Five years into their existence, Australia’s Circa continues to garner acclaim for its highly celebrated and unique artistry—a distinctly 21st century circus that moves adults at least as much as it wows children, incorporates contemporary dance and even performance art as well as virtuosic acrobatics, and discards most of the trappings of traditional circus in favor of unmediated, emotionally rich choreography.

NYU’S Skirball Center for the Performing Arts to Present the American Premiere of Self-Titled Work by Internationally Acclaimed Australian Performance Company Circa, March 3 - 6
Circa

Five years into their existence, Australia’s Circa continues to garner acclaim for its highly celebrated and unique artistry—a distinctly 21st century circus that moves adults at least as much as it wows children, incorporates contemporary dance and even performance art as well as virtuosic acrobatics, and discards most of the trappings of traditional circus in favor of unmediated, emotionally rich choreography. New York University’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts will premiere the company’s self-titled new work, which exemplifies their brand of nouveau cirque, March 3—6.

Performances of Circa will take place Thursday, March 3—Saturday, March 5 at 8:00 P.M. and on Sunday, March 6 at 3:00 P.M. Tickets are $25—$45 and can be purchased online at www.skirballcenter.nyu.edu, or by phone at 212.352.3101 (toll free at 866.811.4111). NYU’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is located at 566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square. Circa runs 80 minutes and is recommended for adults and children aged 10 and up.

Since 2006, Circa has performed for over 50,000 people each year in prestigious arts venues and festivals around the world: The Barbican in London, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Kennedy Center, the Dublin Theatre Festival and the Sydney Opera House, to name a few. Still, Artistic Director Yaron Lifschitz remains committed to the company further pushing their sense of imagination, their willingness to take risks and their physical capabilities. Indeed, part of what distinguishes Circa from other forms of circus and acrobatics is that Circa doesn’t try to make its feats seem easy; instead, the performers often grimace through a particularly taxing move, and are sometimes visibly bruised by the end of a performance. Furthermore, the costumes and sets are remarkably simple, rather than dazzling and wildly colorful, allowing the performance itself the spotlight.

Compiled from material spanning the company’s body of work, Circa is Circa’s most accessible and engaging show to date. It features seven performers in explosive encounters, dynamic group scenes and beautiful solos. They move from highly complex tumbling sequences, to fast-paces flashes of great intricacy where precision and timing are everything. Circa surrounds the choreography with an immersive combination of light, projection and sound, with a soundtrack that is itself sufficient to underscore the difference between the company and other practitioners of circus arts: Sigur Ros, Leonard Cohen, Jacquel Brel.

Circa has toured the world since its premiere in 2009, including a sold-out, critically lauded run at the Barbican in London as well as successful engagements at the Edinburgh Fringe and the Galway Arts Festival.

About NYU’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts

The Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is the premier venue for the presentation of cultural and performing arts events for New York University and lower Manhattan. Led by executive producer Jay Oliva (President Emeritus, NYU) and senior director Michael Harrington, the programs of the Skirball Center reflect NYU's mission as an international center of scholarship, defined by excellence and innovation and shaped by an intellectually rich and diverse environment. A vital aspect of the Center's mission is to build young adult audiences for the future of live performance. For more information, including a complete calendar of the Skirball Center’s 2010/2011 season, please visit www.skirballcenter.nyu.edu.

Funding Credits

NYU Skirball Center programming is supported by the New York State Council on the Arts.

The U.S. tour of Circa is made possible by a grant from Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Circa acknowledges the assistance of the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body and the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.

Press Contact

Richard Pierce
Richard Pierce
(212) 998-6796