DanceHouse and The Cultch present the North American premiere of Australian contemporary circus company Gravity & Other Myths’ (GOM) The Mirror, exploring the search for authentic human connection within our disconnective digital age.
GOM artists break down the barrier between audience and performer, inviting us on their quest for authentic human connection in an increasingly superficial world. – Heather Redfern
“Renowned for its genre-defying performance, Gravity & Other Myths’ The Mirror is a study of contrasts,” says Jim Smith, Artistic and executive director of DanceHouse. “At once both effervescent and arcane, visceral and cheeky, the full-length work strips bare the architecture of performance itself, at times penetrating the fourth wall to expose audiences to the inner workings of their incredible stage presence.”
Balancing a technically complex combination of lifts, tumbles and leaps, the dance choreography in The Mirror is coupled with an innovative production design that explores the lengths we go to please others and mask our true selves in our reality of omnipresent screens as the artists are supplied with cameras and selfie sticks, which they use to project their images onto a giant LED screen.
Moments of gravity-defying stunts and cabaret-style vignettes, executed by the nine performers, are punctuated by a score of electronic compositions and pop mash-ups by Australian musician Ekrem Eli Phoenix, performed live on stage by singer Megan Drury.
Based in Adelaide, Australia, Gravity & Other Myths was formed in 2009 by a group of young artists passionate about circus and physical theatre. The company’s first work, A Simple Space, has been performed nearly 1,000 times across 34 countries, including a stop in Vancouver almost ten years ago.
“When we first welcomed the company in 2015 with A Simple Space, our audiences were absolutely blown away by the unpretentious rawness of the work,” adds Heather Redfern, executive director at The Cultch. “This new creation pulls back the curtain even farther. Through their disarming honesty – unmasked grunts of effort, shaky limbs, and backstage camera access – GOM artists break down the barrier between audience and performer, inviting us on their quest for authentic human connection in an increasingly superficial world.”
DanceHouse and The Cultch present The Mirror at the Vancouver Playhouse (600 Hamilton St, Vancouver) from January 24-27. Visit dancehouse.ca for tickets and information.