Big top it ain't

Yaron Lifschitz, artistic director of Brisbane-based Circa, is sharp and technologically savvy. But today from his Manhattan hotel, Skype fails to work.

The technological glitch puts this interview 20 minutes behind, but despite his crazy work schedule Lifschitz remains unflappable. In fact, he even sets aside extra time to talk about Circa’s two acrobatic-aerial shows coming to the Arden Theatre this weekend.

There’s the 80-minute Circa featured in the professional series this Friday and 46 Circus Acts in 45 Minutes, a scaled-down version following on Saturday as part of the family series.

“What we do genuinely appeals to a broad range of people — families, couples and sophisticates looking for something different. Everyone takes home something different,” says Lifschitz.

He adds that the Australian company continually pushes its artistic limits and has earned praise world-wide for its fearless performances and unique approach.

“Imagine you have the humour and really great emotional power of theatre, the sophistication of dance and the accessibility of circus in the same show.”

In Circa, five nimble athletic performers present a vision of life loaded with love, loss, challenge, risk, failure and success. Created from three of the company’s existing shows, Circa’s performers tumble, leap, dance and manoeuvre through risk-taking aerial feats.

“We follow the people in a series of encounters as they push their body and skills in a different way to reveal more of themselves.”

The company started in 1987 as Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus, but when Lifschitz took over the helm in 1999 it had taken on an adolescent attitude that was hindering its growth.

In a tongue-in-cheek moment, Lifschitz describes himself as “failed theatre director.”

“So I ran away to the circus. I liked the physical immediacy and I was looking for something more honest than delivering fake lines you would never say in real life.”

While rebranding the name, Lifschitz sought to create an edgy, hard-nosed, unapologetic circus. “The language, the method had run its course and it needed to be revitalized. We mucked around, lost any audience we had and were vilified. But we got our act together and got a new audience.”

The polar opposite of Cirque du Soleil’s bizarre showmanship, Circa is stripped back and emotionally resonant, as emphasized by its sculptural light designs and intricate scenes. “It has a new life, a new gusto, a new energy.”

In addition to Circa, the company presents 46 Circus Acts in 45 Minutes, a breathtaking, fast-paced show where intrepid performers battle the clock. It’s fast, furious fun for the whole family — especially the munchkins — as performers, bend, fly, juggle and balance. Set to music, Lifschitz promises no boring bits.