“The Wolf Hunt”? Australia’s Circa Turns the Stage into a Territory of Freedom
How indelible our cultural code is, as difficult to erase as a tattoo, became clear to me once again while watching “Wolf” by the Australian company Circa Contemporary Circus. An unexpected encounter prevented me from seeing it in Paris. But fate brought “Wolf” to Antwerp as part of Zomer van Antwerpen, the city’s summer festival, whose circus programme is consistently outstanding. We go every year, and never for just one show.
Throughout both acts of “Wolf”, a single line from Vladimir Vysotsky’s song “The Wolf Hunt” echoed in my mind. He wrote it for a stage production based on the works of Federico García Lorca. In the work of my father’s favourite actor, bard and poet, the wolf is a freedom-loving outsider surrounded by a conformist pack. In choreographer, director and Circa’s Artistic Director Yaron Lifschitz’s production, the story is about solitary predators who gradually become a pack, discovering that survival depends on trust and mutual support. The audience feels that trust physically. How else could you place your foot on your partner’s head beneath the circus dome unless you trusted them as completely as yourself?
Ten astonishingly supple performers display breathtaking feats of acrobatics, moving with micron-perfect precision, in flawless synchrony and absolute unison throughout every scene. What is most remarkable is that, despite this extraordinary technical perfection, they never stop creating truly divine choreography. Before our eyes, the wolves journey from the raw force of chaos to the fierce unity of a pack. Clad in skin-tight costumes and driven by hypnotic ancient rhythms, the ten Circa performers seize, tear, climb, leap and balance with astonishing commitment. Endless energy, previously unimaginable feats and magnificent bodies. For them, the wolf is a symbol of our untamed self: liberated, anarchic and wild.
The music by Israeli DJ and composer Ori Lichtik, built around primal rhythms, creates the pulse of a ritual drum. Libby McDonnell’s costumes accentuate the perfection of the performers’ bodies while, in the ensemble scenes, forming prehistoric pentagrams reminiscent of cave paintings. Everything about “Wolf” is magnificent, as it should be in a masterpiece.
It possesses the same raw power that lived in Vysotsky’s voice and poetry. When my friend turned to me after the performance and quietly said the words that sounded like a secret password – “The Wolf Hunt” – I realised that our cultural code exists. And always will.
The Australian company Circa Contemporary Circus is one of the world’s leading contemporary circus ensembles. Founded in Brisbane in 2004, under the artistic direction of choreographer Yaron Lifschitz, Circa works at the intersection of circus, contemporary dance and physical theatre. There are no traditional circus acts with animals, clowns or elaborate props. The performers’ only instrument is the human body – acrobatics, balance, partnering, strength and movement. The company has toured more than 45 countries and is recognised as one of the world’s foremost innovators in contemporary circus.
The world premiere of “Wolf” took place at Chamäleon Berlin in September 2024.
“Wolf” is at Park Groot Schijn until 2 August as part of Zomer van Antwerpen.
