|
The Flying Fruit Fly Circus is billed as ordinary Aussie kids performing extraordinary acts.
The “Fruities” are currently in Sydney as part of the Olympic Arts Festival performing their new work FUSION in their own big top at Prince Alfred Park. For the Sydney performances the aussie kids have been joined by a Master Trainer and five artists of the internationally renowned Shanghai Circus School who have worked with the local troupe since June to develop this new production.
The circus performers and/or their big top are available for corporate events and festivals – details below.
The Flying Fruit Fly Circus started over 20 years ago as a school holiday workshop for country kids and has now grown into a nationally significant arts company and circus training institution. Providing a steady stream of highly skilled physical performers to Australia’s entertainment industry. It is one of the largest youth companies in the country, with 100 students from Years 3 to 10 enrolled in its educational offshoot, The Flying Fruit Fly Circus School and a core performing and touring ensemble of 60 young artists.
Fusion – The Show
Be warned, if you take your children, you may lose them to the circus…at least temporarily.
The most cynical in the audience may have momentarily thought, “What is this? They’re a bunch of kids of mixed talent and experience performing as professionals.”
The show, Fusion was built around a very loose theme of four tribes vying for supremacy. If you’re a regular at circuses there was nothing particularly new. Albeit the theatrical packaging, provided by Artistic Director/Choreographer, Kim Walker and Set Designer, Pierre Thibaudeau was unique and interesting. So, what was the recipe that makes this show such a success? The pace is unrelenting. The infectious enthusiasm of the “Fruities” mixed with some truly awesome and simply endearing performances along the way, contributed to the crescendo of audience excitement. My favourite bits? Well all of it really.
The climax of the first half was a lively finale performed to powerful drum rhythms. The end of the first half came to a somewhat abrupt end when the two tiny girls from Shanghai Circus School who were exiting the stage by performing a series of backward walkovers, collided mid-flight.
After a collective gasp, the audience cheered and applauded ecstatically when it was clear that the girls were a little disoriented but not hurt.
The second half show-cased some of the most experienced “Fruities” who have the prowess of any professional circus performer. The acrobats from the Shanghai Circus School were flawless and their skills breathtaking. The contrast between the exuberance of the “Fruities” and the highly stylised, apparently serene and dignified Chinese performers worked well, particularly when the whole troupe gathered together in the Ring.
What was clear was that all the more skilled performers started out as youngsters with the most basic circus skills. Through perseverance, endurance and physical ability they had reached their current form. It is much the same as what is required to be an Olympian. In this show however you get some insight of the inevitable bumps and bruises received along the road to success. The members of Flying Fruit Fly Circus are collectively a “work in progress”.
By the end of this matinee show the audience of mostly children was infected by the circus bug.
And in this Olympic period let’s credit one of the Fruities best known graduates – Australia’s pole vault champion and Olympic medal hopeful, Emma George. Other graduates who have gone on to bigger and better include; Christie and Anna Shelper – both now with Cirque du Soleil; Brendan Shelper is with Legs on the Wall and has been booked as Obi One Kanobi’s stunt double in the next Star Wars movie, and of course many Fruities have gone on to join Circus Oz. Fruit Fly Circus graduates have established the following companies; Acrobat, Lunar Circus, CirFunKus, Leeping Loonies, Airated and Momentum.
Corporate work
The Albury based troupe has done a considerable amount of corporate and festival work outside their normal performance schedule.
The whole troupe of performers and technicians recently went to Singapore for a customer promotion for Besolenke Electrical Company; they performed four shows in a 10,500 seat auditorium. They also performed for a Deutche Bank family day at Sydney’s Wharf 8 and at Sydney’s Darling Harbour for a 3,000 strong Japanese Lingerie company incentive organised by Visit Australia.
The performers are also popular at Australia Day celebrations and this year they performed with Iva Davies at the Australia Day Lunch in Sydney. And to top the year off 28 Fruities will be performing in the Olympics Opening Ceremony.
The Big Top
The 38m diameter big top is managed by Showtech Australia and is available for hire with or without seating. According to Showtech’s Tiny Good, the big top can be erected on any flat ground and can be fully erected in one day; the seating installation for 1200 pax then takes another day.
The striking pink and white tent has been used for festivals and corporate events such as Qantas, Adelaide and Sydney festivals and for a Silverchair concert. The set-up has also been used for dinners, cabaret and exhibitions.
Contacts
For performers – Flying Fruit Fly Circus Karen Willcox, Marketing Manager Phone: 02 6021 7044
For the big top – Showtech Australia Phone: 03 9645 4133
|
