The Spanish company SÖA, which presented the show “Con la cabeza en las nubes” at Imaginarius – Festival of Performing Arts in Public Space, in Santa Maria da Feira, received the highest score in the “MAIS Imaginarius” emerging artists competition.
The collective is now invited to develop a new project to be premiered at the 2027 edition of Imaginarius, benefiting from a creation grant and residencies at the Imaginarius Creation Center.
The basis for this distinction was the company’s creativity and its ability to build its own evocative universe.
According to the jury, the show revealed a solid foundation for the development of clowning in future projects, particularly highlighting the physicality, the hybridization of stage languages, and the company’s skill in engaging with the audience without breaking character.
The jury also valued the artists’ ability to connect with the audience and the way they explore the space, a fundamental aspect of a performing arts festival in a public space.
Finally, they highlighted the fact that the proposal is aimed at young audiences and manages to relate so well to that age group, as well as to the adult audience.
The jury for “MAIS Imaginarius” was: Mario Barnaba, Outdoor Arts Italia (IT); Jordi Duran Roldós, Mercè Arts de Carrer (ES); Aleksandar Carić Zar, Uličnih Svirača Festival (RS); Carlos Vianna, FEDEC (BE); and Jean-Marc Broqua, La Grainerie (FR).
Open to domestic and international artists and collectives, the MAIS Imaginarius competition is admittedly a zone of risk, experimentation, and exposure, dedicated to emerging artists who choose public space as a territory for creation and confrontation.
In this edition of Imaginarius, 15 creations were selected by the festival’s artistic direction and fully integrated into the festival’s programme.
