Circus performers bringing folklore to life
Aerial circus mixed with projected visuals tells a narrative story of Icelandic folklore in the brand-new show The Hidden People being staged tonight at Ffwrnes Theatre in Llanelli.
The show is an international collaboration between British circus theatre company Hikapee and Icelandic theatre and creative technology company Huldufugl, and has been in the works since 2018.
This non-verbal performance brings together aerial circus, physical theatre, contemporary dance, acrobatics, projected visuals and an original score to tell the story of an architect faced with the controversial task of building a hydroelectric dam in the Icelandic highlands. Under extreme pressure, she starts sensing the presence of something, or someone around her.
Bryony Livesey-Casey, co-founder of Hikapee and the show’s director, said: “Using circus disciplines to tell a narrative story has always been at the core of Hikapee’s work. This show marks a difference in our work as we are working with projections for the first time, and the show is also aimed at an older audience than our previous work.
“We came across the folklore of Iceland’s hidden people that we were keen to explore. It’s such an exciting idea to show something on stage that should on all accounts be hidden. The hidden people are seen to be similar to humans, but more advanced. Just like people they can both be helpful or sinister but they also represent Icelandic nature as they live within rocks and mountains.
“They have become a symbol for Icelandic nature, sort of like nature spirits, representing both its benevolent and dangerous sides, but their stories got stuck in time when written down in the 18th Century.
“With the climate crisis our world is facing today, we feel that this folklore needed to be modernised, and we’re using circus artists alongside projections, to portray the hidden people, so they can glide and flow with ease around the stage, in contrast with the human characters that use bulkier equipment such as harnesses and climbing ropes to traverse our set.”
Tickets are on sale for a 7.30pm performance from £10 and the age limit is 12. Ticket link: https://www.theatrausirgar.co.uk/en/shows/the-hidden-people