Info Cast & Creatives Gallery Reviews
Info
By a Thread is a new ensemble circus creation exploring the relationship between trust and play on an innovative aerial apparatus. Long spools of white rope run through pulley sheaves and wrap around bodies, explicitly connecting the artists’ movements above and off the ground. The actions of one acrobat affect and implicate the movements of others in a precise negotiation of cause and effect. The performers use this metaphor for connectedness to explore the give and take, balance, and dynamics of relating to one another. Leaving the realm of the solo act where the performer relies on their individual strength, our acrobats rely on the strength of the group to hold the end of the rope, keeping them aloft.
By a Thread offers rich visuals of inventive aerial acrobatics and spectacular skills from some of Australia’s best emerging circus artists. With intense
training in a breadth of contemporary circus disciplines, the performers have pooled their knowledge and skills, and then exploded the traditional
boundaries of these disciplines to create a show where classic techniques are used in expansive ways and new skills are made possible.
Presented by One Fell Swoop Circus
Workshop experience for ages 8 -16 years is SOLD OUT.
Cast & Creatives
One Fell Swoop is a contemporary circus company that aims to re¬examine the dynamics of acrobatic ensemble work and the relationships within it. Based in Melbourne, One Fell Swoop lets audiences viscerally experience the balance of joy and risk inherent to group acrobatic performance, creating powerful works on the cutting edge of contemporary circus practice.
One Fell Swoop creates work that combines a high level of circus skill with rich dramatic perspectives, specialising in traditional theatre shows and large¬scale outdoor circus installation works. The company brings the dynamics of acrobatic ensemble work and the relationships within it to aerial circus performance structures.
Coming out of intense physical training at the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA), Australia’s elite-level circus training institute, the One Fell Swoop ensemble emerges with exceptional skills in a breadth of contemporary circus disciplines. The ensemble has pooled their knowledge and expertise, and then exploded the traditional boundaries of these disciplines to create a show where classic techniques are used in expansive ways and new ideas are made possible.
Charice Rust
Charice Rust is not what you’d expect from an aerialist. From an early age working on her family’s sheep farm, she realised she enjoyed and excelled in using her body’s capacity for strength in movement. When she discovered circus she found her specialty, aerial straps, suited her enthusiasm for training hard and for defying expectations of what female bodies are capable of. Drawing on her intense training at NICA Charice challenges the status quo of aerial artistry, developing her unique straps style and vocabulary. She is co-founder of emerging contemporary circus company One Fell Swoop Circus where she combines her passion for innovative expression and considered ideas into creating powerful physical performances.
Jonathan Morgan
Jonathan Morgan is a Melbourne based circus artist who has been captivating audiences since he decided that perhaps partial differential equations were not for him. Leaving the Australian National University’s Bachelor of Philosophy (Science) to pursue circus, Jonathan found a passion for connecting with audiences on stage and developing circus shows with unique and interesting ideas. With experience in calculating projectile motion as well as physically doing it, Jonathan graduated from three years of intense training at the National Institute of Circus Arts in Aerial Rope and Slackwire. Jonathan is passionate about creating and performing circus that pushes the boundaries of ensemble and aerial work, and includes audiences in the joy he finds in circus arts. To pursue the ideas he felt demanded circus’s attention Jonathan co-founded One Fell Swoop Circus with Charice Rust. Together they enjoy the challenge of actively stretching what a circus show can be.
Gallery
Reviews
“An intricate and mesmerising piece of art” 4.5 stars – ArtsHub
“It’s a bonnie, wee show, full of spectacle and heart. It reaffirms the idea that any rewarding endeavour between two or more people – whether romantic, in friendship, or acrobatic – begins and ends with true eye contact. Beautiful.” – The Australian Arts Review
“The risks they took were in the stunts, as well as in their storytelling.” – Australian Arts Review
“Damn brilliant show” – The Music.com
“A beautifully choreographed exploration of tension — physical, emotional and relational — that weaved and soared through a wide spectrum of contexts and tones.” – The West Australian
“A group of exceptional humans pushing the limits of their art” – The West Australian
“A brilliant ensemble piece.” – ArtsHub
“A visual feast of amazing aerialist acrobatics performed within a contemporary circus stage and set to some vibrant musical scores” – Perth Walkabout
“What One Fell Swoop Circus created on stage often looked more like a work of art than a circus” – The Adelaidian
“By a Thread kept the audience engrossed from start to finish with their acrobatic skills. The mere simplicity of having a rope as the only prop was just as clever as it was mesmerizing.” – GLAMadelaide
“I couldn’t help but see this performance as a comment on life. At times we must all be the anchor, remaining steadfast and true, allowing someone else the opportunity to fly and then when our turn comes, we are surrounded by those that want nothing more than to be there for you, and raise you up in to the clouds, but at all times, we must each trust in those around us to catch us if we fall.” 5 stars – The Clothesline.com
“The audience is left gasping every few minutes at the feats unfolding in front of them and above their heads as the performers are swung, sometimes just centimetres, over the crowd below... Every act is seamless and this group knows how to push themselves to the limits while making each move look like poetry in motion.” – The West Australian
“Entertaining, respectfully serious work of high quality circus skills, By a Thread brings a unique depth to the heights of aerobatic display.” – Australian Stage
