Dreams from the Second Floor

The graduating students of NICA chose the raw material of a gantry cityscape and dreams to create a world of episodic movement and physical daring. A wide variety of circus skills were demonstrated with an emphasis on aerial work, contortion, Roue Cyr and gymnastics. The troupe worked well together and on occasion merged into a single coherent performance. The individual and duo performers displayed shining skills and compelling action. Performers’ technical skills were secure and the riggers did a quiet, competent job. Lighting supported the show with focus and transitions being well managed. There was a strong floor mounted light directed towards the audience which made the first part of the show uncomfortable if you happened to be seated in line with it. The music was a character in its own right, with the live performances creating a strong thread through the show.

There were several places where the energy of the show dragged – in one case literally. Angst needs story and context to be compelling and unfortunately there was little to support the quieter, slower episodes. Pathos and subversion are traditional elements of circus performance and these were missing in this show. Overall, the emotion of the show was patchy with few genuinely moving or emotionally satisfying moments.

The strong, highly skilled physicality of the performances still managed to be entertaining and draw the audience into the second floor world.

Ruth Richter

Photographer: Aaron Walker.