The world\u2019s most romantic ballet reimagined as “a family-friendly acrobatic spectacular”? Australia’s Circa Contemporary Circus is one of the globe\u2019s leading performance companies, pioneering how extreme physicality can create powerful and moving performances and drawing rave reviews and standing ovations across six continents since its foundation in 2006.<\/p>\n
Duck Pond<\/em> is one of the company\u2019s most ambitious works yet, an exuberant take on Swan Lake<\/em> (with a hint of Hans Christian Andersen\u2019s The Ugly Duckling<\/em>) that mixes the enchantment of the ballet with the thrill of the circus. It’s full of Circa\u2019s signature physicality and is shot through with cheeky humour, colourful surrealism, and a thoroughly contemporary energy. You’ll see a clumsy film crew, a sequinned flipper-wearing army of ducks, and a burlesque black swan in this tale of identity and finding your true self; there are sumptuous aerials, enchanting duets, jaw-dropping acrobatics, and many, many feathers …<\/p>\n A review of the early performances in Australia last year called it “a cleverly inventive and astonishing blend of many art forms, primarily circus, ballet, theatre and classical music” and promised that “Duck Pond<\/em> may just be one of the most exhilarating and thought-provoking shows you will see this year”.<\/p>\n Duck Pond <\/em>was created by circus visionary (and Circa’s founder) Yaron Lifschitz (\u201cthe Caravaggio of contemporary circus\u201d) with ten members of the ensemble. The music is by Jethro Woodward (“with hints of Tchaikovsky”) and haute couture costumes are courtesy of Libby McDonnell. The performance will be followed by a post-show Q&A with the artists, moderated by actress Francesca Bizzarri; there are further performances on 11 and 12 May at 3pm.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"