There are two types of people in the world: those who dream of running away to join the circus, and those who actually do it. My childhood days of rhythmic gymnastics taught me enough to appreciate a good hoop and ball routine, but not enough to consider a career in acrobatics. The class of 2016 at the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA) have taken their circus dreams to the next level. They give an interstellar performance with their showcase piece, ‘Things Not of This Earth’.
My plus one and I were promised a sci-fi spectacular, and we were not disappointed. Think The Matrix meets Mars Attacks. The audience were herded inside by Men in Black, and with a nod toward their classical training the students kicked things off with a tongue-in-cheek adaptation of ‘Swan Lake’. The ensuing intergalactic ensemble of performances with various apparatus actually made me question whether these performers were experiencing the same gravity as me.
At times we were pummelled with such a barrage of death-defying tricks that it seemed the audience wasn’t sure when it was safe to clap. I gasped at the trapeze, tightwire, and Chinese pole routines. I was mesmerised by contortion, roue cyr, ropes, aerial straps and juggling. And I laughed along to extra-terrestrial clowning routines.
‘Things Not of this Earth’ is a riveting showcase of individual speciality acts, sewn together with group theatrics, dance and comic pieces. The performances were not without their minor hiccups, but were exactly what good circus is meant to be: energetic, playful, a little bit cheeky, and always awe-inspiring. With NICA’s short courses in circus skills, maybe it’s not too late for me to run away to the circus…
– Kaz
When Kaz isn’t procrastinating over a Master’s Degree she enjoys exploring Melbourne and working on her 90s dance routines.
‘Things Not of this Earth’ runs 8-18 June 2016 at NICA National Circus Centre, Prahran. Book tickets now.
This venue is accessible.
