Image above credit Sarah Walker
A simple shift can initiate momentum, an energy, revealing connection between all of us and the power we all possess to create change.
Every one of us is on a journey that begins with us – and ends with us. Connecting, disconnecting, reconnecting; every person we meet and every place we go changes us. Momentum delves into a world of seemingly unconnected individuals and events, in a place that is governed by the unavoidable and constant cycles of time and change.
A public, site-specific circus performance, Momentum invites the audience to take a journey, experiencing moments of connectedness, change and possibility.
Video: courtesy of Metro Tunnel Creative Program, credit Rat and Dragon.
This bold work from Women’s Circus is performed by Women’s Circus Inclusive Ensemble – an eclectic team of disabled and non-disabled artists who come from a variety of practices spanning circus, dance and theatre.
Co-directors Jo Dunbar and Tarn Scully have both worked for decades in theatre and circus with deep roots in the intersecting worlds of arts and disability worked with the team using collaborative art making models exemplified by Weave Movement Theatre, Back to Back, Rawcus, and the UK’s renowned Extraordinary Bodies.
This critically acclaimed public performance, two years in the making, premiered at Arts Centre Melbourne as part of Alter State Festival in 2022. Alter State is a major disability arts festival celebrating contemporary art and live performance by artists from Australia and Aotearoa (NZ).
Audiences and passersby were given a front row seat to contemporary circus performed by the ensemble who activated the surrounds and external building of the Arts Centre’s iconic building.
Wall running, globe walking, tissu slings and wheelchairs rigged from the top of walkways were brought to life through beautiful choreographed movement sequences and an accompanying soundscape designed by Sharyn Brand that audiences could listen to via headsets.
All photos above credit Kate Disher-Quill.
Behind the scenes with the ensemble devising and rehearsing in Women’s Circus training space.
All photos above credit Theresa Harrison Photography
Momentum was made possible through the generous support of our funders and partners:
