EL BUFÓ DE LA REINA | FESTIVAL RENAIXEMENT

The traditional superstition that hunchbacks or deformed individuals brought good luck is clearly reflected in the fact that Queen Germana de Foix’s jester was one, and that in European courts the hunchback was both a subject of hilarity and protection. “The happiest dead man is the hunchback, who dances inside the coffin.” Canon Ester is a character from El Cortesano by Luis Milà—hunchbacked, comic, and enjoying the liberties of a jester, much like those permissive characters from Greek folktales or Pulcinella in Italy. The Queen’s Jester is a satirical and critical performance that blends text with Renaissance music and contemporary dance.