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Out of the Fog, 12-8: Bread and Circuses
Tonight on the Dance Insider! Circus Fun and "How to
Die"!
By Aimee Ts’ao
Copyright 2006 Aimee Ts’ao
SAN FRANCISCO -- One long held view is that
governments keep their populations under control (i.e.
from fomenting revolutions against the ruling class)
by making sure the people are not starving and are
sufficiently distracted from the important political
issues through sports and entertainment. Hence the term bread and circuses. If people aren't suffering too much and are merely
disgruntled, then they can be placated quite easily.
The arts, on the other hand, have often been the
instruments to focus on real issues, both personal and
societal, and, if not offering solutions, at least
endeavor to raise awareness of the problems and at the
same time reveal moments of beauty which can make life more palatable.
Ancient Romans found their mass entertainment at the
Circus Maximus (which held 300,000 spectators), where
they watched gladiators kill each other or lions
disembowel Christians. With all the "progress" we've
made since then, in this country many people now watch
sports, Hollywood movies, MTV, and network television.
The news, particularly on cable networks, can still
be as gruesome as ever, but is not officially called
entertainment, though at times, thanks to a long
tradition of yellow journalism, the distinction is
hardly clear. Personally, I would hope that those
attracted to entertainment like this seek only a
distraction from all that is depressing about the
world situation and the human condition and not a
vicarious means of experiencing the horrific and
depraved thrill of inflicting harm on others.
However, there are a few wholesome forms of diversion
left and in the past three weeks I took myself twice
to see one of them, the circus. And between these two
slices of organic multi-grain bread I sandwiched in a
pretty meaty slice of art. On November 3rd it was the
Moscow Circus, on the 24th I saw the Golden Dragon
Acrobats -- both were presented by Cal Performances at
Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley -- and on the 12th, I took
in Keith Hennessy's "How to Die."
What I love best about the circus is that I have no
expectations beyond being astounded by physical feats
that I only can dream of duplicating. If by luck I
encounter more, so much the better. The ultra-slick
Cirque du Soleil is not exactly my cup of tea. I
prefer smaller, more on the human scale groups such
as Cirque Eloize or another Cirque du Soleil spin-off,
Les 7 Doigts de la Main Fingers (7 Fingers). (If
you're unfamiliar with Cirque Eloize please see
Christine Chen's Flash of its 2001 "Excentricus" and
Angela Jones's review of last year's "Rain.") The
Moscow troupe fits the bill, with only 11 members.
It's quite a family affair, as the troupe includes
three married couples and the son of one of the
couples. The clowns, Irina and Vladimir Plugatar, are
experts at luring unsuspecting audience members onto
the stage and getting them to play along both
literally (in a band with instruments or in the bell
ringing line-up) and figuratively (as actors in a
romantic triangle). Best of all, they do it almost
without speaking, just miming their directions to the
chosen spectators, proving that humor exists without
borders and transcends languages. The rest of the cast
does a great job, be it in routines of hand balancing,
juggling, acrobatics or aerial work. Olga Legenda is
a master of many skills both on the ground and in the
air, including keeping at least 20 hula hoops going
using every part of her body. But it is only at the
very end that I am genuinely moved, by Sasha
Streltsov in "Romancing Clouds." While
suspended by tissu (fabric strips) Streltsov runs and
launches himself into a soaring trajectory that
travels around the stage. Against a projected
backdrop of blue sky and clouds, he and his spirit
fly. The look of both exhilaration and serenity on
his face as he takes different acrobatic positions
makes me feel like I am flying, too, and that we all
can reach beyond our earthly lives and touch the
heavens.
The Golden Dragon Acrobats, from Cangzhou in Hebei
province of the People's Republic of China, offer a
completely different experience. The 21-member
company is simply jaw-dropping amazing. These
performers often combine two skills into the same
routine. The contortionist is brilliant enough just twisting her body into shapes that defy normal human anatomy, but then she's doing
it while balancing small pyramids of glassware on the
soles of her feet, on her palms and even on her
forehead. Seven energetic young men bounce and spin
their way through an acrobatic number and manage to
juggle multiple hats in patterns I never figure out.
Nine women spin plates on sticks, three or four in
each hand, as they dance, do backbends to the floor a
la Graham and climb up each other into unusual
balances, such as one involving one woman doing a
headstand on top of another's head without using any
hands. These same women later diabolo
(Chinese yo-yo on a string attached to two sticks),
interwoven again with acrobatic feats. The only time
my heart begins to race is while watching a single man
stack up six chairs, one at a time, into a 30-foot
tower, stopping after adding each one to do various
hand or head stands on the last addition. It is
mind-boggling that anyone can even do some of these
tricks. For the most part, the show is skillfully choreographed and the visual design and costumes are quite colorful. I come away
astonished but not at all moved emotionally. At least
I am grateful for the couple of hours of respite from
having to reflect on the dismal state of the world.
In between these two circus performances, I caught
Keith Hennessy's "How to Die," part of the Dance
Brigade's Manifesti-val for Social Change at Dance
Mission Theater on Sunday, November 12. Despite the
depressing title and content, this collaboration with
Jules Beckman and Seth Eisen is relevant to the
present discussion for a number of reasons. Hennessy
has been involved in both the local and international
circus scenes, and currently directs Circo Zero. He
has also created a significant body of politically
relevant work as a modern dancer, choreographer and
performance artist.
In fact, six years ago Hennessy brought Cirque Batard
(Bastard Circus) to San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center
for the Arts. This multi-layered theatrical spectacle
was a collaboration between three Americans, Hennessy,
Beckman and Jess Curtis, and three Europeans (sorry,
but my programs are still packed away after my move
last year so I can't tell you their names). The piece
that was performed, "raWdoG," which is War and God
backwards, set out to investigate violence and war,
sex and intimacy, God and spirituality. And yes, it
did incorporate many circus arts: acrobatics,
juggling, suspended hoop and trapeze. Circo Zero has
also mounted performances combining politics and
circus.
"How to Die" has two parts, neither of them in the
circus vein. The first, "SDF USA" (Ôsans
domicile fixe' is French for Ôwithout fixed residence'
or homeless) was commissioned by Les Subsistances in
Lyon, France in 2005 and the second, "American
Tweaker," by Les Laboratoires d' Aubervilliers this
year. Hennessy has not received any public or private
funding in the U.S., despite having applied numerous
times, for the past two years. He was fortunate that
stalwart activist Krissy Keefer invited him to perform "How to Die"
in the Manifesti-val and told him not to worry about
the money, they would figure it out somehow.
"SDF USA" deals with homelessness, hopelessness and
suicide. "American Tweaker" exposes meth addiction
and its relation to unprotected gay sex and AIDS, all
driven by a disco beat and campy drag queen costumes.
Hennessy pushes every aspect of the production to the
limit and beyond. He inhabits his roles in both parts
with heartbreaking intensity, putting his ass on the
line in every sense of the expression. Getting grants
for a circus probably isn't so difficult, but for this
kind of harsh critique of American culture and
politics has proven to be nearly impossible. Bread
and circuses indeed.
For information on advertising on Out of the Fog, Aimee Ts'ao's new column from San Francisco, e-mail Dance Insider publisher Paul Ben-Itzak.
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