CIRCA: HUMAN 2.0 Is Coming To The Wallis This Month

Circa: Human 2.0 is coming to the Bram Goldsmith Theater at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, CA Friday, October 18 at 7:30pm and Saturday, October 19 at 2:00pm.  A symphony of acrobatics, sound, and light, this is next level circus by Circa, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.  Tickets are now on sale at TheWallis.org. 
 
Ten bodies appear in a flash of light. They move in harmony for a fleeting moment and then descend into a sinuous trance. Towers grow and decay, bodies leap and are caught, as physical limits are pushed to their extreme.
 
Circa: Human 2.0 is this next chapter of Circa's internationally acclaimed Humans -- presented at the Wallis in 2019 -- a tightly woven choreography of bodies costumed by Libby McDonnell, pulsing with music by composer Ori Lichtik and revealed in Paul Jackson's dramatic lighting. Created by circus visionary Yaron Lifschitz, Humans 2.0 is intimate, primal, and deeply engaged with the challenge of being human.
 
The Conversation Australia said, “Circa's Humans 2.0 is mesmerizing … a seriously sensational spectacle: as aesthetic as it is athletic, as comedic as it is grave, and all in all, a visceral delight.”
 
ArtsHub said, “a sense of the ‘superhuman' when it comes to this incredible troupe and their spatial dexterity, their balance, elasticity and capacity to work as one … a riveting piece of physical theatre.”
 
BroadwayWorld said, “Yaron Lifschitz's production could just as easily have found an audience in London's high temple of dance Sadler's Wells … this is one for the thinkers, the philosophers and the ponderers who wish to consider the human condition, human frailty and humanity's future through the medium of human bodies.”
 
Robert van Leer, Executive Director and CEO of The Wallis, said, “Circa returns to the Wallis to celebrate their 20th anniversary this year, and continues to push artistic boundaries, blurring the lines between movement, dance, theater and circus.”
 
Circa is at the forefront of the wave of contemporary Australian circus – pioneering how extreme physicality can create powerful and moving performances.  Since 2004, from its base in Brisbane, Australia, Circa, one of the world's leading performance companies, has toured the world – performing in more than 45 countries to nearly 2 million people.
 
Their works have been greeted with standing ovations, rave reviews and sold-out houses across six continents. Fueled by the question “What is possible in circus?” Circa is leading the way with a diverse range of thrilling creations that “redraw the limits to which circus can aspire” (The Age).
 
Under the direction of Yaron Lifschitz, Circa features an ensemble of exceptional, multi-skilled circus artists.  They are a regular fixture at leading festivals and venues in New York, London, Berlin and Montreal with seasons at Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Barbican Centre, Les Nuits de Fourvière, Chamäleon Theatre as well as major Australian Festivals.
 
Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is located at 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills. To purchase single tickets, subscriptions and for more information, please call 310-746-4000 (Monday – Friday, 10 am to 6 pm) or visit TheWallis.org.
 
Circa acknowledges the assistance of the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body and the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.
 
Humans 2.0 is commissioned by The Mondavi Center, UC Davis.

Biographies

Yaron Lifschitz (Director) is a graduate of the University of New South Wales, University of Queensland, and National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA), where he was the youngest director ever accepted into its prestigious graduate director's course. Since graduating, Yaron has directed over 60 productions including large-scale events, opera, theatre, physical theatre, and circus.
 
His work has been seen in more than 45 countries and across six continents by over 2 million people and has won numerous awards including six Helpmann awards and the Australia Council Theatre Award. His productions have been presented at major festivals and venues around the world including Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Barbican, Les Nuits de Fourvière, Chamaleon and all the major Australian festivals. His film work was selected for the Berlin and Melbourne Film Festivals. He was founding Artistic Director of the Australian Museum's Theatre Unit, Head Tutor in Directing at Australian Theatre for Young People and has been a regular guest tutor in directing at NIDA.
 
