International Festival of Street Artists 2009

A carnival on the streets of Novi Sad

Over the past nine years the Festival of Street Artists has become an integral part of the cultural life in Novi Sad, and has largely contributed to the popularization of street theatre and music, the only event of that kind in our country. Being international from the start, the Festival has kept attracting more and more attention year after year, both from the local and the widespread audience, and thanks to its foreign guests it has even become well-known outside our borders


By IVANA MIJIĆ
from Novi Sad, SERBIA


It has already become a tradition that with the first days of September there come musicians, singers, dancers, actors, mimes, jugglers etc. to Novi Sad from all parts of the world, transforming it into a week-long creative workshop for art and good entertainment. The first Festival of Street Artists was held in 2001, with the aim to promote the tradition of street performances as a special aspect of the urban culture. It is an everyday sight in the streets of the world's largest cities such as New York, Paris, London and Berlin. IFUS (International Festival of Street Artists) 2009, lasted from September 8 to 12, and the festival's art director, Aleksandar Carić, pointed out to the very rich festival's program and a chance for the audience to get to know other cultures, enjoy themselves listening to different music genres, see for the first time some unusual instruments and witness a series of street performances, dances and acrobatics.

- Other than the obvious accessibility of it, the strength and value of street theatre and music is, above all, the chance it gives the audience of all ages and from the most extreme social backgrounds to meet. It's no wonder that such events are used to revive and cultivate the culture of pedestrian zones and old city centers. These events are also a great chance for the local and foreign artists and musicians to meet - explains Carić for WAVE magazine.

Those who attracted the most interest were the Italian humorous brass band Pappazzum, the Chilean acrobatic duo, the peel/crust and drums virtuosos from Senegal and Italy, English musical clowns, and the puppeteer from Japan. Among the performers were also Violentango- a group who came from Buenos Aires, Ally Rudisuhli - an air dancer, an acrobat and a superb mime, as well as many other foreign artists, supported by the local musicians such as Amaro del, Lost Propelleros, Gyass bend, Undercover maniacs, NS Jazz Code. Besides music, the visitors could also enjoy the ancient art of storytelling through authentic performances of stories, fairytales and lullabies given by the narrators from Senegal, Vietnam and Serbia. For the youngest audience there were the creative studio "Čarolija" (Magic), children's choir "Zvončići" (Tinkerbells) and the orchestra "Bajićevi mali gudači" (Bajic's Little Fiddlers).

Over the past nine years the Festival of street artists has become an integral part of the cultural life in Novi Sad, and has largely contributed to the popularization of street theatre and music, the only event of that kind in our country. Being international from the start, the Festival has kept attracting more and more attention year after year, both from the local and the widespread audience, and thanks to its foreign guests it has even become well-known outside our borders. Among the Festival's guests we have also met with a musician who has been traveling around Europe for years with his band, visiting similar festivals. He has been pleasantly surprised by the number of spectators.

Doubtless, during these few days in September, Novi Sad lives to the rhythm of the music, people are smiling left and right, or as one of the Festival's participants commented: People, smiling faces and children are the main reason we're doing all this!


(Published: 12.09.2009.)