Circus Cirkör - Underart in Hammerfest

In connection with Underart in Hammerfest and Alta, students at secondary schools in Finnmark had a criticism course. Both the performance and the course were part of The Cultural Rucksack. The aim of the course is to train pupils to put living artistic expressions into words and inspire them to use language to describe and evaluate what they experience. The course included listening and writing exercises, teaching what criticism can be, discussion and joint reading of criticism. The students then went to Underart and wrote their own reviews, which they have received feedback on. This is a selection of the texts that were written from the performance.

Course leaders Ida Habbestad and Hild Borchgrevink are editors and critics and have developed the course in collaboration.

A little circus and a lot of weirdness

Acrobatics, juggling, dancing and much more is something for everyone.

Cirkus Cirkör - Underart

November 6, 2015 in Alta kultursal

Adrian, 10th grade - Høgtun school

A choir of three people, two people dancing while singing, two of the singers joined the dance. They stopped dancing and the music became a type of techno genre, two men started making a tower, they stand on top of each other's shoulders. A lady dressed in white climbs up them, they're almost six meters above the ground and my heart goes into my throat. I can't believe how they manage it, they are some skilled acrobats.

The word subspecies is used in biology and it means a limited population of a species. The title can have a lot to say about the piece. Most people would say it's just random movements and stunts, but for the performers there's probably a greater meaning behind this piece. Maybe they're supposed to be these subspecies, almost exactly the same as others, just with a little extra?

There were six artists in the play. One of these artists was a juggler, and two were musicians, there was even a professional street dancer. I don't like this type of dance, mostly because it looks like a lot of random movements that have no meaning and that they make up in their head right then and there. But they also had two acrobats doing double somersaults with the help of two other male performers.

A lot of different instruments were used in the play, and one of the most interesting ones I heard was a theremin. The special thing about the theremin is that you don't have to touch the instrument itself with your hands to play, as it uses antennas and electricity to make sound.

They didn't use a lot of different lights, they turned the lights up a bit here and there, but otherwise there was just enough light on stage so you could see what was happening.

Director Olle Strandberg had used different parts of his life as inspiration when creating the show. Strandberg used to be a circus performer, but a nasty fall brought his career to a halt. But now he's back with a piece that will showcase his creativity.

All in all, the play was neutral, they had good tricks and performance, but there was too much repetition of dance and music. I think this piece is suitable for adults, there needs to be a little less dancing and repetition for children/young people to be interested in the piece.

Performance: Underart, by Circus Cirkör

Artists: Methinee Wongtrakoon, Alexander Dam, Iris Pelz, Christopher Schlunk, Matias Salmenaho, Anna Ahlund and Andreas Tengblad.

Other cast members: Olle Strandberg, Katarina Wiklund, Susanna Wiklund and Jenny Andre

When: 10/11/15 (Arctic Culture Center, Hammerfest)

Exciting subspecies

Cirkus cirkör's acrobatics, juggling, singing and dancing is a show you won't soon forget!

Asgeir, 10.klasse Høgtun

At the start of the performance, I was fascinated. One of the men stood with a microphone and talked about various things with music in the background. The combination of this caught my interest and attention. At times it was difficult to hear what he was saying, but I caught most of it.

In this performance, there was a bit of everything. There was everything from acrobatic jumps to calm dancing. Something I really liked was the acrobatics. Within the acrobatics there was also a lot of variation. In each scene with acrobatics, they started a little gently before gradually building up to something absolutely incredible. For example, it could start with two people dancing a little acrobatically before taking a turn into something much more difficult. I was often impressed by what they did. One of the reasons for that is that I know how difficult acrobatics can be and how much you have to practice to get it right. But there was one thing that made my jaw drop to the floor. Not one, not two, but three people in height walking over the edge of the stage. It was both impressive and fascinating.

The artists had different tasks to take care of. When there was dancing, it was often the same person, but when there was magnificent acrobatics, it was often someone else who took care of it. Personally, I thought this was good. In this artist group they have many different personalities and different characteristics. I think it's cool to see that they manage to work so well together, even though they have such different characters.

