Prague’s Letní Letná contemporary circus festival is back with breathtaking performances!
The 21st edition of the Letní Letná festival, which showcases contemporary circus and theatre artists from at home and abroad, kicked off in Prague’s Letna Parks on Wednesday with a breathtaking performance by the French artistic ensemble Akoreacro. Several thousand people watched their acrobatic show “Arrêt d'urgence” near the Prague Metronome.
Letni Letná is a must for anyone who likes contemporary circus art and Czech fans buy tickets for it months in advance. The international show, which has redefined the concept of “circus art” in the minds of many Czechs, is the largest event dedicated to this genre in the Czech Republic and one of the largest contemporary circus festivals in Central Europe.
This year the honour of opening the festival went to the French troupe Akoreacro who wowed the audience with a show full of music, fire, special effects, lights and surprising interaction with the public.
In addition to three French ensembles, which dominate the festival this year, the 21st edition of Letní Letná also features a troupe from Taiwan and several Czech ensembles. The festival’s director, Jiří Turek, says this year is special for Czech artists.
"Cirk La Putyka is celebrating its fifteenth anniversary this year, so it is a special occasion for the troupe and what better way to celebrate it than with a performance at Letní Letná. And The Losers Cirque Company also has reason to celebrate, because exactly ten years ago they gave their very first performance right here at Letná."
The annual festival, which attracts thousands of visitors from at home and abroad, has significantly contributed to the development of contemporary Czech circus art. It draws attention to new productions by top Czech companies and performers and at the same time, gives space to students of Czech circus schools to showcase their art and talent. Letni Letná has helped numerous Czech artists enter the world of circus tents.
According to the executive director of the show, Ivana Pěkná, the level of new Czech circus troupes is now comparable to the European ones.
"You can see that there is a huge amount of hard work and diligence behind their performances, even though they don't have the same conditions as foreign troupes. I think that what the Czech troupes lack in material support, they make up for with their hearts, because of the huge will and desire to do this, and that makes their performances very special" .
The Letní Letná festival of contemporary circus this year offers over 250 performances by artists from nine countries. There are special performances for children and various accompanying events for free throughout the event. It will run until September 1st. Last year's edition attracted over 80,000 visitors.
