Nofit State Circus
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| NoFit State Circus | |
|---|---|
 TheImmortaltour, 2006 | |
| Origin | |
| Country | Wales |
| Year founded | 1986 |
| Information | |
| Ringmaster(s) | No |
| Directors |
|
| Travelling show? | Yes |
| Circus tent? | Yes |
| Winter quarters | Training inCardiff |
| Type of acts | Contemporary circus– anarchic fusion with theatre |
| Other information | No animals |
| Website | www |
NoFit State Circusis a contemporarycircuscompany based inCardiff,Wales.
Formed in 1986, NoFit State Circus has toured tented and theatrical shows at home and abroad.[1]They also maintain an active education programme and run community projects that allow non-professional performers to devise circus work, working alongside the company's professionals.
Shows
[edit]Immortal
[edit]The company's first large-scale showImmortalwas described byThe Scotsmannewspaper as a circus that "celebrates the human soul rather than just the human body",[2]and elsewhere lauded as "rich, powerful stuff [...] overwhelming in its diversity of ideas".[3]Writing inThe Times,dance critic Donald Hutera gave a more measured response, saying that it was better to "surrender to the show's deceptively shambolic quicksilver atmosphere"[4]than concentrate overmuch on the plot.Immortalwon aTap Water Award,an Editor's Choice Award from threeweeks.co.uk, and The Jury Award at Spain's Tarrega Festival.[5]
Tabú
[edit]NoFit State's next show,Tabú,premiered atTredegar Park, Newport,in April 2008, and has been touring Britain and Europe since then. Directed by Firenza Guidi, who also worked onImmortal,Tabúshares much ofImmortal's visual and narrative style and carries over some of the old cast. It has received mixed reviews.Lyn Gardnerwriting forThe Guardiancalled it "fabulous stuff that owes more to contemporary dance and experimental theatre than it does to sawdust and elephants",[6]but others have criticized that the live show seems to have "no connection with the programme's bogglingly detailed back story",[7]and that the circus skills on display "don't dramatise the original concept".[8]
Bianco
[edit] |
In 2012, the company developed its showBianco: Time for Beautyin partnership with theEden Project.The promenade show, also directed by Firenza Guidi, ran in the tented performance space throughout the summer, and was described byThis Is Cornwallas "an incredible experience". The show was then redeveloped to incorporate new ideas, acts and performers in 2013 to becomeBianco: Turning Savage.It opened atThe Roundhousein April 2013, and was praised byThe Guardiannewspaper for "combining first-rate skills with a joyful, unashamed pleasure".Bianco: Turning Savagewent on to tour venues across the UK in NoFit State's custom-designed big top spaceship tent, including a sell-out run at theEdinburgh Fringe Festivalin August 2013. In 2014 the show touredPerth, Australiaand around Europe continuing into 2015.
Noodles
[edit]NoFit State's showNoodlespremiered at the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The production, by Finnish circus director Maksim Komaro, was staged in a traditional theatre setting and received mixed reviews.[citation needed]
Other activities
[edit] |
The business has additionally engaged in outdoor work. Orit Azaz, the director of Parklife and Open House, invited local amateur and professional performance groups to practise in front of the public with NoFit State performers. A large-scale outdoor production called Barricade, which Azaz also directed, was seen by audiences in the UK and France.
Since 2006 NoFit State has been running a permanent training space and school in Cardiff. They provide a variety of aerial and ground-based classes for all experience levels, including ropes, silks, aerial hoop, static trapeze, acro-balance and juggling. The company runs a youth circus program, with some of their students going on to study atCircomedia.
In January 2015, NoFit State was invited to the south of France as a featured company at the first edition of theBiennale Internationale des Arts du Cirque.
On 11 December 2015, the company launched a 30th-anniversary exhibition at its Four Elms building inAdamsdown,Cardiff, as well as the NoFit State E-Archive, which details the company's 30-year history. On the same night, the company's co-founder and one of its creative directors, Ali Williams, announced that she was to step down from her current role with the company, later in 2016.
In 2016, the NoFit State celebrated its 30th anniversary. In February the company made its Chinese premiere performingBiancoat Queen Elizabeth Stadium inHong Kong,and later on, in May, its US debut in partnership withSt. Ann's WarehouseinNew York City.
They also do sessions for younger children and adults.
History
[edit]- Immortal:2002–2006
- Tabu:2008–2010
- Labyrinth:2011`
- Mundo Paralelo:2012
- Barricade:2012
- Parklife:2012
- Bianco:2012–2015
- Noodles:2013–2015
- Open House:2013–2015
- Block:2016–
- Lexicon:2018
- Sabotage:2022
Notes
[edit]- ^Peregrine, Chris (1 December 2021)."NoFit State Circus to entertain Cardiff audiences with alternative festive event".WalesOnline.Retrieved19 April2022.
- ^Roger Cox.The Scotsman.Retrieved 28 July 2009.
- ^Tony Layton."Immortal - Coming out Alive",The British Theatre Guide,2004. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
- ^Donald Hutera.The Timesreview, duplicated on theNoFit State website.Retrieved 28 July 2009.
- ^NoFit State Circus and MeltdownArchived19 February 2012 at theWayback Machine.Retrieved 28 July 2009.
- ^Lyn Gardner,"Tabu"(review),The Guardian,3 April 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
- ^David Jays.The Times[dead link].Retrieved 28 July 2009.
- ^John Ellingsworth,"NoFit State Circus: Tabú",Sideshow Circusmagazine, 31 March 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- "Nofit State Circus, registered charity no. 1102850".Charity Commission for England and Wales.