La Palanca: the best contemporary circus in Esparreguera

The circus returns to Esparreguera with La Palanca. The town in the Baix Llobregat region will once again host the best contemporary circus proposals with this benchmark festival, which this year reaches its sixth edition. From October 2nd to 4th, La Palanca, Contemporary Circus Festival, will transform the streets and facilities of Esparreguera with the best shows and a quality, diverse, and inclusive program for all audiences.

The cultural event, with more than fifteen proposals including street and indoor shows, workshops aimed at different age groups, and itinerant shows, is consolidated with the goal of fostering public participation and bringing contemporary circus closer to all citizens.

The official program will kick off with a double inauguration: the flying trapeze show EH?!, by the company Flying Pikmis, and the acrobatic lifts proposal Entre el cel i la terra, by Circ Pistolet. The festival will close with Refugi, a tightrope walking and balancing show by the artist from Esparreguera, Manolo Alcántara.

Luma, the new mistress of ceremonies

Luma, a peculiar mistress of ceremonies, joins the festival this year and will entertain young and old by welcoming attendees before the main shows. The character, played by the actress from Esparreguera, Maria Coll, will be another attraction within the program.

“La Palanca is much more than a festival: it is a meeting space that, through art, unites people and creates community,” stresses the mayor of Esparreguera, Juan Jurado. "In a world in constant transformation, the circus invites us to share emotions, to overcome difficulties together, and to recognize ourselves in diversity, because that is precisely what makes us equal," he adds. Its artistic directors, Sílvia Compte and Jordi Juanet (Boni), highlight that “La Palanca is a festival that grows thanks to the involvement of artists, institutions, and groups from Esparreguera who, year after year, make this project their own”.

We leverage for inclusion

One more year and as a prelude to the festival, La Palanca reaffirms its social commitment through a prior program focused on inclusion, from the conviction that circus arts are a tool for participation, social cohesion, and community transformation. Thanks to the collaboration of the Barcelona Provincial Council and the participation of users from the Can Comelles Occupational Workshop, the FIL Foundation, and the Can Comelles Municipal Residence, inclusive circus workshops have been organized, which foster the development of motor skills, creativity, autonomy, and teamwork.

As a conclusion to this program, all participating groups will attend, on September 29th, the show Absurd by Circ Vermut, in front of the Can Comelles Occupational Workshop, a fast-paced succession of circus acts and absurd humor gags where each situation gives way to the next with an unstoppable rhythm.

Circus in the classrooms

The circus will also enter the classrooms with the project Discover the world of the circus! Children and young people from Esparreguera will be able to enjoy pedagogical workshops led by Tub d'Assaig 7,70, from September 28 to 30 at the School of the Arts, while they will also be able to attend the school performance Tenet, by Eunoia Kolektiva, on October 1 at the Teatre de La Passió.

Eight acrobats star in this acrobatic lifts show that reflects on diversity, cooperation, and the multiple ways of perceiving reality. The little ones will also be able to delve into the world of the circus before the festival begins. On Monday, September 28, the L'Ateneu Library of Esparreguera will host Stories of little Lu, by Luara Mateu from Circ Cric, a small-format show that explores a clown's bond with the ingenuity and curiosity of the youngest ones. The activity has limited places and requires prior registration.

"La Palanca moves"

The festival also premieres a new touring format, La Palanca es mou, which fuses music and circus by the hand of the Always Drinking Marching Band and the acts of Antonia González, Javier Garrido, and Circ Vermut. Desorientat, the preview of Guga within the CirCulem project; Espai Vital, by Duo Laos; Ruta, by Cia. Capicua; and Charlas de Azucarillo, by Las Couchers, are some of the scheduled shows.

Hats, by Cia. JAM; Tros, by Cia. Sputniks; Pilots, a touring show by La Finestra Nou Circ; Clam, by Cia. Fèmut, and Refugi, to close, will offer the best of contemporary circus.

The complete program for La Palanca can be consulted on the municipal website's agenda, on the festival's website, and on its Instagram profile @lapalancafestiva. Tickets for the paid shows are now on sale at entrades.esparreguera.cat.