Last night Casus circus presented their outstanding show Finding the Silence as the first evening show of the Tauranga Arts Festival. The Baycourt Theatre stage is pre-set with a rickety-looking pyramid shape formation made from ladders and various planks and stools. It is toppled over with a mere touch at the beginning of the show.  Four performers emerge: three male, one female, their strength is immediately apparent.

As we know they will, the performers achieve feats of movement that defy gravity and belief. They are so very brave, skilled and graceful there is barely a thud as they land from god knows how many meters above. A rope falls from the ceiling and bodies scuttle up, twisting about like spiders.

The rickety pyramid debris comes into use later in the show: the performers delicately put it back together, creating their own danger, then conquer it successfully. I like how they use manipulate the set this way, and in turn, dare it to manipulate them. But they outsmart the danger always.

The sound-scape of this show is confronting at times and certainly makes me consider the irritation of constant noise. Reverberatingly-loud gong sounds, crashes, trains rushing, violent strikes on violin strings all featured at times, making all the more urgent the idea of “searching for silence” – this may be a too-literal interpretation of the show on my part but it works.

When the sound softens and the lights become more amber than grey, the choreography turns sweet as two performers collide, depart, hold each other, lie on each other, catch each other, support each other and smile at each other as though they are children or young animals discovering the idea of play or friendship. I find these routines very moving.

It’s fascinating to watch such intense, focused and trusting teamwork on stage.

Finding the Silence is an outstanding show, the hour flies by, and I leave feeling thoughtful and energized.

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Finding the silence is a performance packed with mind-boggling feats of physical agility, totally uncluttered by flashy costumes or extravagant sets. The four members of Casus Circus tumble, hold, climb and balance their way through extraordinary acts of gravity defying grace.

Responsibilities are shared between the performers with each person taking the role of weight-bearer at different times. Finely tuned teamwork is an essential element as tumbling routines send them over and under each other with split second precision.

The show relies entirely on the audience being engrossed in the actions of the performers which are enhanced only by effective lighting and a dramatic sound track. This stripping back of extraneous window dressing makes this performance feel more human and relatable to the audience. 

Not all feats are performed to perfection, some acts require a repeated attempt and at times you can sense the base on the verge of collapse. This only increases your belief in the vulnerability of the performers and your sense that they are pushing themselves to the edge of their abilities and giving you every last bit of energy. 

I never quite grasp the connection between their concept of searching for that elusive silence and the performance. Maybe the fact that it transports me, as an audience member, away from the hectic world outside the theatre for that, too short, hour long performance is enough. 

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