The (contemporary) circus is coming to town!
DanceHouse and The Cultch welcome the thrilling Canadian premiere of Circa’s acrobatic Sacre, taking the Vancouver Playhouse stage from January 17 to 21, 2023.
Australia’s internationally renowned contemporary circus company, Circa is making its DanceHouse debut with this visceral, multidisciplinary interpretation of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, directed by Yaron Lifschitz, Artistic Director and CEO of Circa. Sacre is a spellbinding exploration of humanity’s inter-connectivity, our inherent sexual desire, and our complex relationship with divinity in an intricate blend of balletic lines and athletic feats, infused with pulsating and dissonant elements of a reimagined Stravinsky score.
“This is a work of powerful juxtapositions, blending the sacred with the profane; the ethereal with the visceral. On one level, Sacre is a work of mesmerizing beauty, drawing on the lyrical movement of contemporary dance and the intense physicality of the circus arts,” says Jim Smith, Artistic and Executive Director of DanceHouse. “At the same time, the work offers a raw and bracing social commentary, drawing upon the ancient pagan traditions referenced within Stravinsky’s transgressive work – in which a virginal young woman dances herself to death. This offers an intriguing and gritty contrast to the pure spectacle of the performance, and invites reflection on the nature of humanity’s responsibility toward one another in a world on the brink of disaster.”
Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring was so scandalous that it incited a riot at its Parisian premiere in 1913, the work is still considered one of the most impactful compositions of the 20th century.
Circa’s new interpretation of the haunting work premiered in January 2021, at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre in Wollongong, Australia. Sacre features 10 acrobats interwoven in ceaseless motion, as they deftly move in and out of technically complex grouping structures, lifts, tumbles and leaps. Set to a pounding musical score by Philippe Bachman, full of fast-paced tempo and mood changes, and echoed by a lighting design by Veronique Benett that moves through intense flashes of light and darkness to dim lighting that slowly brightens, the work methodically builds into a crescendo with heart-pumping intensity.
Witness this spectacle for yourself when DanceHouse and The Cultch present Circa’s Sacre, January 17-21, 2023 at 8pm at the Vancouver Playhouse. For details and tickets visit dancehouse.ca