We are just 20 days away from FITS 2023. So with more awesomeness being around the corner we slowly get to the last parts of the edition from 2022 which was also my first time attending such a big festival but also when I felt my heart being conquered the most.
The title already says that this is the 5th part of the previous year's edition and each post came with no less than 7 shows we attended back then. However, this is going to be a bit more special including 8 representations, the next Saturday being reserved for the closing show of FITS which was no less impressive.
So while during these 5 posts, we got to see more or less interesting moments depending on everyone's preferences and hobbies, this part is going to be a bit more special including some of the most spectacular moments which weren't specially saved for this 5th part because we all know that in general some of the most famous artists or the most spectacular shows are always taking place at the end of the concert/festival. And that's what happened at FITS too.
29. Museum of wax statues
This might seem familiar to those of you who've read the previous parts of FITS 2022, but especially this one because it's represented by the same collective of students that presented more theatre shows on the streets of Sibiu in similar costumes.
However, while the first one was based on famous theatre shows, this time everything kept a more modern representation with adapted costumes to the current times, but to which I had no patience to check out entirely since they followed the same trail of being in a continuous loop like in the other shows.
On the opposite, we had a quick stop at the mall where we found a wall with the title "Place to draw your dreams" which I have no clue if it was part of FITS or not, but it still felt nice seeing people grab a piece of chalk and start drawing.
Show length: 22 min
Premiere date: 05.05.2022
Original name: Triptic Shakespeare
30. The Orchestra Man
As the name says, you don't always need a complete band to form an orchestra because if you are talented enough and have a big extra skill to create a costume composed of 17 different instruments, then most likely you can create your own orchestra too.
That's what happened with this man that is known as „Da Cruz One Man Band” in Portugal, where he also represents the single traditional orchestra formed from only one member. I won't take time to write down all the musical instruments I've seen him using during the show because it's hard to remember all of them, but if you pay enough attention to the images you can notice all 17 of them, which is a crazy amount for a single person to use at almost the same time.
Either way, there is no need to say that the man did a great job playing every single musical instrument but he also made a surprise to the public, singing some of the most famous Romanian songs in his own style. He also came with an assistant that was always making sure none of the musical instruments are disconnecting while he was singing, and they both never forgot to smile.
Oh, and let's not forget that one of the instruments was controlled with David Cruz's pulse! The man who's also an actor and TV personality gained his popularity already by performing in more than 40 places in the last couple of years, and I'm really happy that Sibiu (Romania) was one of them!
Show length: 25 min
Premiere date: 07.09.2015
Original name: Da Cruz One Man Band
31. EXODUS
The title of this show was already a good moment to let your mind fly away before the show began because we all know the complex meaning of the word exodus, especially during that period of time when the war between Russia and Ukraine was just at the beginning and many countries confronted with millions of refugees looking for a new place to call home but especially people willing to give them a hand of help when they needed it the most.
So while many people out there are needed to leave behind their previous life and begin a new one almost from scratch, it's hard to describe in words what the real feelings are in those moments.
Hence why, the theatre show entitled "EXODUS" did a great job representing some of those moments through acting, without being needed any conversations. There was actually music played in the background with all kinds of sound effects like people crying, screams, bombs, and a lot more. No need to say that the show impressed me down to tears.
Unfortunately, it was quite a rainy period, and not long after the show began heavy rain also started, and not many spectators decided to remain in public. However, I did stay from the very first minute to the last one and found this as one of the best theatre shows I've ever attended in my life. So absolutely no regrets for the little flu we got right after that.
Show length: 40 min
Premiere date: 30.04.2022
Original name: Exodul
32. A chaotic couple
From heavy rain and tears to a sunny sky and lots of laughter. That's what happened in the next show we attended which even though it was not far away from the location we watched the theatre show, the whole vibe was completely different.
This was actually one more circus show that followed a funny line as some of the other representations from the past days but which came with a unique story behind it, namely, a couple where most of the things happen in a different way, like having the girl hold the man on her shoulders and use the heavy tools in general, while he was the ballerina of the show, wearing a tutu once and even dancing like a girl.