He is currently Artistic Director and CEO of Circa, and was Creative Director of Festival 2018: the arts and cultural program of the 21st Commonwealth Games.
 
Ori Lichtik (Original Music) is a musician, member of the artistic crew of L-E-V Dance Company of Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar, DJ and drummer. Lichtik is one of the founders of the Tel-Aviv techno scene in the 1990s where he started his career as a DJ and producer of techno parties and raves. Since 2006, Ori has been collaborating with Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar as a musician in the artistic team. Rather than composing the soundtracks, Ori performs in L-E-V performances in which he constructs, plays and characterizes the music in each performance.
 
The uniqueness of Lichtik's work is the combination of the various musical worlds into an evolving and refined soundtrack, full of passion and groove, which alongside the choreography gives the spectator a complete and hypnotic experience. Lichtik soundtracks are influenced by different styles and textures, from industrial and African tribe recordings, through hip-hop to baroque music. Ori's music is one of the most prominent and unusual hallmarks of Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar's dance performances.
 
Over the years, Ori has created various works for L-E-V, dance companies and opera houses around the world.  Lichtik has created alongside Sharon & Gai throughout the choreographic process, reflecting off of the dancers' movements, and as often inspiring and prompting them with the tone and pace of his percussive sounds and rhythms.
 
Paul Jackson (Lighting Designer) is a multi-award-winning lighting designer and theatre maker whose work has featured across Australia, New Zealand, United States, Asia, Europe and the United Kingdom. Paul has designed lighting for The Australian Ballet, Royal New Zealand Ballet, West Australian Ballet, Berlin Staatsballett, Victorian Opera, West Australian Opera, Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, Gordon Frost Organization, TML, The Production Company, Bell Shakespeare, Playbox, Malthouse, Belvoir, Circa, Ballet Lab, Lucy Guerin, Chunky Move, World of Wearable Art New Zealand, KAGE, La Mama, Chamber Made Opera and many others. Paul was Artistic Associate at Malthouse Theatre from 2007–2013. Paul has received a Helpmann Award, two Sydney Theatre Awards, three APDG Awards, seven Green Room Awards and a Critics' Award for Theatre in Scotland.
 
Libby McDonnell (Costume Design) is a designer and choreographer and she is currently Head of Design at Circa. Libby works in diverse genres and forms. At the heart of her work is people and movement. Libby has a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honors) in Visual Art from Queensland College of Art-Griffith University and an Associate Degree in Dance from Queensland University of Technology. Her professional career has included performing and making independent dance work, as an Artistic Director of Ballet Theatre of Queensland and Choreographer for Blue Roo Theatre Company. For eleven years Libby has worked with the team at Circa to imagine, develop and deliver their productions locally, nationally and internationally. During her time at Circa she has designed costumes for over thirty productions, co-directed 3 main stage productions and led many of the company's engagement projects including the pilot of the Circability program.  Libby is based in Brisbane with her family.
 
Jason Organ (Technical Director) graduated from Queensland University of Technology in 1988 and has had an extensive career as a Lighting Designer, Production Manager, Technician and Rigger. He has worked with companies such as Queensland Ballet, Queensland Theatre, La Boite Theatre Company, Kooemba Jdarra and festivals such as Out of the Box, Qld Music Festival and Brisbane Festival. Jason was the co-founder of JLX productions, a lighting design and technical consultancy, based in Brisbane. Since2010 Jason has been working exclusively with Circa as Technical Director. In this time, he has helped deliver more than 20 new productions and toured to 31 different countries presenting Circa's work.
 
Asha Colless (Circa Artist) Growing up in Wollongong, Asha was introduced to circus at the age of six, taking classes at Circus Monoxide. Being in the air and flipping herself around quickly became her favorite thing to do, and this is where her love of performing came alive. At nineteen she decided to take her training further and study at the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA), specializing in hula hoops and silks. Asha also loves swimming at the beach, being in nature and a good book.
 
