The university sports centre of Galway University housed a temporary arena for the opening of the Duck Pond show, the spotlight of the Galway International Arts Festival. Despite the shift from sunny to typical ‘duck weather’—the west’s common July rain, spectators turned up in large numbers. The event was a grand spectacle by Circa, an Australian contemporary-circus company.
They offered an acrobatic interpretation of Swan Lake, playfully labelled as Duck Pond. Alongside elements of The Ugly Duckling and a sprinkle of Cupid, it formed into an entertaining blend. Although narratives styled like Swan Lake were provided in leaflets, they were secondary to the prime focus of the glorious acrobatics and the demonstration of the body’s prowess and elegance. The spectacle was further spiced up by a humorous twist by an ‘army’ of ducks, dressed in clown-trousers and flipper-feet.
With only ten acrobats on stage, director Yaron Lifschitz remarkably created an illusion of a larger ensemble through his energetic rendition of the romantic ballet. Echoes and embellishments of Tchaikovsky were evident in Jethro Woodward’s fresh score. True to Circa’s reputation, the acrobatics were breathtaking: the performers were flexible, agile, and seemed to defy the constraints of their skeletal framework. Only the slight breaks for balancing or readjusting attested to the amazing capabilities of the human body.
Their spectacle included two-up and three-up formations, aerial performances on silk and loops, bodies soaring and stacking on each other. The pièce de résistance was the sight of an acrobat precariously walking in stilettos on another’s near-nude body. The performance was aesthetically adorned in black, white, and silver with the colourful ducklings offering a vibrant contrast. It masqueraded as a compelling, touching cultural exchange rate review, with far more to offer than the show’s lighthearted elements.
The artful illusion is broken down in a form of concluding piece, returning it to its more sombre roots. As part of the Galway International Arts Festival, Duck Pond can be experienced at Festival Theatre, lasting till Wednesday, July 24th.