Smells Like Circus is once again pitching its tents in Ghent for a seventh edition! 

From 17 to 20 January 2024, the conventions of circus will be called into question by way of a surprising programme full of circus, performance, music, dance, theatre and talks. The festival pushes the boundaries of contemporary circus with stunning performances that this year will occasionally zoom in on the figure of the clown.

There is also a lot to see at CAMPO, with work by Senne Vanderschelden, Marius Lefever & Jef Van der Burght, Geert Belpaeme, ánd Rachid Laachir.

 

Silly Symphonies
Marius Lefever, Jef Van der Burght & Senne Vanderschelden

In Silly Symphonies, three performers depict through sound a world where, as an audience, you become a witness to a succession of unforeseen endings: from crashing cars to shot birds, from sinking fishermen to crashing paratroopers.   

Are they complicit in the endless ending or do they provide sound to what would otherwise pass by unnoticed? 

17 jan, 19:00 / 18 jan, 20:30, CAMPO nieuwpoort

 

A crock of bull at the crack of dawn
Rachid Laachir / KWP

In A crock of bull at the crack of dawn, theatre maker, performer and designer Rachid Laachir explores metamorphoses. Through the use of body, voice, costumes and other objects, he creates characters at the intersection of the natural, the human, the magical and the mystical. 

17 Jan, 20:30 / 18 & 19 Jan, 19:00, CAMPO victoria

 

Please (don't) let me be (mis)understood
Geert Belpaeme


In Please (don't) let me be (mis)understood, three actors perform the intrinsic frenzy of being human, harking back to an old, almost extinct tradition: clowning. With the clown's nonsensical language and shaky body, with a cheerful recklessness and frivolous pretension, they make their way through human history and beyond. 


19 & 20 Jan, 20:30, CAMPO nieuwpoort

 

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Smells Like Circus is a festival by VIERNULVIER and Miramiro, in collaboration with CAMPO, KOPERGIETERY, Circuscentrum and Cultuurcentrum Evergem. 

 

Find the full program here.

 

© Anaïs Chabeur, Chris Van der Burght & Karolina Maruszak