EuroGames in Barcelona and The Gay Circus
EuroGames 2008 just wrapped up in Barcelona this week. “Provisional figures show that we had about 5,300 participants, which makes this 12th edition of the EuroGames the most important in terms of participation.” More than 1,000 volunteers help this make one of the most successful events yet!
Besides all of the sports and hot athletes (men and women!) everyone was buzzing about THE GAY CIRCUS!
After more than two years of gestation was born in Barcelona, The Gay Circus, a premiere international absolutely a new concept of circus acrobatics based on male and female-oriented audiences gay friendly, ie a show directed to all people without prejudice. For people who accept gays and lesbians and understand that they too are human and can love. – Imagine Cirque du Soleil, but all gay with a gay story!
27 world renowned artists took part in this unique event; artists who have been prize-winners in the most important circus festivals (Monaco, Amsterdam, Paris, Budapest, Massy …) and celebrities in the most famous rings worldwide.
The two hour show where expressiveness, sensuality and poetry fuse with one single goal: a careful staging where light, music, costumes and stage effects wrap the challenging physical performances of the acrobats and dancers, achieving an up-to-date, modern and attractive aesthetic.
After more than two years of gestation was born in Barcelona, The Gay Circus, a premiere international absolutely a new concept of circus acrobatics based on male and female-oriented audiences gay friendly, ie a show directed to all people without prejudice. For people who accept gays and lesbians and understand that they too are human and can love. – Imagine Cirque du Soleil, but all gay with a gay story!
27 world renowned artists took part in this unique event; artists who have been prize-winners in the most important circus festivals (Monaco, Amsterdam, Paris, Budapest, Massy …) and celebrities in the most famous rings worldwide.
The two hour show where expressiveness, sensuality and poetry fuse with one single goal: a careful staging where light, music, costumes and stage effects wrap the challenging physical performances of the acrobats and dancers, achieving an up-to-date, modern and attractive aesthetic.
The Gay Circus big top was set up in the heart of Barcelona, in Moll of Barceloneta. A comfortable, innovative and beautiful venue – sold out 4 nights! 5,000 people got to witness the magic of these performers.
From lack of knowledge, one could argue that Gay Circus is an event opportunistically set in this frame in order to exploit, once again, the economic power of the gay community.
Also one could argue if there’s an actual need to label the show as “gay”. All these misconceptions are far from reality.
In the same way we can talk about the existence of a pop, rock or hippie culture, there is also a gay culture. We identify certain colors, music, lifestyle, mentality, amusement as genuinely gay. Only this would be reason enough for staging a show.
But Gay Circus goes beyond. Very often the circus has translated the partner dance to the trapeze, acrobatics or contortion. We frequently attend to circus performances that present a love story as the common thread of the show… but this is always between people of different sex!
The acts in Gay Circus shows with pride homosexual love with the hope that one day future generations will be able to attend a “conventional” circus and find there, with normality, acts that now belong to Gay Circus.
The show builds from the basis of referents from literature (Death in Venice, Divine Comedy o A Midsummer Night’s Dream), painting (Masaccio’s Expulsion from the Garden of Eden, Sorolla’s Children on the Seashore, Goya’s monsters in his prints, Velazquez’s Apollo in the Forge of Vulcano), sculpture (the faun in the Louvre or the kouros in the British Museum), photography (Pierre et Gilles), and cinema (Pink Narcissus, Passolini). These sources translate in a careful staging where lights, costumes, stage effects and music wrap the challenging physical performances of the acrobats and dancers.
The Gay Circus was an amazing high-quality show set within the framework of Euro Games 2008, the biggest homosexual sports event in the world! It is safe to say that Gay Circus was the greatest cultural gay event in Europe in 2008.
Let us hope and pray, with all the talent and hard work that went into this, there will be an international tour! We will keep you posted!
Watch a clip – Gay Circus – Swinging From A Chandelier!
and this one – Gay Circus – Hot Acrobats!
