Gravity & Other Myths (GOM) sprouted in Adelaide in 2009 showcasing contemporary circus acrobatic, balance and strength routines. Since then they have made a name for themselves globally. Their shows have progressively become more sophisticated and nuanced, and this is their most overtly conceptualised and choreographed yet – and it is truly wonderful!

Tonight we witness an edgier, cheekier and more audacious show. The show begins with  pairs of acrobats mirroring each other’s acrobatic exercises. Just when you are thinking there must be more to the show than that, enter composer performer Ekram Eli Phoenix, creating a soundscape of static and louche renditions of jazz and pop sounds. Summertime dreamily drifts into Imagine and back. By the end of the show we have heard countless references to classic pop hits. Definitely entering the realm of cabaret but performed while standing on the shoulders of muscular athletes!! A selfie stick is used to project onto a screen so that acrobatic tableaux can be mirrored or individual faces scrutinised like Narcissus or Adonis might do. There’s constant motion – breathtaking flips, or towers of 3 or 4 people held in place for impossibly long times.

Underpinning the visual display and virtuoso acrobatics however is the company’s trademark “playfulness” and realness. Seating in The Octagon allows the audience to be up close and personal with the performers, so we see performers shake their hands out, grunt when a move is physically difficult, or call out when they are ready to launch themselves into the air. We see them grin at each other when passing, or stop to ask the audience a question. Tonight midst an onstage costume change one male performer asks an audience member if he should wear the shirt or go topless. Maybe a contrived moment to replicate our own uncertainties about what outfits work as we peer in the mirror – but as an inclusive moment it works and brings a chuckle.

Many ideas are explored in this show. It is not simply the amazing physical prowess. One concept is gender fluidity. Males appear in a dress or red lipstick, a female in a man’s dinner jacket or as the base of a balance tower. Costuming consists of a wild assortment of underwear with not too much regard to gender.

Flying flips and twists remain the most thrilling aspects for me tonight. The courage, precision and teamwork skills required is just breathtaking and I am full of awe. The dedication to their craft is on display everywhere you look. I also enjoy the odd bits of clowning. The setting up for a routine and filling us with expectation and then just walking away from it, only to then come quickly back with something mindboggling like a lift and toss then being so gracefully caught.

I adored this show. The brilliance of body, mind and motion on display is astounding.

This is next level for GOM- the staging, the inclusion of a vocalist, the choreography which is the equal of many contemporary dance companies, and the layering of the conceptual underpinnings all go to make this a show you shouldn’t miss!