Street Arts: Eight hours for eight non-stop shows in Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge

Sunday, July 6, the fourth edition of the Léz'Arts genésiens festival offers eclectic and intergenerational shows

At the start, there are Adrien Fayemendy, Thomas Fonteyraud, Christophe Laudoyer, and Yohann Ledrut-Anoy. At the finish, there is the street arts festival Léz'Arts genésiens. The third edition will take place this year, on July 6, still on the Champ de foire, still with the four friends surrounded by about twenty volunteers, and still labeled Site en scène, like about thirty other events in the department.

"We're festival-goers involved in festivals, and we're fed up with ego battles; we're a headless association of four people who've known each other for about twenty years," explains Anoy. At 2:30 p.m., the Site en scène will open with "L'Espace Pitipioux," where a circus workshop is offered by the Compagnie Hors Limite, and where face painting for children is accompanied by a souvenir photo. Until the end of the evening, scheduled for midnight, there will be eight shows, with 80% of the troupes coming from the department and neighboring departments. The entire day is free, except for snacks.

"We're sticking with something on a human scale, something accessible, free, and rich in quality. Street art speaks to everyone and is intergenerational. It's performed on the ground, hence the proximity; we don't need much to create synergy," continues Anoy.

Léz'Arts Genésiens spends the whole year at festivals. "We program shows that we've been to see. When our eyes sparkle, the companies come. Our dimension is cultural, not commercial; we seek to reach the local population. The goal is to invade Saint-Genis; we've developed many small partnerships with the Medical-Educational Institute, schools, the single-purpose intercommunal union Les P'tits Loups... We'd like to get more and more involved in this." The municipality, shopkeepers, and artisans follow them, and they have the support of the Haute-Saintonge Community of Communes and the Department. The basic idea is to make culture accessible: young people came to learn about the circus this year at the village hall.

The program is enticing and has something for everyone. At 4:15 p.m., a children's show called "The Fabulous Journey of Annak" by the Hors Limite circus will kick off the festivities. It will be followed at 5:15 p.m. by "Marguerite," a burlesque and participatory show by the Dakatchiz company.

At 6:25 p.m., "Comme la 1 ^re fois" is a musical performance by the Prêt à porter collective. Then, a lunch break accompanied by the choir Les Chœurs du Donjon. The tightrope dance and live music show "Rosi Rosa" will be performed later by the O Perché company. Tout par Terre will then perform a culinary juggling act, "Aux p'tits rognons."

At 10:30 p.m., a traditional show about the Day of the Dead in Mexico, "Allegra, the Joyful Death," will be performed. Finally, the festivities will conclude shortly after 11 p.m. with "Orphéas," a fire-circus show based on the mythology of Orpheus and Eurydice by the Hors Limite circus.