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| Delia Ceruti and Joachim Aussibal get tied up in NoFit State's BIANCO, photo courtesy of Seventh Wave |
NoFit State Circus has brought its Big Top tent to
London as part of the Southbank Centre’s Winter Festival with a new version of
its promenade show BIANCO.
BIANCO takes
the circus back to basics, in an environment that belongs to the performers who
occupy the space just as much as the rapt audience who follows each
heart-stopping move within it. The show is fluid, inviting the undulating
audience to move forward to take a closer look and then step back to fully
appreciate the beauty.
Founded in 1986, Cardiff-based NoFit State delivers
contemporary circus. The company is one of the few that still tours like a
traditional circus, with everyone travelling and living together, as well as
helping to put up the Big Top and operate the rigging systems in the show.
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| Photo courtesy of Tristram Kenton |
After Lyndall Merry, 32, from Wales completed circus
training in Bristol, it was a life on the road doing what he had always dreamed
of doing – trapeze. “I love performing. I get a real thrill out of
performing. I love it when you’ve got a really good crowd who are giving you
lots of energy. That feeling is incredible when you’re on point and
everything’s easy and you’re giving to them and they’re giving back to you.”
As well as being a trapeze artist in BIANCO, Merry is also the head rigger,
which means that he designs and installs all of the flying systems. As the
performers are suspended in the air, their fellow performers work in the
shadows to support them with each smooth ascent and descent.
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| Danilo de Campos Pacheco, photo courtesy of Maike Schulz |
Merry says, “People anticipate the hours of practice and training that
go on to hone the disciplines and the skills, but it’s the technical community
aspects that people don’t quite realise. They imagine that there’s a team of
technical people, a team of laborers, that do the hard work, but actually, we do
it.”
If silly clowns and gimmicky balloon tricks are
what you’re after, this is not the show for you. Directed by Firenza Guidi, BIANCO is both rough around the edges
and tenderly executed, supported by an incredible live band.
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| Cecilia Zucchetti, photo courtesy of Seventh Wave |
A juggling pin goes astray here and there, while
filled wine glasses wobble in the hands (and feet) of a contortionist, but the
acts are done so deftly that I begin to wonder if the cast is just playing
tricks on us. The contortionist in question is Ella Rose, 22, who
originally hails from Australia and has joined the company for the London
season of BIANCO.
Rose points out that she was really bendy as a child, which
predisposed her to contortion. Growing up in Albury, Australia, she toured with
a children’s circus called the Flying Fruit Fly Circus School during her
primary and secondary school years. She notes that the hard work came in when
she had to learn how to be strong and how to control her body without hurting
it.
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| Ella Rose during her contortion hand balancing act in BIANCO, photo courtesy of Tristram Kenton |
When asked what people would be surprised to know
about her line of work, she laughs, “Maybe how many bruises I have that you can’t see. I think
particularly for some of the work that I do, the feedback that I get afterwards
is, ‘You look so beautiful and you make it look so easy’ and then I’m like, ‘My
legs are six different shades of blue.’”
There’s intentional mayhem as well as artful
precision within the show. Francois Bouvier nimbly glides across the tight
wire, slinking down into the splits, and Delia Ceruti rises and falls on a rope
suspended in the air.
The finale is dominated by Augusts Dakteris, who uses
the strength of his body to maneuver around aerial straps, bringing the
audience to a standstill. Just when I think the scene couldn’t get any more
magical, it begins to snow – Christmas
has come early.
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| Augusts Dakteris in the middle of a snowstorm, photo courtesy of Andrew Billington |
BIANCO has
been seen by over a quarter of a million people in 11 different countries
during its four-year run. The last time it was performed in London was in 2013
at Camden’s Roundhouse and London is now the last leg of the show before NoFit
State begins research in 2017 for a new show.
Merry says that the company has been working with
the promenade style of show for 15 years, but the next goal is to create a
seated show that still provides an immersive atmosphere and the same level of
audience interaction.
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| Enni Lymi, photo courtesy of Tristram Kenton |
BIANCO will run at the Big Top,
Southbank Centre, until 22 January 2017. Circus workshops, pre-show Q&A's,
and seasonal performances are all available. Find out more and book tickets here. Although it is a promenade show,
seats are available on request. Take advantage of the bar inside the tent, or
outside at the Winter Festival, where you can warm up your hands over a fire
while gazing into a big, beautiful London Eye.
