Circus, Dance And Physical Theatre Highlights At Assembly Festival 2018

Assembly Festival 2018 sees the return of an awe-inspiring array of circus, dance and physical theatre. From Fringe favourites to exciting newcomers and international acts, there is a wealth of spectacle, moments of grace and bold experimentation to be found in this world-class line up.

Montreal based circus collective, The 7 Fingers, return to the Fringe with not one but two shows at Assembly Festival: Sisters (European Premiere) and Reversible (UK Premiere). The award-winning choreographer and writer Gypsy Snider directs both, whose previous productions include Traces (Assembly Festival, 2015).

Premiering in Montreal in July, Sisters is a subtly absurd fable centered around the sisters' relationship, a fantastic realm of sounds, perfumed smells and images, interspersed with flavours of the circus. In Reversible, Snider looks to the generation who forged the world we live in today, whose stories form the basis for a poignant collaboration between theatre, circus, dance, music and acrobatics.

The creators behind Fringe success Driftwood (Assembly Festival, 2016) Casus Circus return with new work You & I. Casus present an empowering journey of love, circus and friendship to shine a light on how two men can relate without any preconceptions.

Recirquel Company, the creative minds behind 2017's Fringe hit Paris de Nuit, present a stunning new show, My Land. Expect a mesmerizing performance from exceptional circus artists, as their personal stories unfold into a grand tale of tradition, freedom and love.

Assembly are excited to welcome back to the Fringe Le Patin Libre with their Total Theatre award winning show Vertical Influences. Performed at the Murrayfield Ice Rink, the company move beyond the pure athleticism of ice skating to create works of art that explore the amazing choreographic and theatrical potential of glide.

This year will see the international premier of the joyful, cross-generational show Casting Off. Self-directed and hand-knitted, Casting Off is a non-narrative circus celebrating the lives of its three female performers, who tumble, fly, talk and perform acrobatics that are downright dangerous.

The ever popular Gandini Juggling, winners of the Herald Archangel award for Sigma in 2017, return with 8 songs and Gibbon. 8 songs charges through the mythical landscape of popular music, from Bowie, Dylan and the Rolling Stones. Gibbon takes a poetic approach, bringing the audience on a surreal and touching journey into human behaviour.

Sediment (Winner of "Best Circus" at Melbourne Fringe 2016) from Company 2 is inspired by excerpts from Fyodor Dostoyevsky's 'Notes from Underground'. The performers push the limits of physicality, in a reflection on the quirky, comical and sometimes dark nature of the human disposition to always question.

The Artist is a new solo work from the award-winning team behind Fringe hit The Pianist. From collaborators Thom Monckton and Circo Aereo, and directed by Sanna Silvennoinen, The Artist disappears down the daunting path of the blank canvas, searching for inspiration.

Exciting new media possibilities are explored in Erratica's entirely original theatrical experience, Toujours et Pres de Moi - a holographic puppet opera, two performers construct environments for spectral images to inhabit, telling a fractured tale of absence and regret.

Assembly Festival 2018 sees the much-anticipated return of Flip Fabrique with their sell out show of 2016, Attrape Moi (Catch Me). Back by popular demand are also the 360 Allstars from Onyx Productions, with a dazzling display of physical performance exploring all forms of rotation and Djuki Mala from Bond Creatives, winner of Best Dance and Physical Theatre Award at the Perth Fringe 2017.

For more information, please visit assemblyfestival.com

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