Circa’s Duck Pond | PHOTO: Pia Johnson
This December, the Brisbane based contemporary circus company Circa, will bring its production, Duck Pond, to London’s Southbank Centre. A new take on the Tchaikovsky classic ballet, Swan Lake, it will combine circus skills, and parts of Tchaikovsky’s original score mixed in with percussive tracks and dance beats, to create something that is intended to be both thrilling, mysterious and humorous. In this interview with the company’s Artistic Director Yaron Lifschitz, we explore the motivation behind Circa’s Duck Pond.
What is the motivation behind Circa’s Duck Pond?
I wanted to make something beautiful, funny, sophisticated and accessible – a kind of mythical unicorn that reaches across ages and artistic preferences.
Why did you choose Swan Lake as your source of inspiration?
I chose Swan Lake as the basis because it has everything – good and evil, black and white, and of course a lot of tutus. Ballet, fairy tale and circus lovers alike will be transfixed as Duck Pond draws upon the worlds of Swan Lake and The Ugly Duckling, as well as a variety of different acrobatic languages.
What are you adding to Swan Lake?
Circus, The Ugly Duckling and an army of ducks.
In what way does Swan Lake lend itself to circus performance?
The myth of Swan Lake has been relegated to ballet fairy tales. It’s a really powerful myth that talks of beauty, passion, yearning and these factors that really belong on a stage and I don’t see why that stage should only be left to ballet. I love ballet but I think we can add some extra twists and things that fly through the air, some humour and some Australian iconoclasm and anarchy, a sprinkle of which is always healthy to a balanced theatrical diet.
How much will it have in common with the original ballet?
Most of my professional career has been pretty much as close to the opposite of ballet as you can get so I watch it like an anthropologist. It’s really fresh to me and exciting.
I wanted to dive into the world, absorb its essence and infuse our circus with it. No moment could exist without Swan Lake but none require you know it.
To what extent is Circa’s Duck Pond a departure from your previous performances?
It’s completely different as it’s infused with ballet and has this glossy, shiny texture, something that feels sumptuous and rich. At the same time, it’s a deeply Circa production: committed performers doing wonderful circus skills, big emotions and quirky staging.