Tipping Point is a compelling physical theatre performance. The audience sits in a circle around the centre of the theatre, on the same level as the performers, reflecting the layout of a traditional circus. Five daring and talented performers balance and climb, swing and hang from precariously suspended poles often veering between a seeming chaos and order.
The performance is constructed with mathematical precision. These supporting poles inscribe entrancing circles and ellipses, in sand on the floor of the theatre and in the air. The performer’s mirror these circles in their incredible aerial stunts which reveal both an intense concentration and grace transforming their acrobatics into an inspiring aerial dance.
Their engagement with this equipment and each other is at times ritualistic reflecting the intense bond of trust between these performers. At other times their performance is humorous, drawing the audience with them from suspense to laughter.
This show is both achingly human, a contemplation of the support that we draw daily from our immediate communities and superhuman; it is an exhilarating to experience to watch these ambitious stunts, performed with such mastery that they seem completely natural.
Tipping Point is a compelling negotiation of the balance between catastrophe and triumph. The performers must decide how to react to this tension; accepting the challenges of this tilting, teetering world, or attempting to hold it under their control. Their most beautiful moments come from giving in to gravity as they draw closer to the tipping point.
The spartan, industrial aesthetic of the venue, Platform Theatre, complements the brutally beautiful precision of the equipment designed by Ockham’s Razor. The raw emotion of this performance is accompanied by an ambitious lighting design which creates a parallel shadow cast of performers, further drawing the audience into their world. Soaring live music creates a haunting sound landscape which reflects and intensifies the tension between balancing and falling.
Tipping Point is a masterpiece that engages the audience in a challenging and invigorating sensory world so far beyond our everyday lives, and yet, a delicate portrayal of the balance we must all seek between chaos and control.