Artists of the new circus gather in Lublin for Magicians Carnival
The 9th Magicians Carnival begins in Lublin (eastern Poland) on Thursday, and will feature over 200 performances and shows by artists of the new circus movement - from jugglers to acrobats - in the city's streets and squares.
Announcing the upcoming four-day showcase, Lublin Mayor Krzysztof Żuk said it is the city's "flagship tourist and marketing product, and exceptionally interesting in artistic sense." As the official explained, the Carnival "draws from the art of the circus, but also from street theatre, from a certain entertainment value which is, at the same time, included in artistic and cultural activity of a high standard."
The Magicians Carnival is designed to popularise the art of the new circus, where artists attempt to tell various stories through the language of circus and prestigitating disciplines. New circus artists perform mainly in the streets and on open-air stages, often making spectators join them.
This year's edition extends until July 29 and will feature shows by prestigitators, illusionists, tightrope walkers, jugglers, acrobats, clowns, musicians and dancers. Appearing in Lublin's streets and squares will be artists from Poland, Germany, France, Spain, Japan, Argentina, Sweden, Italy, the United States and Mexico. The headline event is set to be "Exit," a big-scale, award-winning spectacle by the French troupe Cirque Inextremiste. Featuring spectacular and extreme acrobatics, it is a story of hospital patients trying to escape in a balloon.
During the Carnival, a conference will also be held on "The Renaissance of Entertainment," about how perceptions of art and entertainment culture, including the new circus, are changing in Poland.
