Gravity is a Harsh Mistress

On Saturday, I was at the Bluma Appel theatre for celui qui tombe, another dance-circus hybrid show. Certainly the Globe and Mail dance critic liked it more for its artistic ambition and dialing down the spectacle (ie, big tricks) than triptyche. For the entire show, the stage was dominated by a wooden platform, balancing on various mechanical engines or hung from ropes.

The first scene had the platform tilted with the performers scrambling to stay on. Once it was lowered to level, probably the most famous section of this show transpired. As the platform spun, the centrifugal force channeled the performers into various configurations. Its propulsive strength, depending on a dancer's distance from center, created several interesting personal and group movements. As Sinatra's My Way played, courtship, competition, cooperation, and finally unsurprisingly failure occurred.

These themes would repeat through the night, whether with the platform as seesaw, precariously hung several metres in the air, or swinging dangerously back-and-forth. The most pleasant surprise for me was one sequence where the performers were helping to pull each other onto the platform while singing a cappella harmonies. It was not only a beautiful scene, but humbling to realize that these circus artists have not only demonstrated immense strength and balance, as well as dancing (including respectable hip-hop moves), but they can also sing?! Though the message of the show may be sobering, it's hard to feel negative with such talented people in the world.