Some circus troupes tease you with a gentle warm-up before delivering their show-stopping stunts. Circa, however, wastes no time. Within minutes, one performer is holding the weight of six others in a perfectly balanced human tower – an opening that all but growls, “We’re here to impress.”
Wolf, the latest creation from Brisbane’s globally acclaimed Circa, is a feral, fast-paced hour of jaw-dropping acrobatics fused with contemporary dance. Director Yaron Lifschitz uses the wolf as a metaphor for our wild, untameable selves – a symbol of anarchy, instinct, and liberation. Over the course of the show, the pack morphs from chaotic lone creatures into a tight-knit collective, their movements brimming with both danger and unity.
The ten-strong ensemble prowl the stage in Libby McDonnell’s sleek, body-skimming costumes of fawn and black stripes, which ripple and distort with every leap, lift, and twist. The effect is as stylish as it is animalistic, perfectly matched to DJ Ori Lichtik’s relentless, pulse-pounding beats. The whole aesthetic – chic but primal, and unapologetically bold – sets this apart from the many circus-dance hybrids you’ll find at the Fringe.
Performers are tossed across the stage like prey fleeing a predator, caught mid-air by another human tower. They build and dismantle multi-level balances with fluid precision as if gravity were a minor inconvenience. The aerialists upend expectations: rather than drifting with effortless grace like you would expect, one routine on the straps channels something darker – limbs thrashing like a trapped insect, strength coiled with tension.
It’s not all ferocity, though. There’s a deliciously funny segment where two men lock themselves in an unbreakable embrace, fending off increasingly desperate attempts by the rest of the pack to break them apart. And in a wonderfully defiant moment, a single woman hoists two men onto her shoulders, gleefully overturning gender expectations in the process.
Circa have been honing this marriage of athleticism and artistry for over two decades, and it shows. Every sequence feels meticulously crafted yet alive in the moment – disciplined chaos at its most thrilling. By the finale, the audience is firmly part of the pack, swept up in a show that’s both feral and fiercely elegant.
Wolf isn’t just circus with teeth; it’s a masterclass in how to fuse sheer strength, sharp choreography, and a clear artistic vision into something wild, stylish, and unforgettable.
Circa: Wolf runs until the 23 August (not 19) at The Lafayette at Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows.
Buy tickets here.
Image by Andy Phillipson, provided by Underbelly to The Student as press.