Do wolves dance? Are they ever moved by their own hunting and howling to bop a bit? One can’t doubt the physical discipline and technical proficiency on display from Australia’s Circa circus collective in Wolf. These acrobats hoist each other up, leap from the top of these human towers onto other impossibly tall configurations of Menschen, and twirl each other around – a bodily Jenga that never falls but when they want it to.
There is no doubt about their expertise and skill. Their balance is steady, their focus clear, their aim true. They swing on ropes and spin like helicopters as they hold each other. Indeed, the closing performance of the first act (the nature of which I won‘t spoil here) is a truly gobsmacking display of bodily control. That said, except for the too-occasional motif of prowling and the jungle-y beats that sometimes incorporate the sound of howling, it’s unclear why the piece is called “Wolf.”
Too often all the attention was on the trick – and a collection of tricks that do not develop into something more can threaten monotony. Indeed, the piece was most lupine at the moments where the performers let the music move them, clearly engaging the pulsating beat. At the merest bouncing I wanted to applaud – and I wish they could have been granted more freedom to go feral. But perhaps that’s why it’s a circus show, a revelation of acrobatics and not a dance performance. ★★★
- Chamäleon Theatre, Rosenthaler Str. 40/41, Mitte, Dec 1, 4-5, 7-8, 10-15, 17-22 & 25-31, details.
