Circus and club culture collide in world premiere
Globetrotting contemporary circus company Circa is back home to world premiere its latest wild creation at Melt Festival.
The biggest-ever Melt Festival of queer arts and culture will reach a scintillating crescendo in its closing weekend with a commissioned world premiere by Brisbane’s internationally renowned Circa.
In Show Me Love, this contemporary circus outfit teams up with Sydney’s DJ Sveta and local guest artists to take audiences on a magical mystery tour through hidden interiors of Brisbane Powerhouse in a 70-minute celebration of humanity, circus artistry and club culture.
Initiated by Brisbane Powerhouse’s artistic director Louise Bezzina, the production renews Circa’s long association with the venue and has been an inspiring opportunity for Circa’s CEO and artistic director Yaron Lifschitz.
Beyond the pleasure of working with “valued friend and colleague” Bezzina, performing in its hometown is always a special thrill for the globetrotting ensemble, which has relished exploring the extended parameters of Melt’s purview.
It has allowed Lifschitz and his artists collaboratively to revisit and reimagine 2023’s Peepshow (Club Mix), through a lens that will “make it fresh and push it in a darker, wilder direction”, and on a larger scale thanks to philanthropic support from Tim and Gina Fairfax.
Show Me Love features “all new music (and) some new acts and performers,” reveals Lifschitz, who is also the work’s director and stage designer.
The original cast of seven has expanded to 10 performers. Circa’s ensemble will be joined by DJ Sveta and dance makers from The Huxleys, who are among the dozen independent Brisbane-based artists, including Voiiid Collective, collaborating with Circa on different parts of the experience.
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“That’s quite a big undertaking, and we can’t get to have those kind of cross-fertilisations, those artistic collaborations, without support,” he says.
Show Me Love is structured to create a live relationship between the power and energy of the performance and the music that maximises its impact and joy, according to Lifschitz.
“Circus is this art form of extreme presence based on focus,” he says. “It’s based on virtuosity around a fairly small number of things that are hyper-impressive, but a massive energetic drain on the body. I love the medium because it is so present.”
While the show itself runs to about 60 minutes, the event unfolds across two hours, taking the audience on “an interesting journey with us that is kind of coherent and hopefully slightly revelatory, without knowing how it’s going to begin or end”.
“The idea is to create a way into a world (and) back out of that world into their lives that hopefully will make them feel excited, engaged and (having seen) some things they haven’t seen before, with a bit of the unexpected and surprise,” Lifschitz says.
“They’re going to get some big energy, a few quirky encounters, (and) a fully human experience. It goes through a range of emotions and finishes in celebration. At the end, you’ll have the chance to have a boogie and see some things in a slightly different way.”
The work’s core, Lifschitz emphasises, is “a great circus show (that is) pretty sophisticated”.
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With that inclusivity in mind, he offers reassurance to older patrons inclined toward a more passive viewing experience, who might be wondering if they’re going to find themselves inside an underground club within the Powerhouse.
“It’s not a literal version of that,” he says. “It’s not designed to be a full building, immersive takeover massive dance party. It’s more a curated experience.
“I’m interested in the phenomenology of that experience of descending into somewhere, meeting doorkeepers, going past rooms where strange things are happening, finding yourself on a dance floor, but in ways that are a bit oblique and quirky rather than too literal and obvious.”
He adds that there’s also an intellectual aspect reflected in the show’s title.
“It relates to the way we experience things, the way we see things, what we do and don’t see,” he says. “All of those things are very present in the show.”
As part of that, viewers won’t need to step outside their comfort zone.
“I’m far too old for too much carry on,” he quips, adding: “Rest assured, we shall not interrupt your laziness. You will have a seat. At the entrance you’ll spend some time walking in a slightly circuitous route, but it’s not actually a lot longer than what you would normally do.”
Ultimately, Lifschitz is excited by all that Show Me Love offers its hometown and community.
“This is a great opportunity to bring a really strong physical work to Melt Festival and work with a team of independent artists to bring a building to life (so viewers) can experience Brisbane Powerhouse in some new and fresh ways – and it’s kind of fun, too.”
Show Me Love by Circa plays Brisbane Powerhouse, November 5-7, as part of Melt Festival.
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