There is a new festival coming to the circus world, and it is actively seeking competitors for the event, due to take place October 19th-21st in Madrid, Spain in collaboration with the Teatro Circo Price. It is open to the circus artists of 23 Latin American countries. We spoke to FIRCO‘s Programming and Artistic Director, Carlos Such about the plans and how to apply. Deadline for the application is May 1st.

Carlos Such  is one of the founders of FIRCO, where he assumes the functions of programming, production and artistic direction. Throughout his career, Such has created, promoted and directed numerous educational and artistic projects  such as EUCIMA and  Donyet Ardit.  Besides FIRCO,  he also serves as  vice president of Circontinentes and president of the Aula de Circo Chaminade. Since 2015 Such has been editor of the circus magazine Zirkólika and collaborates with Malabares En Su Tinta blog. He has been a professor of juggling at the CMU for more than six years Chaminade.

Tell us about the festival.  Who are the founders, where and when will it take place? Is it a festival or a competition?

FIRCO will be the first Iberoamerican circus festival. The festival idea arises from the need to temporarily unite the different visions of the circus life in Iberoamerican countries, creating a place of confluence and unique learning that will strengthen the links between this community.

It will take place in Madrid, in Teatro Circo Price (the most important steady circus venue in Spain) from the 19th to 21st of October, 2018.

It is a festival where different acts will compete in front of an expert jury which will recognize the best performances.

The founder is Asociación Circontinentes, an association made by different circus lovers that have experience organizing big circus conventions and other events.

Who can apply?

People with a circus act that passes all the following conditions:

• The participant must be an Iberoamerican citizen or have proof of  residence for over more than two years in any of the member countries (Andorra, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Spain, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua , Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Dominican R., Uruguay, Venezuela).
• The participant must be under 35 years in 2018.
• The participant must be over 18 years in 2017.
• The circus proposal must have a maximum of 3 members.
• The circus proposal must be a scenic show lasting 6 and 12 minutes approximately.
• The circus proposal must be an animal-free show.
  DISCLAIMER 1: If the submission has more than one artist, at least half of the members must fulfill requirements #1 and #2. Requirement #3 is required for every component.

How can artists apply?

Application is posted on CircusTalk and information is also available through The FIRCO website directly where the participants will have to accept the festival terms and fill out the application form.

When will you announce the final line-up?

We will announce the line up on June 7th, 2018.

Tell us about the selection process for FIRCO.

The selection process will consist of different phases:

• 1st Phase
  Application for the Festival: From 5th March to 1st May, 2018
  The participants present their stage proposals according to the bases of the published call.
• 2nd Phase
  Judgment of the Selection Committee: On 4th May, 2018
  The Selection Committee will choose a list of proposals, five of which will be directly represented in FIRCO 2018. The selection committee will rule out most proposals.
• 3rd Phase
  Public Votes: From 7th May to 1st June 2018
  From non-selected proposals, the Selection Committee will publish a list of shows with videos that can be voted for by the public on social networks. The six most voted for proposals will compete in FIRCO 2018.
• 4th Phase
  Final Selection and Publication: 7th June, 2018
  The selection committee will choose the remaining five to complete the list of competitors for FIRCO 2018, then will publish the final list of participants in the festival numbers.
  Throughout the process, the Selection Committee will ensure balance in territorial representation, gender and circus discipline.

Photo: Eva Llorca