Extraordinary Bodies brought Human, a touching serenade of intimate and funny real life stories told through live circus, film and music to York Theatre Royal on 1 June.
You can now watch a free filmed version of Human. Just choose the version you would like to see below. The password for both is: Hum4n_Y0rk
Please note, the video will only be available until 16 June.
HUMAN FILM WITHOUT AUDIO DESCRIPTION
HUMAN FILM WITH AUDIO DESCRIPTION
The stage is set with a trapeze, circus rope and a set of drums that the performers use to convey delightful stories of their lives alongside dance, original music and film.
Four performers tell stories from their lives, from their childhoods to the last 24 months. They share their stories of uncertainty about times of big decisions and about getting through things together through the visual spectacle of circus.
The character of Circus arrives in the show, interrupting the performers as she has fallen on hard times. The poetry of Circus weaves through the show, becoming part of the storytelling, and her bravery speaks to everyone.
The show is written by Hattie Naylor and the live score is by Ted Barnes.
Extraordinary Bodies is a collaboration between Cirque Bijou and Diverse City, who have worked together for the last decade creating multi-disciplinary circus shows with disabled and non-disabled artists. Their work pushes the boundaries of music, film, circus and theatre. Extraordinary Bodies make circus for every body, embedding creative access techniques in the work from the outset, including sign language interpretation, captioning and audio description.
Performing artists Tilly Lee-Kronick and Jonny Leitch are a unique circus double act. They combine wheelchair dance, floor work on hands and new aerial doubles choreography.
Jonny Leitch says: “The relationship and artistry I have with Tilly has always stemmed from us exploring new or wacky ideas on the trapeze or other circus equipment. We explore storytelling in new ways through movement. The equipment that facilitates our artistic expression is essential to communicating with our audience and encourages us to be even more innovative in our performance. Human gets to the heart of how we are all feeling right now and I can’t wait to share it.”
Claire Hodgson, Artistic Director of Extraordinary Bodies, said: “Human is a poetic record of our time. Weaving together real-life stories through circus, combined with our use of technology, we have created a show that connects with its audiences in a soothing, sublime, immersive way. It was important for us to work with our performers in a way that suited them and make a show that is accessible without compromise. With Extraordinary Bodies, we can experiment and develop work that is genre-defying as well as gravity-defying.”
CREATIVE TEAM
Created by Claire Hodgson, Billy Alwen & Steven Lake
Co-directed by Claire Hodgson, Billy Alwen
Written by Hattie Naylor, with the company
Performers: John Kelly, Tilly Lee-Kronick, Jonny Leitch, Rosie Rowlands & Rebecca Solomon
Music by Ted Barnes
Film Directed & Produced by Steven Lake, Film edited by Monika Jastrzębska
Headphones for Human are provided with the kind support of Silent Disco King.
