São Paulo – Two Palestinians are the first and only participants representing the Middle East at Festival Internacional Sesc de Circo(Sesc International Circus Festival), organized by the Social Service of Commerce (Sesc) and currently in its third edition. The artist duo Ashtar Muallem and Fadi Zmorrod will stage the show B-Orders next week at Sesc Belenzinho, São Paulo. Apart from the Palestinians, circus groups from 10 countries will take the stage at 15 different Sesc units until June 7th.
According to festival coordinator Lucas Molina, the Palestinian artists deal with two primary issues in their performance: the notion of belonging somewhere and the role of women in society.
“They were both born in Jerusalem, which is a divided city, studied in France and then returned to Jerusalem. They infuse the show with their reality of belonging or not belonging in a place. This also happened when they went to study in France, after all they were Palestinian, not French,” Molina.
“The show also addresses their background and values since childhood through adult life. Regarding the role of woman, the [artist] Ashtar portrays the dilemmas and realities of woman in Arab society. In the circus, she expresses herself,” the coordinator added.
The show’s name, B-Orders, is a play on words with ‘borders’. Molina remarked that the duo owns a circus school with 1,000-plus students in Palestine that plays a relevant social role in the country.
Theme
Sesc’s circus festival has a different theme each season. In 2013, it focused on dramaturgy in circus, and in 2014 it turned to the line that separates virtuosity and error. This year, the theme will be the trajectory of circus as art performance.
The choice of this subject matter was made to discuss the current state of the circus in Brazil and the world. “Circus is being mentioned more often in government calls for bids and has its own category in prizes. The theme for this year is an attempt at questioning the directions and perspectives of circus in art, society, economy and creation,” said Molina. The topic will be approached from myriad perspectives in the Festival’s shows, debates and workshops.
The Palestinian artists will perform from June 4th to 7th. On Wednesday (3rd), they participated in a debate with Mexican artists. This year, Sesc’s circus festival is larger and features more participants from foreign countries, including Colombia, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, United States, France, Uruguay, Italy and Argentina.
“This year the festival is larger. The goal is to encourage discussion, interaction, interchange. We were able to find groups from more countries and ones never featured before. In addition to Palestine, we will witness the premieres of United States and Sweden,” he said.
Circos – Festival Internacional Sesc de Circo
May 28th to June 7th – Various Sesc Units in São Paulo’s Greater Metropolitan Area
Prices: R$ 25 (full), R$ 12.50 (students, retirees, over 60 persons, disabled persons, public school personnel with proof), R$ 7.50 (workers in trade, services and tourism registered with Sesc and their dependents); free admission for the children of Sesc-affiliated workers, aged 12 or younger.
Additional information: http://circos.sescsp.org.br/en/
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
