About
Florencia is an Argentinian multidisciplinary artist and creativity advocate who studied Fine Arts and Visual Literacy at the Higher Institute of Fine Arts Manuel Belgrano, whilst she also discovered her passion for theatre and circus training at Polo Circo and the National Theatre San Martin.
Starting off as an Arts Teacher in primary and secondary schools across Buenos Aires after finishing her studies, Florencia soon discovered that she wanted to create a practice of community engagement with the arts that went beyond the prescriptions of the curriculum.
She moved to London in 2013, where she began an exciting career in the Arts and the Circus industry, showing versatility by teaching arts and drama at the children’s charity ActingWorks, gaining a EU funded scholarship to work with circus company Materia Viva in Italy for the summer season, and providing guided tours of London and the National Gallery -all within one year of settling in a new country!
After that, Florencia went on to continue studying and gaining an MA in History of Art at Birbeck University, with a focus on gender studies, museums and heritage; and identity and traumatic history. In parallel, she continued to be coached in aerial silks and rope at a high level with trainers Rebecca Rennison, Will Davis, Marie Lohan, Juli Fiorino, and trained physical theatre and clown with Marcelo Savignone, Lucy Hopkins, and John Wright.
Florencia’s interest in working with communities started to emerge whilst she was working on her MA dissertation. Examining the dual identity of Argentinians understood through the national arts curriculum, which created conflicts between the European and Aboriginal heritages of the country, Florencia observed how this affected and mis-represented communities and artists working in the arts field.
Since then, Florencia has worked with a myriad of charities and museums, including Orleans House Gallery, The Museum of Cambridge, Groundwork London, Alexandra Palace, Debt Justice, Kettle’s Yard, to research, explore, and understand how cultural organisations can better represent and be relevant to the communities they serve, but also how communities can work together to generate change.
Florencia has also worked with many circus companies as a deviser and performer. Some of these companies are: the Gramophones, Materia Viva, Jackson’s Lane, the Roundhouse, The Depot Clpaton, High Wired, Polo Circo, Feral Bird Theatre, and Circus Pazzaz. She has developed a playful approach to performing which includes audience interaction and a lot of character and clown work.
Florencia is now trying to find ways in which she can bring together her circus and her community practice by telling stories from diaspora communities, and drawing from her own experience and her family’s.
You might be thinking that this all sounds very eclectic! But as a creative, my job is to find all the important connections: I believe all of my work is underpinned by a passion to share the joys of arts and circus with others.
Be it whilst teaching, co-creating with the community, or performing for an audience, I want to connect with others and find ways to generate change and make our lives more joyful.