By Justin Bisnauthsing
A soaring spectacle is taking place July 10–August 3 in the Courtyard Theater at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier this summer.
Through an impressive display of athleticism, grace, and strength, Circus Abyssinia defies both gravity and the audience’s expectations. The performers illuminate the Chicago Shakespeare Theater with a performance that transcends the limits of the human body, carrying the celebration of joy at its forefront.
The empty stage features a structure at its center, composed of a platform with two hoops placed vertically on top of it. The rings vary in size, with a smaller ring at the bottom and a larger ring on top. The music begins as each athlete materializes onto the stage, one after the other. The stage fills with eight performers who stand at attention while two light structures illuminate. The stage lights come up, revealing the performers’ colorful costumes. When the beat drops, the artists explode into a joyous dance of hopping and tucking their knees to their chests in unison, all smiling and feeding the audience’s excitement. The performers begin to run in circular patterns throughout the space and individually jump and dive through the larger hoop that is placed on top of the structure. Each athlete provides a unique athletic point of view, some diving like swimmers while others adorn their passes with handsprings and back flips. They launch themselves through the hoop head first, upside down, and backwards. The performers clap and dance through transitions, supporting one another and reacting to the impressive feats of their peers. Three performers dive through the large ring one at a time, landing in headstands in a perfect row. They split their legs apart in the headstands, as a fourth performer flies through the hoop and soars above and through the legs of the three men. The audience erupts into cheers. The performers add a second structure of identical rings placed directly behind the first structure. The athletes take turns leaping and diving through both sets of rings simultaneously. The rings are then dismantled and combined to create a taller structure of two small hoops and one big hoop on top. The performers run, jump, and dive through the top ring, which is now over six feet tall. This finale increases the stakes, featuring the artists performing in a realm that completely exceeds the everyday limitations of the human body.
The stage goes dark, and an ominous soundtrack begins to play. A single performer in a striking white jumpsuit appears surrounded by the glow of a spotlight. Two straps mounted to the high ceiling appear as the performer reaches center stage. He secures both of his wrists into the straps. The straps slowly lift, carrying the performer high into the air as his body spins at a fast pace, like an ethereal being navigating the vast dreamscape of the clouds above. Reaching a height of over twenty feet above the heads of the audience members, the artist begins to pike and flip, coiling his body through and around the straps in a masterful display of grace, strength, and flexibility. He turns and dangles elegantly before pressing up into a handstand, holding his weight and negating gravity in the fashion of a superhero rather than a human being. He comes back down to earth and fastens the straps to his ankles, upping the anti. He takes off again, spiraling into the heavens in a perfect 180-degree center split. Maintaining the split position, he lowers back down to the ground and reaches his hand through to make contact with the stage floor. He uses his hand to spin his body rapidly. The straps lift again, featuring the artist ripping through the atmosphere like a tornado in a perfect storm. The audience roars with awe and disbelief.
The performance continues with a series of three acts that exemplify extraordinary demonstrations in balance and coordination. Featuring a performer balancing on a high platform with a rolling cylinder and a board placed on top. He slowly adds platforms beneath his feet and steps on top of the next level with laser-sharp focus while maintaining his balance. When you think he can’t possibly add more layers, he defies expectations. The platforms grow to five units stacked on top of one another. He strides and surfs on top of the structure he built by himself. Next came a duo of tall jugglers, each beginning with three pins. The jugglers are lit under a blacklight, giving the pins an orange bioluminescent glow. They hurl and flip the pins through the air, occasionally balancing the tip of a single pin on their noses. As the act progresses, the number of pins as well as the distance between the two jugglers increases. They then launch the pins into the air at one another, switching and juggling in precise unison. Following the jugglers comes a single performer with a thin steel ladder. He puts gravity on pause as he hurls himself up and over the ladder with quick feet and incomprehensible balance. The ladder tilts and leans off-kilter. He leans with it and launches into the air, landing perfectly on his feet.
In the segment before intermission, one performer skates through a comedic bit. He mimes and taunts the audience while attempting to complete the previous feats of the performance. The audience roars with laughter in the palm of his hands. He expertly communicates comedic jokes without saying a single word. Using sounds, body language, and facial expressions, he translates a universal feeling of silliness and joy to the crowd when it is needed most.
The tone shifts as a performer in shining golden pants appears. He approaches a platformed structure with two wooden dowels that have small circular platforms at the top. He presses himself onto the dowels and inverts into a perfect handstand. The dowels, of course, increase in quantity. One layer at a time until there are four of these dowels stacked upon one another. He rises to the top of the structure and completes one last handstand. Looming twenty feet above the audience, he splits his legs and demonstrates balance in a manner that is simply unfathomable.
In a grand finale fit for only the most impressive of acrobatic displays. Six performers exuberantly enter the stage to set up a massive structure. The structure is composed of two tall steel poles standing parallel to each other, connected by a metal chain between them. An upbeat soundtrack accompanies this act, as the performers run in patterns and swing their bodies from the poles, ripping through the space. They then climb to the top using only their arms. After reaching the top, they let go just enough to slide and flip their bodies almost to the ground before tightening around the pole again to a shocking halt. They treat the metal structure as if it were aerial silks, climbing up before dropping and descending abruptly, adding individual tricks and flair. As the crowd cheers, the six athletes all inhabit the poles together, creating a beautiful unified tapestry of human bodies, waving like a proud flag high above the audience.
With a unique selection of acrobatic stunts and gravity-defying demonstrations, Circus Abyssinia: Ethiopian Dreams is a must-see show fit for all audiences. The universal joy and celebration of dreams will inspire and fuel you with an infectious sense of jubilance and fun.
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