The Ana Desetnica 2018 festival enchanted children and adults

Are you like a squirrel at school, climbing up to the top of a rope or a pole in a few seconds?

Or are you one of those who has no heart for climbing?

Even if you’re among the later, you’d probably still be fascinated by the acrobats Dana Augustin and Tjaša Dobravec from the group Aerial Circus.

They performed at the Ana Desetnica festival of street theatre, dancing to the song Surviving by the Irish singer Kaz Hawkins on the silk ribbons.

Their performances inspired children and adults. Some people even saw them many times. The two artists, like some other performers, entertained the public several days in a row.

But what is a festival of street theatre?

This is a festival, say the organizers from the Ane Monro Theater, that uses urban art, circus and dance performances, live sculptures and workshops, to change the purpose of public space and open it for the people.

Ana Desetnica has been held in Ljubljana 21 times.

And this year street theatre companies have visited many other places in Slovenia, too. First, they visited Maribor, Krško, Nova Gorica and Ilirska Bistrica, then Šoštanj, Novo mesto, Sežana, Celje and Škofja Loka.

Ana’s time in the city is a special one, writes the director of the festival Goro Osojnik in the editorial for the Ana Desetnica Catalog 2018.

»It’s a time when Ljubljana changes its image and the citizens discover the charm of socialising on the street, the charm of street theatre, and the relaxation of the meetings that occur there.«

If you missed the festival this year, no worries. Ana will come back to the city next year.

Then once again there will be the opportunity to chat with friends and strangers, wink at passers-by and applaud the performers.

Points to Consider

1. Would you like to try to become an acrobat?
2. Which elements of the acrobatics do you like most?
3. Do you know what kind of performances form street theatre?

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The original version of this article was published on July 9th.

English translation courtesy of JL Flanner, Total Slovenia News, an English language website with news from and about Slovenia.