Giroldon Circus
Event information
Description
They set out from their home base in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. They are a clown-actor duo, and their circus is called GiroldÒn, “the smallest in Europe.” From the southern Pre-Alps, where they are well known to young and old alike, they set out every year for various European countries and perform with a certain regularity in the Czech Republic as well. However, this is a very special circus—daring and vulnerable, unlike the others, and not just because of its size. They perform incognito and in remote locations, where chance, invitations from friends, or the performers’ own intuition leads them—an intuition that suggests they are expected by like-minded people. In their program and in their art, however, there is nothing that is even remotely secret or accidental. The uniqueness—and perhaps even the defining characteristic—of the Giroldon Circus leads people to describe it as a “chamber circus” and “artisanal.” A chamber circus because of the grace of its intentions and the nature of its performance. Artistic, because the two natural artists single-handedly create both the script and the dialogues as well as the direction and choreography of their own performances. But if only that were all! All by themselves, they arrange their engagements; all by themselves, they transport themselves to the (along with the circus tent, the equipment, and the entire inventory); they set up the ring themselves, sell the tickets themselves, and assign seats to the audience. Only after they’ve worked themselves to the bone like an entire team of colleagues (in a normal circus) can they finally take on their actual roles. And this would certainly not stand up to scrutiny—neither from the the audience nor in the conscience of the two artists if they did not manage to captivate the audience’s attention, inspire them, make them laugh, and win them over through the concentration, total dedication, and high quality of the clowns’ and actors’ performances. Such independence and complete confidence in their own strengths and abilities cannot, as anyone can understand, be sustained over the course of years solely through mere necessity or stubbornness. The inexhaustible source of their energy can only be an unshakable belief in progress—a cause to which Lenka Foletti Machoninova and Alberto Foletti have dedicated themselves, or to which they were perhaps even born, and to which they devote themselves unreservedly. It is intertwined with the familiarity and craftsmanship of their work and comes across to the audience above all as a modest and quiet protest, a gentle revolt against a world that is completely technologized and electrified, yet at the same time emotionally stunted. Neither clown offers any explanations. They merely emphasize that, for the world in which they exist, strength, success, and achievement will never be the highest values. This is also why they do not allow the indifferent and bloodthirsty spectators to revel in the sight of the sweat, the contorted faces, and the tangle of bodies of modern gladiators. At the Giroldòn Circus, behind the exertion, the perfect mastery of their craft, and the incredible concentration lie smiles, trust, and inner confidence. It radiates an atmosphere of connection, human closeness, and security. Through direct contact with the work of the two clowns, one loses the abstract and bleak notion of what it means to be human and discovers its down-to-earth and very concrete meaning. Lenka and Alberto are by no means “activists” for humanity or any ideology. They remain dedicated clowns who keep a circus running. Their art lies in evoking laughter, surprising the audience with unexpected twists and disguises, and creating suspense through daring, precise acrobatic and theatrical acts. What is indefinable—this powerful human presence—is perhaps the result of the professional identification with their work—which they possess in abundance—and ensures a possible—and today necessary—overcoming of banality and the exhausting consumption of boredom.” Karel Kraus, playwright, Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.
Price Information
Tickets can only be paid for in cash Adults: 23.- Children: 13.-