Circonoclasm: A Circus Art-Heist

This delightful performance not only showcases the talent of second year NICA students but strings together the magnificent performance in a clever witty and politically inspired commentary on the state of the Arts.

This sounds like a tall order, but Circonoclasm achieves this with good humour and great satire. The show centres around an important artwork known as “The Circus” housed in a gallery which has the atmosphere of a mausoleum. This is playfully conveyed via excellent mime, movement and beautifully choreographed and executed acrobatics.

The great heist of this artwork is depicted with a combination of slapstick humour and commedia dell' arte style antics woven into the acrobatics and other circus arts which are perfectly executed (and when they are not they are humbly incorporated into the plot).This is combined with some excellent use of sound and lighting effects to accentuate the cartoon-like humour and to create a fun-filled environment.

The story is so well thought out that almost every scene and scenario effectively plays into the narrative, creating some unexpected characters and episodes. At times performers turn into pieces of artworks or portray the various personnel that inhabit what is depicted as a very stuffy institution.

The show also features some trapeze, corde lisse and pole acrobatics which were often deliciously astonishing. One of the more striking moments is when the performers on the corde lisse create two enormous chandeliers being lifted to the ceiling. The imagery created by the beauty of the movement and the brilliance of the costuming was stunning.

This is a show that will have you in stitches. It tastefully exhibits the sheer joy of circus artists and artistry which clearly yearns for, and deserves, greater political support and recognition.

Patricia Di Risio 

Photographer: Rob Blackburn