A fun and intimate night of quality circus acts
With great delight, Cirqulation hosted its 10th circus cabaret night with a whole variety to experience and much fun to be had. Established and emerging circus acts drew from the creative theme of ‘Heritage’, aiming to explore where we come from, what we bring with us and what is left behind…and of course you know it is going to be a good evening when you’re instructed to belt out Aladdin’s ‘Arabian Night’ within minutes of the show starting.
Setting the mood with a few opening ballads by the talented Callum Kaczynski, the sparkly narrator and host, Rachael Macintyre, with a folklore-ish, story telling twist (big book included), introduced the show and returned between each of the eleven acts. Keeping to the underlying mystique, the evening’s line up was kept as a surprise which was even more satisfying when each act was impressively diverse, showcasing a different circus skill.
Inspired from more natural elements, the elevated acts from Grace Turner (multi cord) and Lauren Jamieson (rope) were multi dimensional with live song and spoken word woven into their performances, touching on continual change or a longing for freedom. Turner’s rope ‘cage’ a particularly powerful metaphor. In a more surreal turn, The Robbie Sisters, witches in slick gold bodysuits and feathers, alluded to Scotland’s witch trials in contorted synchronization on the lollipop hoop. You couldn’t take the circus out of the business man in Bob’s (Robert Gallagher-Lyall) hilarious attempt at a 9 to 5 job post-circus juggling act while Mike McCallum struck contorted poses, seemingly held up by whimsical helium balloons. Drawing more directly from ancestry and familial roots, Bara Dankova delivered a simple but fun cyr wheel and audience-included Czech Polka dance while Yuliia Ivanenko’s fiery, relentless aerial hoop was an emotive nod to Ukraines continual struggle. Jusztina Hermann and Miss Mango made hula hoops do things I’ve never thought possible while questioning what example she leaves for her daughter, and a stand out performance from Mel Lee, who’s flying pole expertise was truly breathtaking, shaping her long sought after pride in her dual-heritage roots. Another stand out performance came from Robyn and Julia in a partner acrobatic duel with incredible choreography and flow.
And, there really was no better way to end a circus cabaret night than with a flaming trapeze dance rendition by Freddie Hercury to Chappell Roan’s ‘Pink Pony Club’. Hercury reminds us all that our family can be our chosen community and it can be the strongest connection for belonging– LGBTQIA+ lives matter!
All in all, the energy, flow and length of each performance were well orchestrated, costumes meticulous and skill level high, the line between professional and up and coming almost indiscernible. Circqulation strives to make circus performance accessible to the community and it was very apparent in the warm and welcoming atmosphere created and maintained throughout the show, and, even with some technical difficulties, nothing dimmed the joy of the event. A good pick for theme too, there emerged a subtle yet powerful feeling of resilience – we are what we come from, yet we are what we choose to be. Best of luck for Cirqulation’s final tours.