The Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil in Belo Horizonte is presenting a family-centred exhibition and performance series aimed at babies and young children until 26 January. Titled “Primeira infância em férias” and created by Grupo Eranos Círculo de Arte from Santa Catarina, the programme includes intimate theatrical pieces, an immersive exhibition and a short-film strand designed for children from one year old and the adults who accompany them.
Early childhood festival Belo Horizonte
Grupo Eranos, led by Sandra Coelho and Leandro Maman, brings three stage works — “O barquinho amarelo”, “Mergulho” and “Pô!Ema” — alongside an interactive show called “O céu, o mar e a palavra”. The group also screens authorial short films through the Cine Eranos project. Performances adopt an intimate format with reduced audiences and permit free movement so that babies and toddlers can engage on their own terms.
Sandra Coelho, who combines her artistic practice with training in psychology, says the exhibition was shaped by an understanding of how very young children relate to images, objects and sound. In the immersive room, projected images on the floor sit alongside cardboard boxes and moveable cubes so children can explore at will. Coelho rejects linear, didactic approaches and instead encourages symbolic and bodily modes of interaction.
“We are not trying to force a child to follow the action visually,” she explained. “Our aim is to cultivate moments of poetic presence for both babies and adults.” The festival places as much emphasis on the behaviour of caregivers as on the children. Organisers encourage adults to switch off mobile phones and to inhabit the same attentive state they hope to inspire in the young visitors.
Programming is scheduled to offer multiple entry points for families. “O barquinho amarelo” runs Friday to Monday at 11:00 until 26 January, while “Mergulho” plays Friday to Sunday at 15:00 until 25 January. “Pô!Ema” is staged on Mondays at 15:00 until 26 January. The exhibition “O céu, o mar e a palavra” is open Wednesday to Monday from 10:00 to 22:00 with free entry upon online ticket reservation. Cine Eranos screens “Os pequenos mundos: Uma aventura com caixas” and “Cine.EMA” on select weekdays and evenings.
Ticket prices for the theatrical pieces are R$30 for full price and R$15 for half price, available at the CCBB BH box office and online. The exhibition admits visitors free of charge with prior registration via the CCBB BH website. The venue is located at Praça da Liberdade, 450, in the Funcionários neighbourhood.
The project foregrounds a simple argument: when adults create a space of sustained presence, young children will engage naturally with artistic experiences. Coelho notes that caregivers often distract themselves with screens and that the real challenge is to recalibrate adult attention so it matches the capacities and interests of infants. “I learn more from babies than they learn from me,” she says, adding that each performance is different because every child brings their own gestures and responses.
For families in Belo Horizonte and beyond seeking a thoughtful, sensory introduction to theatre and visual art for very young audiences, the CCBB BH offering provides accessible programming, professional production standards and a clear invitation to shared presence between adults and children.
Key Takeaways:
- CCBB BH hosts an early childhood festival with immersive theatre, interactive exhibition and short films.
- The Early childhood festival Belo Horizonte emphasises sensory play and adult presence to deepen family engagement.
- Productions by Grupo Eranos offer intimate performances for children from one year old and free exhibition access.