Maya Davies (Circa Artist) For as long as she can remember, Maya has always said “when I grow up, I want to join the circus”, and that's exactly what she did. She grew up between Australia and the United States, but Maya's circus training began at Cirkidz, in Adelaide at the age of seven. She has always excelled in both the arts and athletics, and was thrilled when she discovered that circus could be the perfect hybrid of both. This eventually led her to the National Institute of Circus Arts where she specialized in Partner Acrobatics and Chinese Pole, graduating with a Bachelors of Circus Arts. She is devoted to continue using circus as an art discipline; to tell stories, create striking performances, and explore physicality through an imaginative lens.
 
Malte Gerhardt (Circa Artist) The combination between concentration and explosiveness of partner-acrobatics has inspired Malte since he started to train circus arts at the age of nine in the South-west of Germany. In the following years Malte continued to develop his skills and started to teach various circus disciplines. At the age of 14 he successfully applied to the “Ballet-school and school of Acrobatics' ' Berlin and finished his vocational education 4 years later at CircArtiveSchool. With his friend and Base Benedikt Löffler he completed  his  final [MOU3] year of Codarts specialized in a rarely seen combination of partner-acrobatics and a one meter Globe.
 
Jordan Hart (Circa Artist) Jordan fell into circus at age 21 after seeing “A Simple Space” by Gravity & Other Myths at the 2014 Adelaide Fringe Festival. Coming from a sporty upbringing, the show left him feeling inspired and motivated to push himself and learn something new which led him the South Australian Circus Centre. He immersed himself in the world of acrobatics training with independent artists and members of the local performance troupe before leaving Adelaide to meet and train with other artists, both Australian and international. With a strong desire to play and explore, things eventually got out of control and he decided he wanted to make a career of it. Jordan worked with Wildhouse Circus, Outside The Lines Circus, Casus and then Time In Space Circus before working with Gravity & Other Myths. In his spare time, he enjoys letting people jump on him and carrying heavy things for strangers.
 
Oscar Morris (Circa Artist) From a very young age, Oscar's parents knew that sports weren't really for him, when they tried to enroll him in soccer but all he wanted to do was put on the uniform and sit on the sideline. Born and raised in Brisbane, Oscar fell in love with circus at the age of 8 when he was enrolled in youth circus classes at Flipside Circus. He trained primarily under Alex Weckes-Huck and Amy Stuart, specializing in various forms of ground acrobatics including hand to hand, banquine, and group acrobatics, as well as juggling. Since graduating from Flipside's performance troupe in 2021, Oscar has worked as an independent artist around Brisbane performing with companies such as Sparkle Society, Collective Circus, Counterpilot and Casus Creations. When not doing circus, Oscar enjoys listening, playing and writing music.  He plays several instruments including piano, double bass, bass guitar, guitar, percussion, and the smallest amount of trombone.
 
Kimberly Rossi (Circa Artist) Kimberley grew up in Queensland, and as a Brisbane local it didn't take long before she stumbled upon Circa. Beginning her circus training at age 13, in just 3 short years she was given the opportunity to be the first member of Fast Track, a program designed for young and aspiring performers within Circa. With the support of her family, Kimberley decided to leave school and pursue a career in the circus industry. Shortly after she found herself on a plane flying out to perform her first show, ‘Nocturne' in Seoul, South Korea. Over the years Kimberley has been a part of over 30 productions, visited some of the world's most beautiful locations and logged over 4000 hours in her favorite Video game.
 
Sophie Seccombe (Circa Artist) Sophie has loved free movement since she was born. Her slightly impetuous nature led her parents to enrol her in ballet lessons when she was two, and competitive gymnastics a few years after that. While formal training gave her a foundation, she preferred handstands in trees and acrobatics on the roof. Sophie discovered circus at the West End markets in 2021. Immediately enthralled, circus exposed her to a world where gymnastics could be meshed with artistic expression without constraints. After a year of coaching by members of Gravity & Other Myths, she began touring nationally and internationally in Rouge. Outside of acrobatics Sophie can be found listening to Mazzy Star and swimming in any body of water she can find.
 
