Where: The Peacock at Gluttony
When: Everyday (excluding Mondays) until 15 March
How much: $43 – $55
Circolombia Acéléré want you to see them, hear them, and feel them, and that’s what they achieve in their performance in The Peacock in Gluttony.
As one of the more prominent circus acts in the Adelaide Fringe this year, it has a lot of hype to live up to, but this expectation was met with incredible energy and passion by its acrobats.
The troupe is a combination of singers and acrobats that specialise in various acrobatic styles, from aerial stunts to feats of balance and strength.
My previous experience of traditional circus acts was a spotlight on a trapeze artist, a puny figure performing their stunts from above. What makes Circolombia Acéléré so compelling is just how intimate the performance is.
You can see the strain and nervousness on their faces, their sweat dripping and muscles tensing. The space seems almost inadequate for the sheer size and ambitiousness of their tricks.
The acrobats danced enthusiastically after they performed death-defying acts, perhaps from relief of surviving the heinous stunts they just pulled off, as I stifled expletives coping with the second-hand nervousness.
Some of the acts induced so much anxiety in me, I found myself looking around the audience and thinking, ‘Am I the only one who thinks what they’re doing is crazy?!’
I initially found my jaw sore from smiling, then from gritting my teeth in fear, returning to an aching jaw from smiling.
What was evident was the amount of concentration and cohesion within the troupe, and how crucial this is for the success of the performance.
Circolombia Acéléré was an astounding display of strength, trust, and intensity. I thoroughly recommend going along, but make sure you bring someone so it will be socially acceptable to bury your face into the shoulder of the person next to you.
4 out of 5 stars
Collage 