Leire Froufe
Multidisciplinary CIRCUS ARTIST specialising on Chinese Pole, Flying Pole and Pole Dance with a focus on social circus.
Work
Leire has performed in stages internationally. From Contemporary Circus pieces such as Voices by Nicola Monaco to traditional circus in prestigious circuses such as Stuttgart Weltweihnachts Circus. Leire is also the Assistant Director for the show Mystica by the Contemporary Circus Company Moved By Matter.
In the past years, she has created political and social pieces that talk about current issues, including Installation Pieces and performances.CURRENTLY, she is developing a solo show called Lumen, that combines real-time interactive projection and Chinese Pole. The show talks about the transformation of grief into action and it is inspired by the artist’s journey after returning from Palestine. The project is currently on creation phase, with expected premiere on May 2026.
About
Leire Froufe is a talented circus artist specialising on pole (Flying Pole, Chinese Pole, Pole Dance). She has a good base in dance, theatre and other circus disciplines such as aerials (rope and straps), high wire, wheel of death, acrobatics and partner acrobatics.Originally an Aerospace Engineer, she committed to a full-time circus career in 2020. Ever since, she also really enjoys combining her creativity and engineering mindset on rigging projects. For example, she has developed her own structure which will feature soon in an upcoming production.She has studied circus in SALTO (Portugal) and graduated from the circus bachelor at the Academy of Circus And Performance Art (ACAPA) in the Netherlands.
She has performed in contemporary circus festivals such as Oerol and Circolo as well as in prestigious traditional circuses such as Weltweihnachts Circus in Stuttgart or Kerstcircus Haarlem.She has also been involved in social circus projects in several organisations such as the Palestinian Circus School and Cirquenciel in Lebanon.Lately, she is invested in direction and she is the Assistant Director for the show Mystica by Moved by Matter.Leire is a passionate and creative performer and circus creator that is not afraid of new challenges and adventures.
Contact
If you want to collaborate or have any questions feel free to contact me.
LUMEN
Circus, Visual Art & Technology
LUMEN is a 30-minute interdisciplinary solo performance that merges Chinese Pole, real-time interactive projections, and physical storytelling to explore grief as a collective process of healing and resistance. The show traces a transformation, from personal loss to collective empowerment, through embodied movement and generative visual landscapes.Rooted in Leire Froufe’s experience in Palestine working with social circus, LUMEN is a response to the structural violence witnessed there and the emotional aftermath it triggered. The piece does not narrate a linear story, but instead uses abstraction, gesture, and visual poetry to reflect the unpredictable, often cyclical nature of grief. It moves from fragility to strength, from solitude to solidarity.Technologically, LUMEN pushes the boundaries of circus by integrating body-tracking and video-mapping that reacts live to Leire’s movement. Light becomes an emotional character, echoing her internal states and making the invisible visible. This immersive language turns grief into an act of resistance: an invitation to reflect, feel, and act.
LUMEN is currently under creation.
Residencies: MADPAC + El Invernadero (Spain), Circ Artive (Germany), Panama Pictures (The Netherlands).
Co-production: Circunstruction + Circusstad.
Support: T Agency (The Netherlands), MADPAC (Spain).
Festivals: Maaspodium (The Netherlands), Circusstad (The Netherlands).
Theaters: Schouwburg Tilburg (The Netherlands), La Nave del Duende (Spain).
