust to fly, a piece inspired by the symbolic universe of the Little Prince and the creative spirit of Joan Brossa; to be continued Between oxen and cows, an emotional journey about memory and forgetting through physical and poetic language, and to close the weekend, Deprived, a striking visual and emotional circus proposal that combines technique, rhythm and sensitivity.

The programming of the fifth edition of La Palanca will extend until Saturday, October 11 with the show Nüshu, a delicate and moving tribute to the feminine world and intergenerational transmission. "La Palanca attracts thousands of spectators year after year and is becoming a benchmark in Catalonia," explains Juan Jurado Bracero, mayor of Esparreguera.

In addition, during the first weekend of October, there will be activities and workshops open to families. On Saturday the 4th, Som Circ Social will offer morning and afternoon sessions in Plaça Catalunya and Can Comelles. On Sunday the 5th, Circo de las Musarañas will transform Plaça de Santa Eulàlia into a recreational space with the installation Circus with Boots. All festival spaces have been designed with universal accessibility criteria in mind and are fully adapted to ensure access for people with reduced mobility.

Social transformation tool

As a prelude to the festival, La Palanca reaffirms its social commitment through a pre-programming focused on inclusion, based on the conviction that the performing arts are a powerful tool for social transformation. Thanks to the collaboration of the Barcelona Provincial Council and the participation of the Occupational Workshop and the Can Comelles municipal residence, and the FIL Foundation, inclusive circus workshops will be organized for people with disabilities. Through play and circus techniques, values such as cooperation and trust will be fostered. In addition, on September 30th, the show Neighborhood will bring humor, juggling, and acrobatics to the neighborhood, with a tender and vibrant story in front of the Can Comelles Occupational Workshop. With the project Discover the world of the circus! Children and young people from Esparreguera will be able to enjoy educational workshops and attend the school function. AmThis proposal, which celebrates diversity and difference through circus, casts a critical eye on social pressure and the acceptance of one's own identity.

Street shows are free and tickets for indoor shows, which are very affordable, can be purchased at this link.