Wild wolves or sawdust and hammers on stage? Letní Letná festival brings captivating program to Prague
Five large circus tents, caravans, and dozens of artists from the Czech Republic and abroad. That is what Letná Park in Prague currently looks like, as it hosts Letní Letná, the largest Czech festival of contemporary circus and theater. The 23rd edition features performers and companies from France, Germany, and Australia.
Over the course of just under three weeks, the Letní Letná festival brings together the best of Czech and international contemporary circus, theater, and music. It is the only event of its kind and scale in the Czech Republic and neighboring countries. One of the festival’s main stars is the Australian company Circa, which has brought an energetic show full of wildness to Prague.
“Our show is called Wolf. It is a contemporary circus performance that explores the inner wolf that we all carry within us.”
That is according Christina Zauner, one of the acrobats of Circa company, which is returning to perform for Czech audiences after ten years.
“It’s about the animal side that we never allow to come out – the hunger, desire and lust that we feel. We explore all of that in the performance. On the individual level, we ask where the boundary between being human and being a wolf lies. But then we also work together as a pack, as an ensemble, creating acrobatic routines while embodying a wolf pack in the performance.”
Czech companies will also take part, including the artistic group AirGym Art Company. It will present its project Vertige in its world premiere, exploring how dizziness affects us. Acrobat Vít Staša explains:
“We work with dizziness on two levels. First, there is the dizziness caused by rapid spinning, because we work with various acrobatic objects on which we spin very quickly in many of the routines. Then there is the metaphorical aspect of dizziness – the feeling experienced by someone who is creating something and becomes so absorbed in the creative process that they experience a sensation similar to dizziness.”
The festival will also feature juggling workshops, concerts, and special activities for children.
“We perform four times a day for children, so there are lots of shows for the youngest - from puppet and live theater to purely circus performances. Also the fantastic guys from Switzerland’s Compagnia DUE are coming – two amazing clowns,” say Letní Letná festival director Jiří Turek.
For this year’s edition, the organizers have also invited established stars such as Rasposo, with their captivating show Hourvari. But visitors who are eager to see and experience something completely new will also find plenty to enjoy.
“Of course, we also try to discover new things. For example, this year we have Sawdust Symphony performing. You could compare them to the Czech comedy duo Pat and Mat. During the performance, they work with wood – they cut, saw, and do all kinds of hands-on work. The audience won’t see a triple somersault, but it is a performance that breaks away from the usual standards. And that’s exactly the kind of thing we try to include every year.”
The unique festival of contemporary circus and theater will run in Prague until August 31.
