Words: Alex Grunberg
Image: David Poznic Photography

5 Stars

The acrobatic troupe Copenhagen Collective energetically enters the theatre to leap, flip, and ricochet across the stage and off each other in an explosive performance.

Their feats of athleticism were met with applause but also met with the stunned silence of an audience too enrapt to clap, unable to cheer because they were holding their breath in anticipation. Stripped down to black athletic wear, without the glitz of a colourful big top set, the risk and danger that these artists face is abundantly clear in “The Genesis.” 

Tying into the themes of connection and needing the support of others to survive, we see how truly vulnerable these artists are. And while this vulnerability can be widely applied to our experience as a collective humanity, what is most striking is how it applies specifically to these artists. Their connection to each other is palpable. You can see exactly how much they support each other, an emotional and physical support that has been put on athletic display. You can see the challenges they take on and how impossible it would be to attempt these challenges without mutual trust.

The stage is filled with impressive and relentless feats, so packed and layered across the stage you just have to accept you won’t be able to catch everything in one showing. And you may be tempted to come back for more.

The Genesis
Main Hall at Assembly Hall
12:30
31 July – 25 August