Proteus

The student shows presented by the National Institute of Circus Arts are great opportunities to see the developing skills and security in performance of the students.

In this case, the Co-Directors, Sage Bachtler Cushman and Hugo Oliveira took the honed skills of the students on double Chinese poles, hula hoops, aerial ropes, high swings, teeter board, roue cyr, acrobatics and acrobatic floor work and integrated them into an exploration of a flat grey, somewhat dystopian world. The costumes added just enough flare to be interesting without being intrusive. The relentless music, well-designed lighting and the spaces created by the grey moveable ‘rooms’ on stage created an alienating sense of disconnection. The performers almost seemed not to know each other which created a foregrounding of space and intensified the performers’ relationship to the physical environment.

There was very little playfulness or interaction with other performers or the audience but there was plenty of compelling action. All the above ground work was very smooth and well executed. The use of multiple performers added to the complexity and richness of the performance.  While splitting focus, and occasionally leading to a sense of more happening than could be followed, there were instances when something compelling was created, such as during the joint and solo work on the high swings. The ensemble’s skills on double Chinese poles created that essential of circus work- the horrified gasp!

The choreography and dance elements added significantly to carrying the action through the show and adding some emotional touch points. The gymnastics and acrobatic work developed and sustained a mass energy and could have gone on for longer. There were some acts which could have been shorter since once all the performers’ skills have been demonstrated there is little to be gained by repetition. The episode of hula hoops which had a dominator/dominated theme demonstrated the capacity to create a world of meaning using gesture and group movement very effectively.

This show augurs well for this group of performers since they display a high level of technical and performance skills and as they complete their studies the world of circus awaits them.

Ruth Richter

Photography by Cameron Grant @parenthesy⁠