Melbourne Festival Circus 2014

You’d be mistaken for thinking of circus as a lowbrow art-form; in fact, you’d deserve a pie to the face for thinking such rubbish. In 2014, Melbourne Festival will become a stomping ground for highly flexible limbs from all corners of the globe — proving why circus is an ever-evolving form of artistic expression.

There’s no chance you’ll witness any captive elephants or abused lions on the program; just human bodies pushed to the brinks of creative annihilation. This year, the versatility and innovation of contemporary circus will be showcased through a series of performances that focus on multidisciplinary creative partnerships, combining contortion with choreography, classical music, comedy, theatre and visual design.

A particular highlight on the circus program this year is Cirkopolis — a show for every downtrodden office worker who’s ever felt opressed by The Man. Backed by visual projections and original music, the acrobats from Montreal company Cirque Éloize will use their bodies to twist a tale of fantasy and escape; creating a world far removed from the churning, mechanical drudgery of nine-to-five life.

Also look out for Carrousel des moutons — by Belgian performance duo Dirk Van Boxelaere and Fien Van Herwegen, who create an ethereal dreamscape of flying pianos, illusion and bendy bodies (a good one for the kiddlywinks), and Opus — which sees French string ensemble Debussy Quartet partner with Circa to create a mesmerising performance of music matched to movement. According to the program description, it opens with an acrobat suspended by rope, and involves ‘violent explosions’ and ‘extreme physicality’. Sounds pretty 50 Shades of Grey to me, so I’m down.

Melbourne Festival Circus
10th-26th October
http://www.melbournefestival.com.au/