Joan Català is one of the spearheads of the new circus made in Catalonia. And so it comes as no surprise that he is known abroad and has been programmed, with the support of the Institut Ramon Llull, at the fifth Hautes Tensions Festival. The circus will be held in the Parc de La Villette in Paris from 31 March to 12 April. Català will be performing Pelat on 4 and 5 April, after presenting it at leading venues in Catalonia, such as the Fira de Tàrrega and Mercat de les Flors, and abroad, at the Greenwich + Docklands International Festival in London.

The show Pelat

The relation between a man and a piece of wood: that is exactly what Joan Català recounts in his show, which combines dance, theatre and circus and has revolutionised the medium through the participation of the audience. The spectators are close enough to be drawn into the action within a circular space. The dialogue between the piece of wood and the artist involves body poetry in a process inspired by traditional Catalan festivities. Català has had broad training in circus and contemporary dance with companies like La Fura dels Baus.