Kids and grown-ups are in for a quacking blast of feathers, sweetness, funny walks and dazzling pirouettes. Circa will be back in town with Duck Pond, yet another artistic mash-up, bringing together the worlds of circus, ballet and theatre, merging a classic dance piece and a well-known fairy tale. Let us have a little splashing around, a sneak peek behind the stories that inspired this show imagined by Yaron Lifschitz, Circa’s long time artistic director!

Two iconic stories in one
Propelled by amazing acrobatics, on the floor or high above, Duck Pond is roughly based on Swan Lake, a classic often deemed as the most romantic ballet of all time. Composed by Russian master Pyotr Tchaikovsky, it tells the love story between prince Siegfried and Odette, a princess who is transformed into a swan, cursed by an evil sorcerer. Premiered at the Bolshoi in 1877, throughout the years the ballet was staged by the greatest companies and interpreted by top dancers like Margot Fonteyn, who danced the main part in a 1963 production for the Royal Ballet. More recently, the masterpiece inspired numerous adaptations, like Mathew Bourne’s thrilling contemporary version, famously known for having replaced the classic female corps-de-ballet with an all-male ensemble. On screen too, there were quite a few adaptations of what was the first of Tchaikovsky’s three well-known ballets (completed with The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker), with its music being featured in a number of iconic films, from The Phantom of the Opera (1925) to Dracula (1931), and even a TV movie in the 1980’s. Fast forwarding to our era, most ballet and cinema lovers won’t forget the highly acclaimed Black Swan, Daren Aronofsky’s contemporary version of the classic released in 2010, featuring Natalie Portman in the main role.

Although there have been multiple versions of this ballet with various outcomes, most of them did not include a happy end. That is perhaps one of the reasons why Lifschitz chose to add into the mix Ugly Duckling, a tale written by Hans Christian Andersen, first published in the late 19th Century. As many of us may remember, Andersen’s story of transformation and acceptance ends up beautifully when the little protagonist turns into a magnificent white swan. Having been adapted numerous times for both stage and screen, the tale became widely popular in two classic short animations released by Walt Disney, a long time ago, in the 1930’s. Much later, in the1980’s, the story would splash into the world of contemporary dance. That was the time when choreographer Mats Ek created a scandalous parody which, like Duck Pond, drew inspiration from Andersen’s tale to stage his own version of Swan Lake. In a bold move, the Swedish pioneer transferred the beauty and magic of swans to a realistic world where the characters were portrayed as awkward and unattractive.

A creative mastermind
Bold moves and innovation have also pushed Circa’s flourishing around the world under the guidance of Yaron Lifschitz. This South-African born father of three (one grownup and two children) was raised in Sydney after his family settled in Australia in the 1980’s, where his artistic verve has developed amidst the thriving local contemporary circus scene. From large-scale events, including opera and physical theatre, to contemporary circus, he directed over 80 productions presented in more than 40 countries around the world, seen by millions. Eager for collaborations in every artistic field, Lifschitz’s company has been redefining the limits of circus. The creator never stopped experimenting, bringing an acrobatic dimension to masterpieces like Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, an experimental ballet that had inspired reruns for over 100 years, but never put into circus until Circa’s staging of Sacre, in 2022. A couple of years prior he directed the first acrobatic version of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, and in 2019 Circa ventured into the world of opera with the premiere of Orpheus and Eurydice in Brisbane, a show that reimagined Gluck’s influential piece. Featuring exquisite singing, the show was also described as a striking display of video design. The secret behind Circa’s enormous success lies vastly on Lifschitz’s ability to obtain a range of emotional responses from the audiences, coming up with different atmospheres, encouraging his casts to keep revealing new skills. And to achieve that, he has produced wonders such as Shaun the Sheep, an hilarious show for the whole family, or even darker productions like Depart, a haunting adventure that took circus artists, choral singers and electronic music on a “chilling” tour around cemetery sites in the UK, between 2016 and 2017.

Back in town
In Macao, Circa’s first visit, years ago, with Carnival of the Animals is certainly still in the minds of performing arts lovers. Back then, Lifschitz’s company brought us a colourful example of reinvention, reminding us that circus has contributed for the evolution of many other stage arts. The secret to keep stretching the boundaries is, according to the director, avoiding repetitiveness. “I am deeply mistrustful of anything that looks like a formula in the arts. You have to just go there and make it up, that’s the job of the artist. That’s very much how we base the company. It’s a series of adventures”, he said. As one of many such adventures, Duck Pond is a fine illustration of the company’s passion and commitment. Brimming with tumbles, handstands, backflips, spins and catches, the show captivates a vast audience, from kids to grownups. However, on its own, physical skill would not be enough to produce such magic on stage. Framed by neat lighting and beautiful music with hints of Tchaikovsky, the simple setting is filled with pretty, stretchy costumes, allowing free movement to the characters. From the golden-crowned Prince and the swans, to the funny duck flock that clumsily marches around on their yellow flippers, armed with orange mops, the show’s magic is magnificently produced to simply enchant us.