Bathed in color, memories, and figures brought to life, «Circo de Loza: Polychrome Stories» arrives as the latest production from Somos Circo—an immersive show that turns tradition into spectacle while rekindling the legacy of Talagante’s iconic polychrome pottery.
This contemporary circus piece blends hand balancing, partner acrobatics (portes), Cyr wheel, aerial silks, and juggling, transforming the stage into a world where clay moves, breathes, and tells stories.
Backed by Chile’s National Fund for the Promotion and Development of the Performing Arts (2025 call), «Circo de Loza» seeks to safeguard and reinterpret cultural heritage through an innovative, contemporary language.
Through videomapping by Nicolás Caballero, textures, colors, and figures are projected live and interact with the artists, while an original score by Luis Rodrigo Latorre wraps each sequence in an evocative, emotionally charged atmosphere.
The result is a series of striking visual tableaux paying tribute to the artisans behind Talagante’s polychrome pottery, celebrating their legacy in a living performance: «Polychrome pottery and circus are living heritages that converse throughout this piece. Together, they show us that cultural memory doesn’t only belong to the past—it beats and is celebrated in the present,» says Alexi Vega, performer and member of Somos Circo.
Chile’s Cultural Heritage
The roots of polychrome pottery trace back to colonial times, when Poor Clare nuns taught the clay craft—an art local women artisans later transformed into a distinct, popular, and deeply Chilean expression. Each small, delicate figure depicts scenes such as horsemen on horseback, washerwomen by the river, organ grinders in the street, Cuasimodo procession participants, and family, rural, and festive moments.
Molded in clay, fired in artisanal kilns, and painted in vivid hues, these works are more than ornaments: they are stories of identity that preserve the maker’s hand, a family’s history, and the memory of an entire community.
Now recognized as part of Chile’s cultural heritage, polychrome pottery remains alive thanks to its tradition bearers—heirs to generations of knowledge. «Circo de Loza: Polychrome Stories» honors them, their hands, and their clay, bringing to the stage the miracle of turning the everyday into art and keeping the past in conversation with the present.
«We conducted bibliographic research and visited museums that exhibit polychrome pottery. This process has fueled and deepened our commitment to creation,» adds Alexi Vega.
Running 45 minutes, the production is directed by Manuel Vergara and performed by Alexi Vega, Natalia Mercado, Fanny Moreno, and Camilo Silva. It unfolds across five scenes that showcase the dynamism and poetry of contemporary circus.
Each scene represents a stage in the making of these figures: from extracting and filtering the clay to modeling, firing, and painting—culminating in finished pieces that embody identity, memory, tradition, and community celebration.
Costumes by Susana Navarro—drawing on the palette and style of the pottery—reinforce the authenticity of a piece where tradition and modernity meet in balance. The work of set designer and technician Patricio Huerta also stands out, shaping the scenic environment that envelops the production.
About the company
Founded in 2018, Somos Circo has developed a creative practice that blends humor, emotion, and a contemporary circus vocabulary.
Highlights include “LAPSUS” (2018), inspired by a grandson’s memories of his grandfather, and “FRACACIRCUS” (2022), a playful proposal where nothing goes as planned. These works have taken the company to festivals and stages across Chile and abroad.
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El Ciudadano