I thought the person(s) playing the music also did a good job. There was often a good, fast rhythm that kept the tension going. They used a lot of drumming as a way to get the audience's attention. I noticed that when the drums started beating, the hall went completely silent, not a sound. Very good!

The songs, on the other hand, were not as catchy. They were often a bit long and boring, and there were many times when I didn't understand what they were singing. I didn't think they had a particularly good singing voice either, and this made me feel like my head would collapse. It was by far the worst thing about the whole show, and was the only thing that wasn't good about Cirkus Cirkör: Underart.

In other words, Underart is a show that appeals to most people. A lot of good and some bad. Therefore, it may appeal to many people: Some like singing, some like dancing and I like acrobatics. It was a very exciting and unique experience.

Subspecies of Circus Cirkör

November 6, 2015, Arctic Culture Center, Hammerfest

Director and idea - Olle Strandberg

Music by and with - Andreas Tengblad and Anna Ahnlund/Ripple & Murmur

Stage design and costumes - Katarina Wiklund / Susanna Wiklund

Lighting design - Jenny André

Artists:

Methinee Wongtrakoon, Alexander Dam, Iris Pelz, Christopher Schlunk, Matias Salmenaho, Anna Ahnlund and Andreas Tengblad

Truly under(b)art

I sat with clammy hands during the entire performance.

In the new circus show Underart, there was a lot of high-level acrobatics, juggling and dance. The artists involved were incredibly talented. Two artists were at the back of the stage playing music, and five artists were at the front of the stage doing acrobatics. The music was changing and created excitement. There was always something happening on stage.

They also had a lot of props and decorations on the stage, so it was very cool and stylish to watch, and they had very special clothes. It was the clothes they wore that reminded me most of regular circus.

Broken cup
The opening of the new circus was special. There was a man standing at the front of the stage. He was drinking from a cup and speaking English. When he finished speaking, he dropped the cup and it shattered. Another thing that was strange, but very cool, was that one of the men in the novelty circus stood on two planks high up in the air a little later in the program.

Cramped, but recommended

I thought it was quite strange, but at the same time it was really fantastic. The ladies who were in it had incredible balance, and the men were really strong, and everyone worked really well together. I liked that there were a lot of shifts from scene to scene, it made me more aware of the things that were happening. It really looked like they enjoyed what they were doing and that they trusted each other.

One thing that was a bit silly was that the organizer had overbooked a lot so that many people had to sit on mats right in front of the stage, while others had to sit on the stairs on the sides. So it took longer for the show to start. But I got a really good seat, right at the front! I really recommend seeing the new circus. Especially because of all the exciting tricks and strange dances. I think the circus can be fun for both young and old.

By: Regine, 8th grade, Kokelv Oppvekstsenter

Overwhelming Subspecies

People jump and dance in the air as live indie pop fills the room. Circus Cirkör's Circus Cirkör's Underart was a really great experience, full of acrobatic stunts, rock rings and several nerve-wracking moments.

A man walks on stage with a cup in his hand, he says something, smashes the cup on the ground and walks off stage again. No one in the audience knows quite what to expect, but the atmosphere is tense. This performance was an hour and a half filled with fascinating dance, superb stunts, juggling and much more. It's hard to know where to start.

The group consisted of seven people, three women and two men, who all performed a lot of great stunts around the stage. Some things were synchronized and it was really impressive, you could see how hard they had worked. Even some of the paracrobatics reflected the work that must have gone into the performance.

Although the dancers and acrobats were good, I personally felt that the music was most remarkable. The two artists playing were sometimes in the background, and sometimes with the other five in the middle of the stage. With keyboards, guitars, drums and more, they played newly composed songs that really made you enjoy the show even more. Anna Ahlund sang most of the time, but Andreas Tengblad sang in between.

The first hour was very eventful, but towards the end it started to drag out; several of the activities were repeated and there were moments where no one did anything at all. This made me lose interest a bit and wait more for it to finish.

This is still a show I would recommend to anyone who loves dance, excitement and juggling. Although it became less interesting towards the end, I would definitely watch it again if I had the chance, Circus Cirkör are very talented and creative performers, who will hopefully continue to create such shows for a long time to come.