BRATTLEBORO — Montreal-based acrobatic circus duet Agathe & Adrien is set to wow Brattleboro audiences with their show N.Ormes on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 7:30 pm.
Brought to New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA) through a grant from the New England Foundation for the Arts, this acrobatic duo will share their show that found acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland and the MICC circus festival in Montreal.
"It has become more and more important to us at NECCA that we showcase a wide range of what circus is today," Producing Director and NECCA co-Founder Serenity Smith Forchion said in a news release. "This show is provocative and important because it pushes the limits and expectations of bodies and gender norms using circus as the medium."
The acrobatic story features two protagonists and their relationship navigating between complicity and power struggles. The exchange of traditional roles based on size and gender are mixed up and re-explored, like a new language, blurring preconceptions of what our bodies are through what they are capable of.
The duo Agathe & Adrien works across continents at the frontiers of circus, dance, and theater-performance including as founding members of Acting for Climate.
According to the artists, "Our mission is to create a network of artists and activists to nurture collaboration, equity, and admiration of nature for a sustainable future." They consider that, "as artists, we have the opportunity and responsibility to inspire action, joy, and change."
This perspective is evident in their show N.Ormes. As the artists state on their website, "Tired of the obsolete and toxic patterns of male/female relationships present in the circus world today, they combine the codes of circus, contemporary dance, and performance art to create a rich, complex acrobatic language, as a part of a feminist approach to redefining standards."
Agathe & Adrien will perform N.Ormes for one show only at NECCA's Trapezium, 10 Town Crier Drive. Tickets are $15 (under 12/senior), $25 general seating, $35 VIP, and free for children under 2. Reserve tickets at necenterforcircusarts.org; volunteers receive a free ticket at this link.
New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA) is a non-profit organization that offers recreational circus classes, pre-professional and professional programs, performances, and workshops. Visit necenterforcircusarts.org.
This The Arts item was submitted to The Commons.