Q-Circo

Q-Circo is a project supported by the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian and the Fundação “la Caixa” through PARTIS & Art For Change. Until 2025 Erva Daninha, the Centro Social Soutelo and the Solsal – Fundação Salesianos are jointly developing this project with the young people from the Centro de Reabilitação da Areosa em Gondomar and the Centro Educativo Santo António no Porto

Q-Circo aims to contribute to the empowerment and professional inclusion of young people in vulnerable situations, using circus arts as a tool for promoting personal and social development. The participating youth are part of an artistic creation and personal development project that includes several actions – circus arts workshops, personal, social, and employability skills workshops. In addition to the regular workshops, there is an annual performance integrated into the Trengo Circus Festival which serves as a moment of both personal and collective validation in the course of the project.

Beyond performances, q-circo also presents: what do you carry in your suitcase?, a visual and sound installation composed of 12 suitcases, developed within the framework of the artistic, personal, and social development workshops. The exhibition premiered at Trengo 2024 and was presented at Isto é PARTIS at the CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN FOUNDATION in February 2025. link do evento

Vasco Gomes is the artistic director of the project, which includes David Valente s a trainer, as well as occasional contributions from other circus artists focused on artistic intervention. Hélder Nogueira is the project’s social coordinator, with Mariana Eugénio and Teresa Domingos (Ana Magalhães 2023) as social workers. Julieta Guimarães is the project manager, also supported by Elísio Mota in communication and Ashleigh Georgiou in video recording and editing. Rita Pinto handles production and supports the workshops and project follow-up.

Several artists collaborate regularly with the project through workshops, talks, or performances as part of the artistic sessions: Daniel Seabra, Alan Sencades, Gustavo Carvalho, Naiana Padial, Liliana Garcia, Mau Jara, Cacá Otto Reuss and Alvin Yong.

©Miguel De


©Miguel De