In the summer months, the streets come alive and artists from all over the world return to them. Street art has its own charm; as the artists say, the street is more exciting, more energetic and spontaneous than the hall, there is more room for improvisation, for interactivity, for unpredictability.
Street theater is the oldest form of theater, such performances date back to ancient times, and it was the most common form of employment for entertainers before the advent of radio and television. Acrobats, animal tricks and magic tricks, clowns, comedy, dance, singing, playing with fire, magic, living statues, poetry, prose, painting, theater and much more is happening on the street.
From the street to the stars
The street was the beginning for many famous artists, among other things, the story of the most famous circus began on the street Cirque de Solei, their founder Guy Laliberté, after leaving college, toured Europe as a popular touring musician. During his travels, he also learned to swallow fire, and when he returned home, he devoted himself to circus arts. Initially a group of street artists, they eventually transformed into real ones circus performers, they added emotional live music from the beginning to the end of the show, they rejected the idea of a ring and circus animals all the way - and today they are considered a world circus attraction, and the best of Cirque de Solei should be experienced in Las Vegas.
Giant dolls that the whole world is waiting for
If over time Cirque de Solei moved from the street to the interior, the French Royal de Luxe holds a special place among the groups that started and also stayed on the street. This street puppet group always surprises, literally and figuratively - with big stories. Royal de Luxe is a mystical theater, a company of innovators, stuntmen, poets, led by Jean-Luc Courcoult. It began in 1979 in Aix-en-Provence, Provence, with the first production. The actors were convinced that it was easier to succeed on the street than to lure the audience into a closed space, so they played the show in the open. They did not stop there, the next year they prepared a new street surprise, and they are still preparing them today. With selected performances, they communicate how important urban culture, objects from modern life and unorthodoxy are. In 1993, for example, they made an interesting show The Traffic Jams (traffic jams), in which they used twenty vehicles, on the roofs of which interesting scenes were taking place, and the vehicles circulated around cities during rush hours. With this production, the group wanted to entertain the audience even during their busy everyday life. They also undertake unannounced surprise shows, without announcement or advertising. In 2006, a huge barrel appeared on a London street. People gathered around him, called the police and even assumed it was a bomb. The next day, a huge wooden girl doll flew out of the barrel, and then the Royal de Luxe group's performance began, with more and more elements entering. Today, the group is regarded worldwide as a premier, highly anticipated street artist. Last year, the show Sea Odyssey was a real hit, which was seen by more than 800,000 spectators from April 20 to 22 in Liverpool. This is already a number that is difficult to fit into a theater. Another street group worth mentioning is the British Natural Theater Company, which has been making people laugh for over forty years, in over eighty countries. It is, as they say themselves, an absurd type of street theater with at least a hundred characters and scenarios. They more than perfectly place their characters in surreal situations, for which they received many awards, last year, among others, the bath award in the field of art.
Street festivals not to be missed
For all lovers street art they are street festivals definitely the best way to relax. Most of these festivals travel to cities during the summer months. Every year in July, puppeteers, clowns, comedians, acrobats, magicians, illusionists, fire eaters, dancers, musicians and actors flock to the Tuscan Certalda. Mercantia, an annual festival of street culture, which is considered one of the best European street art festivals, takes place in the old town. In the French city of Aurillac, at the end of August, the best street theater groups gather for a three-day festival that has been attracting visitors since 1986 and these days has turned into a real capital of street theater. Cultural freedom and wealth attract more than 130,000 visitors to the city every year. One of the oldest street theater festivals takes place in Krakow. The main square and other points become a space for the expression of both traditional theater and contemporary art. The best of British street art can be seen at the annual August SIRF festival in Stockon, whose streets become a circus, theatre, dance floor and concert stage. Finally, if we look even closer to us: at the end of July and the beginning of August, the La Strada street theater festival takes place in Graz, which gives the street back to the people and turns all the corners of the city into a real theater for a few days, where a new story awaits visitors at every turn. The internet mentions the international festival as a true street secret and European treasure of the street theater Ana Desetnica.
About street culture here
In Slovenia, the culture of street theater began with Anna Monroe, which celebrated its thirtieth anniversary last year, and within it Ana Desetnica turned fifteen last year. From the festival of two cities, Ljubljana and Maribor, Ana Desetnica has become an all-Slovenian festival, other cities have also invited her to their streets and squares, and she attracts artists and spectators from all over. Even this year, when Ana visits us, we can expect that the cities will be lively, cultural and fun.
