Mature, sophisticated and breathtaking, ‘Perhaps There Is Hope Yet…‘ is a contemporary circus that will have you on the edge of your seats, holding your breath in awe. A clean and minimal stage showcases the amazing things a well-trained human body is capable of. Combining tightly choreographed acrobatics, balancing acts, dance, sound and even sculpture: ‘Perhaps There Is Hope Yet…’ is a feast for the senses.
When award-winning circus artist Rockie Stone began balancing along a rocking platform on the very top of a path of wine bottles we couldn’t look away. Her balancing acts and acrobatics had us holding our breaths in anticipation, especially when she constructed a tall tower (while on top of it) out of fragile looking wine bottles. Acrobatic artist and strong man Vincent van Berkel effortlessly moved from balancing Rockie Stone on his head to swinging her around in the air in graceful arcs. When the pair formed a beautifully balanced handstand, with Stone upside down on van Berkel’s outstretched arms, the audience erupted with applause. We also loved (and felt exhausted) just watching his solo balancing acts on poles. The pair work perfectly together and had the audience completely spellbound.
The layers of sound were immersive, intricate and reflected the performances perfectly. We particularly liked the contrast between van Berkel’s slow and beautiful movements as he balanced skillfully on poles to classic orchestral pieces with Stone’s wild and frenzied dancing through (and on top of) the audience. These sensory overwhelming moment’s breakup the intense, edge of your seat acrobatic feats nicely. Nervous and suspenseful silence was punctuated by sighs of relief and delight after each perfectly timed acrobatic maneuver.
If you are like us and want to spend an hour being transfixed by ridiculously good looking acrobats performing incredible feats of skill and strength to an immersive soundtrack, then this is the show for you.
-Tomas
Tomas Zagoda is a filmmaker, writer, coffee addict and tall person who does not play basketball. You can follow him @TomasZagoda
‘Perhaps There Is Hope Yet…‘ runs 18 September to 3 October at The Fringe Hub, North Melbourne Town Hall. The venue is accessible.
