Today I experienced the future of circus – and it didn’t have a single sparkly sequin in sight, but it was as sexy as hell.
Appetite Stoke – the summer arts taster programme that has been funded by the Arts Council – brought to Hanley Park an experience that the 2,000 or so people that managed to see it, will never forget.
The pioneering contemporary circus troupe, NoFit State Circus, staged four performances of a mesmerising show called BIANCO – Turning Savage. The 2 hour performance, staged in a huge silver flying saucer shaped circus tent, featured incredible feats of athletic agility and beautiful aerial dance, all woven together into a complicated narrative that was propelled along by the accompaniment of a jazz rock band playing live and loud on stage.
[blockquote]This though was no circus like you may have ever experienced before. it was sexy, it was raw, it was surreal, and it felt genuinely dangerous. [/blockquote]
The incredibly fit cast, who have in the main been performing and living together since the mid eighties, have clearly developed a slick and intuitive style of showmanship, which although polished, is delivered in cleverly chaotic, edgy manner that defies belief that they don’t regularly harm themselves or their audiences.
The cast, performing in smoke filled rock gig style arena, leap, dive and fly around a stage set of scaffolding, ropes and pulleys – literally right next to and over the heads of the audience.
When they are not in the air, they are literally waltzing with the huge scaffold towers and pieces of metal truss, dancing them into new positions within the performance area, as they set up for the next part of the show. Brilliantly this is all done as part of the piece, and the entire audience moves around with them at the same time, hushered into the next viewing location – which adds to the overall excitement.
As for the story, apparently there is one – but if you’ll excuse the pun, it went way over my head. But that didn’t matter a jot. What did matter is that this experience – presented here with the aim to engage people who may not otherwise experience professional performing arts – achieved just that. By the end of the show it had the 500 strong audience that I was with, cheering, clapping, dancing and playing underneath an incredible snow shower which falls onto the crowd in the finale sequence.
My particular favourites were the Ensemble ‘Swimming Pool Trampoline’ sequence at the start of act 2, the ‘Straps/Fire Flying Sequence’ by August Dakteris, and the final ‘Trapeze In The Snow’ by Sage Bachtler Cushman I also loved the opening, which involves a pre-show sequence involving the performers half seen behind a massive gauze cloth, which magically drops at the start of the show. It is designed to hook you in from the very second you enter the unusual show tent.
Anyway Bravo to all involved – To the brave performers, who god only knows where they summon the strength to perform once day, let alone twice. To the team at Appetite Stoke for such an inspired choice in bringing this gem of world class contemporary circus to Staffordshire.
And a big personal thank you for turning in one of the youngsters that I took to see the show today an appetite for arts into a hunger – the picture opposite I think says it all.
The next Big Spectacle that is coming this summer as part of Appetite Stoke Summer Taster is ‘As The World Tips’ – FREE tickets available now – see here
