DanceHouse & The Cultch delivered a New Year gift to the city as they co-presented the Canadian Premiere of Sacre, from Australian Circus Company, Circa.
The mesmerizing work of acrobatic dance, inspired by Igor Stravinsky’s seminal production The Rite of Spring is directed by Circa’s Artistic Director and CEO Yaron Lifschitz. For five memorable performances the Vancouver Playhouse found the 10 performers on a marathon of movement. Literally leaping from the dark, the company bursts on stage with energy and power that is at the same time calm and fluid.
Lifschitz has directed an hour of complex and constant motion that creates its own category of contemporary circus; a hybrid of dance, acrobatics, gymnastics, and theatre. Like a living being, Sacre flows and breathes along to the energy of the score, at times frantic and full with all performers on stage, then calming and soft as just one performer moves with the light. The simplicity of a dark stage punctuated by spots of light, designed by Veronique Benett, puts all the focus on the performers but no matter the setting, the talents and skills of this troop would still shine brightest. The score by Philippe Bachman also heaves and sighs in its pace and energy, so connected to the movement that it’s easy to forget its there, it’s all part of the same being.
While the run of Sacre has closed, if you have the opportunity to see it, don’t miss out. Hopefully, we will be able to witness another Circa performance in a future annual co-production of The Cultch and DanceHouse. In the meantime, both companies continue to bring us performances throughout the spring. With the World Premiere of Starwalker coming next to The Cultch February 16th and DanceHouse presenting Broken Chord by Gregory Maqoma & Thuthuka Sibisi (South Africa) February 23-25