What is Cirque Mechanics?
We are a company that blends circus, acrobatics, and dance with mechanical apparatus that allow the artists to demonstrate circus in new ways.
What inspired the creation of Cirque Mechanics?
I had been working for Cirque du Soleil for a number of years performing circus in a fantasy setting. I (Chris Lashua, founder) was looking or a way to display “HOW” things are done. We believe that showing off the mechanics, opening up the clock face and showing off the lifting mechanism, or how something is moved across the stage can be magical.
Why combine mechanics and circus performance?
For us it is about mechanizing the circus. We are looking at ways to perform old circus acts in new ways. We try to find ways to use the movement of circus to power our devices or for our devices to complement and showcase our circus acts.
What difficulties did you face in combining circus performance and mechanics?
The machines that help us to show off the circus often require that our artists compromise some of their technique. Our belief is that while a juggler may be unable to complete his most difficult “trick”, while 10’ in the air, the overall performance is brand new and the image, in this case, of juggling in the air offsets the loss of that one trick.
What do you hope the audience gains from the experience?
At the heart of Cirque Mechanics is the belief that the magic lies in the interactions between mechanical apparatus, or scenic element, and artists. We seek to explore these relationships and hope that our audiences take away an appreciation for the physics of the performance, that they appreciate not only that an artist has amazing skills but that their performance is connected, supported, enhanced by the mechanical world.
What trends do you see in performance right now?
Collaboration is the key. It is for this reason that we have so much ensemble work in our two productions. It takes a commitment by all involved for this to work. Teamwork is something that happens naturally if the environment is designed to be collaborative right from the outset. We encourage this collaboration in our show research and development. When all are invested in the process teamwork just happens.
