Gravity and Other Myths is the company presenting the show Ten Thousand Hours. The title of the show pays respect to those performers who spend upwards of 10,000 hours honing their craft. It’s generally considered how much time is required to become competent at a craft. In a way there is a nod to both how these acrobats have devoted time to train and improve and how the company has also developed over the last decade or so.
Elements of the original Simple Space (the first iteration of the show) are still present; the camaraderie, the drummer in the corner, the bodies defying gravity, but the production has grown and matured. A large led screen counts down the 10,000 hours and is also used as a stopwatch for some of the challenges. There is a sense of competition amongst the eight performers, backed up with mutual trust and friendship. It’s as if we have stumbled into an intense training session.
Dare-defying feats of skill and endurance include not just stacking themselves up to three levels high, but performing acrobatics at those heights. With the stage littered with lights, boxes and equipment, the sense of danger is palpable. However, their expertise shines through and despite bodies flying left right and centre across the stage, it is all obviously very practiced.
There is never a feeling of them taking themselves too seriously, with cheeky asides and clever audience participation. Some of the routines hark back to the repetitive nature of learning, with mock time trials and counting, but obviously the effort has already been put in.
It’s gratifying to have watched this troupe evolve from a circus school with a unique show into a company that has grown enough to tour the world to critical acclaim. These artists spend more time in the air than on the ground. They twist and contort in ways that are jaw-dropping. A standing ovation at the end of the show demonstrates how well-liked this performance is.
Their Adelaide Fringe run is for just a week before they head off to perform in France, so catch them while you can.
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Ten Thousand Hours plays at the Adelaide Fringe
The reviewer attended on 16th Feb
Gluttony – Rymill Park – The Peacock – 16-18, 20-25 Feb at 8:15PM, 17, 24 Feb at 4:15PM
Tickets available here
