Ahead of the premiere next week of LIMBO as part of Sydney Festival, I spoke to Danik Abishev about his role in the show described as a “dirty and dangerous circus-cabaret”. Danik, meanwhile, is described as an “aggressive hand balancer”. Find out what that means and more about the show in this interview!
LIMBO looks all kinds of wild and wonderful – how would you describe the show?
This show has everything. It’s got live music that drives the show, and it’s very unusual – probably unlike anything you’ve heard before. It’s very grungy, very different. Then you’ve got the acrobats, fire breathers… the sorts of things you’d expect from the sideshow and circus… all collaborating together.
So there’s a lot going on!
Yeah there’s a lot. People often come and then after seeing (the show) they feel they need to come again and again… usually with these sorts of shows, there’s only 2 or 3 people on the stage at any point – they all do their own acts – but with this show, there’s a lot of different people interacting with each other. Pretty much the whole cast is on stage doing something throughout the whole show.
And this debuted in London earlier this year? How did those performances go?
Yeah that was amazing. It was such a big thing to be performing there, I was so excited to be there, it was a big step for me. And the way the crowds took us and the show, all the feedback that we got, was just amazing, it was overwhelming.
You’re described as an “aggressive hand balancer”, among many other things… how would you describe your role in LIMBO – without spoiling anything of course – and what exactly does that mean!
*laughs* Yeah you’ll definitely have to come along to see what happens! What I do though is called aggressive hand balancing. Usually with hand balancers you’ll have them stay in the one spot, doing a handstand, then just one hand, then bending over… that sort of thing. But “aggressive” hand balancing involves more jumping around, hopping from one place to another… twisting and turning… it’s a very very new thing. So that’s my main discipline, but I also do all these other little things in the show.
So I know you’ve been performing since you were very young, can you tell us a little bit about how you came to be in Australia and involved in this show?
I come from a traditional Russian circus family. My Mum and Dad met in the Moscow circus school, they had my older sisters who also went to the school and studied with them. By the time I was born we were already travelling and my Dad taught me everything I know. So I started at about two, and as i was the only boy in the family, he pushed me quite hard, to a point where I had a hernia *laughs* it was Russian military style! So at that point I had to stop and start up again a year or so later, and my Dad kept pushing me so the muscles would grow around it, and by the time I was four I was performing in an act. So my Dad was a parent, my best friend and a coach, everything all in one.
But I grew up hating the circus – because of it I wasn’t allowed to do things a lot of the other kids did, like ride rollerblades… the sorts of things you get to do in a normal childhood. So I missed out on a childhood, really, and I hated it because of that, and I kept hating it until I came to Australia and moved to a town near Byron Bay called Mullumbimby and met a lady who runs a community circus school, and started hanging out with her a lot, and she really changed my perspective on it. From this military like sport to something smart and fun… and since then it’s really been amazing and my life has been great and that’s very much thanks to her. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I love it.
With a production like LIMBO, how does it all come together? Is it a collaborative process between all the performers?
Well what happens is that each performer has a discipline, so they have and perform their own act, and then does a little bit of everything else, like play music – everyone, but me, can play an instrument – and intertwines with all the other acts. We all work together like one freaky family I guess!
Looking to the year ahead, you’ve got LIMBO kicking off the year at Sydney Festival, and then heading to Adelaide as well… what will you be up to after that?
I’m not sure. There’s a lot of places to go to that haven’t heard anything about us yet. I’m sure there’s a lot in store for us. We’ll have a good year of travelling all over the place.
After someone sees and experiences LIMBO, what do you hope they take away from it?
I just want them to be amazed. Shocked. Just lost for words. There’s some pretty crazy stunts that we do… a lot of hard work goes into it all and I hope they can see that!
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LIMBO runs the length of Sydney Festival in their “Festival Village” from the 9th until the 26th of January, with no sessions on Mondays and a preview on the 8th of January. More details and tickets can be found here: http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2014/Circus-and-Cabaret/LIMBO/
Photo by Che Chorley.