Zachery Stephens (Circa Artist) Zachery began his circus career following in the footsteps of his siblings and aspires to one day perform alongside them. With a background in competitive gymnastics and Olympic weightlifting, Zachery is no stranger to lifting weight above himself and has a terrible habit of asking anyone regardless of size to stand on him. Undertaking his circus studies at the National Institute of Circus Arts, he has trained for 4 years as a hand-balancer and hand to hand base. However, his true love and the place where Zachery thrives most is in an ensemble, where he can explore group acrobatics in collaboration with creative movement. Zachery's ambition as an artist is to become as versatile as possible, to never become comfortable and most importantly, to show the world why circus is the most powerful and beautiful expression of what it means to be human.
 
Tristan St. John (Circa Artist) Tristan laugh's a lot, produces music and people always say he doesn't have an off switch. Since the backyard trampoline, Tristan has always wanted to fly! Teeterboard and trampolining were a part of his upbringing since the age of 10; not a spare second was spent off it! During the last 11 years, he has competed at national trampoline competitions, performed Teeterboard, Acrobatics and Chinese Pole to multiple audiences and has completed a Bachelor in Circus Arts.
 
Adam Strom (Circa Artist) Adam Strom started circus classes at the age of six in Brisbane, Australia. He trained in acrobatics, aerials and juggling for 11 years with Flipside Circus, while also developing his skills in dance, music and theatre. In 2014, Adam was accepted into the Québec Circus School in Canada, where he specialized in German wheel and continued training as many other circus disciplines as he could. Since his three years of circus school, Adam has created and performed in myriad productions around the world, including Midnight Circus, Crépuscule by Flip Fabrique, and La Galerie by Machine de Cirque.
 
About The Wallis
 
The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (The Wallis) was lauded by Culture Vulture: “If you love expecting the unexpected in the performing arts, you have to love The Wallis.” Broadway legend Patti LuPone, who was The Wallis' 2015/2016 Season Artistic Advisor, described the venue as “one of the best in the country, allowing for an unparalleled intimacy between [the artist] and the audience.”
 
Since its doors opened in 2013, The Wallis, located in the heart of Beverly Hills, CA, is a dynamic cultural hub and community resource where local, national, and international performers share their artistry with ever-expanding audiences. Distinguished by eclectic programming that mirrors the diverse landscape of Los Angeles and its location in the entertainment capital of the world, The Wallis has produced and presented nearly 500 theater, dance, music, film, cabaret, comedy, performance arts, and family entertainment programs, boasting nominations for 79 Ovation Awards and nine L.A. Drama Critics Circle Awards, as well as six architectural awards.
 
The breathtaking 70,000-square-foot facility, celebrating the classic and the modern, was named after philanthropist Wallis Annenberg, who's original $25-million-dollar donation was instrumental in transforming the beloved former 1934 Beverly Hills Post Office (on the National Register of Historic Places) into an arts complex. Designed by acclaimed architect Zoltan E. Pali (SPF: architects), the restored building features one of two sets of eight towering original WPA frescos, these by Charles Kassler, remaining in the entire California Federal Building system. The Wallis' lobby, now known as Jim and Eleanor Randall Grand Hall, serves as the theater's dramatic yet welcoming entryway to the contemporary 500-seat, state-of-the-art Bram Goldsmith Theater; the 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theater; an inviting open-air plaza for family, community and other performances; and GRoW @ The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education, where learning opportunities for all ages and backgrounds abound. Together, these elements embrace both the region's history and its future, creating a performing arts destination for Los Angeles area visitors and residents alike.

Photo credit: Pedro Greig

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