Bianco
NoFit State Circus
Wales Millennium Centre
3^rd May 2013
 
To describe exactly what happened would be to somehow diminish it – words could never give you the same feeling of excitement, wonder and fear as the daring feats performed by the cast of Bianco right above your head!
In their daring promenade performance NoFit State invited the audience up onto the WMC main stage where the performance took place around, in and above the crowd. Huge pieces of mobile scaffolding were manoeuvred to constantly redesign the performance space and unveil the next spectacle.
True to their style there was no concrete narrative through the piece, just reoccurring themes particularly that of shedding what is unnecessary in order to achieve more. One particularly striking scene presented immaculately dressed blonde bombshell Ariele Ebacher traversing the tightwire in high heels. Gradually she shed her tailored dress, shoes and even the blonde wig to reveal an even more agile, strong and athletic brunette – her at her best.
As if there wasn’t already enough to entertain you a fantastic live band played throughout. Their range of styles was incredible; from moody and tense to upbeat and stereotypically circus-y. Sometimes they provided an abstract narrative to the aerial action that was particularly striking when combined with the powerful grace of August Dakteris.
Some moments were truly touching, a duet performed on a suspended frame seemed to say all there is about love. The finale in which beautifully tattooed Sage Cushman joyfully performed dance-trapeze whilst a blizzard fell around her was again stunning.
These incredible moments of finely crafted theatre were sadly diminished in places by the constant movement of the huge set and more could have been done between the set changes to keep the pace as high as it was in the breakneck ensemble pieces. Also on the rare occasions that the performers poke it was impossible to hear them.
The lack of storytelling allowed the company to focus on creating a series of otherworldly and breathtaking images. This experiment into promenade circus theatre although flawed in places was certainly exciting and engaging.