Don Baltha

Don Baltha is an artistic project at the crossroads of circus and theater, integrating juggling, dance and digital arts. We want to tackle the subjects of racial discrimination and dehumanization in a story that embraces the aesthetics of the Afro-futurist cultural movement. The story’s starting point is an autobiographical episode from Christian Padilla’s childhood. As the only black boy in a Catholic school in his native Ecuador, he was forced to dress up as Balthazar, the Black Mage King, every year. Don Baltha’s project uses the body, dance, text, humor and juggling to poetically explore certain aspects of the historical, socio-political and cultural context that placed Christian and other Afro-descendant children in a segregated caricature of the black image.

Compagnie L’Art Nak

The l’Art Nak company was born of the meeting between jugglers Christian Padilla and Etienne Chauzy, and their shared desire to conceive and perform shows at the crossroads of circus, music and theater, which could appeal to a wide audience. Their creations integrate devices created from recycled elements, musical creations and themes borrowed from French and South American popular culture. The company plans to run workshops to raise awareness of the issues addressed in their creations, using juggling, circus skills and the visual arts.