That was a good reminder that no matter what men do, women will also be able to do as well, and maybe even better, ha! 😁
Though, as much as I enjoyed their show and all the laughter they sparked with the representations both on the ground and up in the sky, I really didn't enjoy their personality. I'm saying that because I was there quite a few minutes before the show began and I noticed how badly they treated the volunteers, always being something that they didn't like as it was placed and other such small details. And some actions seemed a bit exaggerated considering that they had a circus moment with 0% risks, while there were some dangerous numbers held in the same location and those didn't cause so much chaos with their claims.
Show length: 45 min
Premiere date: 09.03.2022
Original name: Stories in the City
33. Varidance Selection
Honestly, after so many dancing moments at the beginning of the festival, I really felt the missing of one more show like that, even at the end of FITS 2022. Happily, a very talented Hungarian dance crew knew exactly what to do to gain almost the whole audience around the stage they performed on.
And to be honest, I don't remember a different time I got to hear their specific music or see some traditional dancing other than on FITS but I gotta say that they do know what to do and they did it better than anyone expected. Basically, the dance crew was updating the traditional dances to some more dynamic beats, including hip-hop moves, step dance, and circus acrobatics.
That's both a smart and modern way to turn a traditional show into a modern one that can be enjoyed both by the younger and older spectators, making sure to conquer every single heart of the audience.
Show length: 30 min
Premiere date: 29.06.2022
Original name: Varidance Válogatás
34. WHAT IF IT FALLS DOWN?
This was one of the most minimalistic shows I've ever seen, with 3 guys that were basically standing in an imaginary room and playing with all the elements they were surrounded with, confronting with the fear of not dropping down any of these.
However, as charming the guys were, they didn't properly follow the course of the show where they were supposed to never let touch the ground some balls they played with, which didn't happen because they stayed mostly on the ground.
Not to mention that there were a lot of noisy kids in the public who interrupted their number quite a lot of times turning it into a pretty chaotic show than what people wished to see, but I do hope that I will get to attend one of their shows sometimes again and perhaps get a different perspective over everything because back then it only seemed like some bigger kids playing with random stuff in a house, without any fancy training but more of improvisation.
Show length: 45 min
Premiere date: 30.07.2021
Original name: Et si ça tombe?
35. Dance of the Flying Fire
While the previous representation left me with a bitter taste, I can't say the same about this one coming from Vienna (Austria) which I actually attended twice because it was so different from anything seen in the previous days and it easily made it to my Top 3 favorite moments from FITS 2022.
So while the couple has already more than 15 years since it performed the same show at all the European street festivals, I have no doubt that no matter for how many times I see it, I'll still not get enough.
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The couple did a great job showing how much fire their love confesses both in theory and practice, with all the acrobatics done on the soil but also up in the sky while being surrounded by flames and dynamic music in the background that invited everyone to dance but also keep their soul in suspense not to see any catastrophe happening.
There were actually some more risky moments where both the man and the woman failed to complete till the end because the wind always directed the flames to their bodies, but they knew how to professionally hide that and improvise something that kept the audience on the same level of excitement. And I really feel blessed for being able to see their show two times!
Show length: 25 min
Premiere date: 01.07.2016
Original name: Dance of the Flying Fire
36. SYLPHES
And last but not least, one more show up in the sky before the history was written on the 29th edition of FITS, the guys from Argentina and Spain gathered thousands of spectators watching their number.
Being a show held up in the sky, everyone could see it from almost any part of the center of the town, but we weren't lucky enough to approach too much due to the crowd, so the silhouettes of those creating magic were the single things we could admire that night.
However, being the first time attending FITS and seeing more than 35 shows in 10 days, I call it quite a success even though we did fail to reach some other shows we were interested in. But that's a score that I promise to beat in the editing of this year!
Show length: 50 min
Premiere date: 31.12.2019
Original name: SYLPHES
List of FITS 2022 posts:
- FITS 2022 - Part 1
- FITS 2022 - Part 2
- FITS 2022 - Part 3
- FITS 2022 - Part 4
- FITS 2022 - Part 5
- FITS 2022 - Part 6
SEE YOU AT THE NEXT PART OF FITS 2022! 🗾
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