Go back “GHOST LIGHT” BY MACHINE DE CIRQUE
23.03.2022.
Circus company “Machine de Cirque” (Canada) back in Riga: June 5th and 6th at the Mikhail Chekhov Riga Russian Theatre they will perform a teeterboard show “Ghost Light” that is centred around the way the world is built – the fall and the flight, the triumph of the light over the dark.
When: June 5th and 6th, 2022, 7 PM
Where: Mikhail Chekhov Riga Russian Theatre (16, Kaļķu street, Riga)
Length of the show: 60 min
Suggested age: for all ages (children until 3 years of age, including, can sit on a lap, no need to buy a separate seat for them)
Photos (excluding the ghost light): Loup-William Théberge and Emmanuel Burriel
ABOUT THE SHOW
The teeterboard takes the centre of the stage. The fact that it rotates, makes it a major acrobatic challenge. The acrobats are unrelenting in their efforts to push back the boundaries of the teeterboard. The artists are aware that these moments are fleeting, a sense of urgency pushes them to continue working and enjoying this process till the very end. On the stage, under the ghost light’s rays, their story unfolds.
A causality is initiated: if one of them falls, the other flies. They feel both the carefree magic of the flight and the imminent moment of fall approaching. Maxim Laurin and Ugo Dario have been working together as a duo for nearly 15 years. Together they have even set a Guinness World Record in the discipline of teeterboard. “Ghost Light” is a fascinating performance that encompasses both breathtaking acrobatic tricks and a story that touches the spirit beyond mere mortal words.
The curtain falls, the audience and staff leave. The theatre is plunged into darkness. Only a single light watches guard: the “Ghost Light.” The ghosts that inhabit the space are drawn toward the ghost light where they take the stage once again. The artists were inspired by this old anglophone superstition (historically, the ghost light was left on so that on arrival at the theatre, one could find the light switch without being injured, without falling into the orchestra pit or damaging any props, with time the practical need turned into a legend about the ghosts of the theatre, some theatres even have special “ghost seats” that are not sold under any circumstances.
Between myth and reality, that is how one could describe the show “Ghost Light”. It is a heartwarming celebration of friendship and the many years of working together on different stages around the world. Maxim and Ugo lead us into a captivating performance that features a blend of stunning acrobatic feats, choreography, ghostly lights, shadows and upbeat music.
The teeterboard symbolises the interaction between two people. The teeterboard propels Max & Ugo toward each other in the euphoria of flight, the levity of weightlessness, and the fatality of the inevitable fall. In order for a flight to occur, there has to be a fall and vice versa. On the teeterboard, they are a tandem, completely dependent one on another. If one of them leaves, the other cannot land. If one wants to fly, the other has to push him. The artists literally put their lives in each other’s hands.
“Ghost Light” is a show full of contrasts, where light battles darkness, reminding us that life and art always imitate one another.
https://vimeo.com/400993459
ABOUT THE COMPANY “MACHINE DE CIRQUE”
The company “Machine de Cirque” was founded in 2013 in Québec City, Canada. Maxim Laurin and Ugo Dario together with four other colleagues are the cofounders of the company. Machine de Cirque launched its very first production – the Company’s namesake show – to rave reviews by both audiences and critics alike. This production has been performed more than 700 times in Europe, Asia and North America. More than 300,000 spectators have attended this show, including the public of Riga who had the opportunity to see the delightful and comical show at the VEF Culture Palace at the end of 2019.
