El Petit - International Arts Festival for Early Childhood

This November I had the opportunity to travel to Sabadell, 30 minutes outside Barcelona to visit El Petit, an International Arts Festival for Early Childhood as part of my DYCP research. My plan was to see as many shows as possible and connect with other people working in the sector. Unfortunately my plans to visit the whole festival had to change due to a gig clash so I was unable to attend the full 4 days of the festival delegate programme but I managed 1 full day and I made the most of it.

Flying into Barcelona with Ant who came along for the ride (who wouldn't :-)) we finally arrived in Sabadell late Saturday night, much to our surprise it felt freezing with similar temperatures to the UK so no chance to shed any winter layers. Slightly bamboozled by being in Catalunya where the main language is Catalan it didn't take long to discover that most people also speak Spanish, phew, as a fairly confident Spanish speaker I was able to communicate. 

Photo of FLORes by Patricia Ruz

Sunday morning, leaving Ant to do his own exploring, I headed early to the first venue to watch 'FLORes' by Patricia Ruz. FLORes is a solo dance performance which describes itself as 'a colourful space that unfolds like a canvas and reminds us how different, fragile, and strong we are. Painting with hands, tapping shoes, clashing castanets, dancing to the rhythm of the universe, whistling... to express the soul that lives within the flowers.' I enjoyed the quirky nature of the performer who explored a simple set using humour, rhythm and curiosity.

Aimed at 3 to 5 year olds I found this piece really engaging and particularly loved the use of castanets and tea cups to create intricate rhythms and a reference to the performers Spanish roots. There were also references to the colonial days of drinking tea in India and at the end of the show, children in the audience loved receiving a dot of paint on their foreheads.

After the first show Jaume, who was in charge of all the delegates, led us on a short walk to the next venue. Here we listened to a discussion from the director about her process of making Ona, the show we were about to see. 'Ona', meaning waves by Laura Alcalå is a new show for ages 2 to 5 and was commissioned by the Centre de creació la Sala and elPetit. It struck me that there was an incredible level of support for this artist and the value that has been placed on creating high quality work for young audiences is so heartening to see. 

Photo of Ona by Laura Alcala

“Ona” invites the audience to dive into a world of movement and textures through play. It featured two dancers and a musician who played cello, also using looping and live recording to create a layered backing track. The show was performed with audience sitting on the stage in a semi circle around the action, however, as a delegate, due to space I had to watch the show in the circle area of the main auditorium which had a birds eye view.

The show was interactive and engaging and I particularly enjoyed the cellist and the music score which was beautiful. In one section of the show he was picked up and moved around by the dancers, sideways, unsidedown and turned around, whilst playing, which I loved. The two dancers explored a sea/underwater theme using giant slinky tubes and big pieces of fabric to create underwater creatures and waves. At one point the audience held the fabric and created the waves too, something I've seen and done myself many times in both performances and workshops. The piece had a lovely feel to it but overall I felt there was nothing new or exciting in terms of the ideas explored, it was a well trodden pathway. 

I'd booked myself into the delegate lunch which was a sumptuous buffet complete with wine and was a brilliant opportunity to chat to other delegates. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming even though I had only just arrived and everyone else had been there for days. my table included delegates from Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark and the UK, the conversation was lively.

For the final show of the day we hopped on a bus into Barcelona, despite some drama as the bus driver knocked his wing mirror off on a sign post whilst turning a tight corner we made it in time for the show. 'Kodama' by Blink Flash is described as a movement and music performance for children aged 0 to 4, the company invites us to 'feel part of a forest inhabited by Kodamas, tree spirits from Japanese folklore. Two playful beings speak to us about the wind, the trees, the flowers, and listen to the sounds of the forest.' The space was beautfully designed with long tubes of muslin cloth hanging from the ceiling to represent a forest and audience could sit in the round amongst the trees. An inviting immersive environment, but sadly the show didn't live up to this promise. 'Kodama' felt quite random as a whole with no clear dramaturgy, choreography and music which did not engage me and many missed opportunities for audience invitations to be developed. I observed parents pulling their children back from the space as they wriggled around. The invitation to play and interact finally came after the show ended, I felt they had missed a trick. What I took from this was affirmation in my own practice and, of course, a reminder that all art is subjective.

Although the delegate programme was now over, I was lucky enough to be able to see one more show on the Monday morning, the offer made as sightlines had been poor when delegates went to see it initially as part of the programme. Having moved hotels to Barcelona, intending to spend Monday exploring the city, Ant and I traipsed back to Sabadell on the metro to watch 'SO' by LuganArte, a semi improvised solo music show for children 6 months and up. “SO” is a listening ritual that invites you to immerse yourself in the sounds and sensations of the landscape. Voices, stones, bells, and drums come together to create a sensory experience that allows us to live the landscape, journey through the night, and rediscover everything at dawn.

Photo of So by LugunArte

I was so pleased I got to see this, as well as having music at its core it was definitely my favourite show of the festival. We observed a group of nursery children entranced by the performer who held

them in the palm of his hand whilst exploring and interacting using his voice, a stringed instrument, a shrewti box and rhythm.

Certainly a flying visit to Barcelona but very artistically rich. With Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning before flying home, we spent time walking around Barcelona, soaking up the vibe, enjoying the Christmas lights, wonderful tapas and finishing with a stroll on the beach in gorgeous sunshine (it finally warmed up). I certainly pack alot in, not to mention the step count which reached 60,000 in just 3 days!!!