Gravity & Other Myths has become a firm favourite with Galway International Arts Festival audiences in recent years, and never fail to astound and inspire with their breathtaking physical theatre.
In The Pulse, arguably their most ambitious production to date, the acrobats perform gravity-defying feats to a live score provided by the Barcelona based choir, Cor de Noies de l'Orfeó Català.
The world-renowned Australian circus company last performed at GIAF in 2019, with Out of Chaos. The following year, 2020, saw the touring schedules of all three of the company's ensembles grind to a halt due to the pandemic. Out of that limitation came something truly spectacular - a monumental work featuring 30 acrobats along with a choir of 30 singers, all working together on stage as one organism.
This is physical theatre at its best, an astonishing exploration cause and effect, and how people respond to the subtle changes around them, interspersed with moments of both comedy and tension. Apart, the performers often collapse, writhing in graceful agony on the ground; together, they rise to astonishing heights in human towers and pyramids.
The choir, too, are part of the physical performance. Whether moving individually among the acrobats, or creating a backdrop to the feats being performed downstage, their treble voices provide a dramatic soundscape throughout.
The Pulse has won multiple awards, and it is easy to see why.
Performances are daily at 8pm at the Festival Theatre, Kingfisher, University of Galway. Tickets are available at www.giaf.ie or at the festival box office in Eyre Square.
