performances

The eighth edition of the Sismògraf Olot Dance Festival, held in the Girona region, ended this this Sunday with a record-breaking 150,000 attendees, marking a 25% increase from 2015. The festival was made up of approximately thirty performances, most of them free and performed outdoors; of the eleven shows that were not free of charge, however, all were sold out. Entertaining the audience were 200 professionals, the number of which has also grown by 33% since last year. A quarter of these performers came from outside Catalonia, predominantly from England and Holland. Not only was there a first-time high in terms of attendance and performers, but the festival has also implemented an award, and is for the first time seeing a carry-over of shows related to the festival for the rest of the year.  

From the 25^th to the 29^th of February, the 5^th edition of the Figueres International Circus Festival will host 24 acts which have never before been seen in Europe.Amongst them stand out Pyongyang’s National Circus, which will leave North Korea for the first time ever, and two shows from Chinese companies which received awards at the WuQiao Festival. 17 different circus disciplines from 13 different countries will be presented at the festival, which this year opens a new tent with capacity for more than 30,000 spectators.Besides becoming the circus world capital for five days, Figueres, a city near the Costa Brava and the French border, plans to become the Word Circus Capital by 2018. 

The renowned performing arts festival which takes place in Girona has set a new record in its 24^th edition: 78,922 spectators and an occupancy rate of 91.8% in the paying shows. Temporada Alta presented this year its most ambitious, international and diverse programme yet. A total of 110 productions, 36 premieres and 25 international performances took place either on the street or on one of the festival’s 30 stages. "The festival has been a great success" assured its director Salvador Sunyer, who proudly announced that a new venue will be opened in Lima, to be added to those in Buenos Aires and Montevideo. This announcement confirms Temporada Alta's internationalisation strategy and the will to build bridges with other companies around the world. 

Manresa, a small city 50 kilometres away from Barcelona, will host this week host the 18th edition of 'Fira Mediterrània' ('Mediterranean Fair') a professional meeting oriented toward analysinge and improvinge the cultural sector in Catalonia. This year’s' edition will focus on innovation and entrepreneurship. Throughout the 10 sessions programmed from the 15th to the 17th of October the potentiality of culture in the social, economic, urban and communitarian areas will be discussed and the relationship between popular cultural and social actions will be analysed. The venue 'La Llotja' will also host meetings between artists and programmers, national and international companies' showcases and 200 'speed datesings', quick meetings between professionals.

Most of the plays and performances that make up the FiraTàrrega’s programme for 2015 are open air performances, some 80% in fact. From Thursday until the 13^th of September, more than 50 art companies from all over the world will take part in one of the most important theatre festivals in Catalonia. Moreover, 30 of the shows at FiraTàrrega will be premieres. 250 performances held in 25 different venues, mainly outdoors, will turn this small town in the east of Catalonia into a big creative hub with more than 150,000 visitors expected. For the first time this year, three different shows from international companies will be performed on opening day.