Life-Cycle
The next show on the MTYP Mainstage is a wordless acrobatic performance about identity. Life-Cycle rolls onto the Mainstage from January 17th to 26th.
A man, returning home from a long time away, is on a journey to discover who he really is. An old yellow bicycle inspires him to keep moving. Life-Cycle combines acrobatics, puppetry, and digital effects to create a world where a simple bicycle can become pure magic.
In your press kit, it says: “Over time, we have developed a physical vocabulary, a method, a language that are our own and that have become the company’s signature. We talk about rhythms, speeds, amplitude, fixed points, momentum, suspension, acrobatics.” Which of these words came up the most during the creation of Life-Cycle? Why?
These words were present throughout the creation. Our way of writing shows is one of writing on stage. We create images from acrobatic movement directly in space. When we use movement, we have to talk about rhythm, fixed point, momentum and suspension. The dramaturgy is imbued with it. The difficulty with artistic cycling is keeping the rhythm. The rhythm creates a cadence and this becomes a support to lead to acrobatics. The bike has its own speed, so we had to vary the rhythms and modulate them according to the emotions through the more theatrical scenes. Like a symphony where the tempo varies according to the emotions.
What did you discover about bicycles during this process that was new for you?
We found out that there are different ways to ride a bicycle: on two wheels or on one, standing on the seat or upside down. Sometimes the bicycle can even ride on its own without a driver.
Is there something specific about the artistic bicycle in the show that differs from the kind of bikes that people generally ride?
The artistic bicycle has no brakes or gears. The chain is in direct contact with the wheel so you can pedal forward and backward. The pedals always follow the movement of the wheel and the speed at which the bicycle is going. This is one of the big differences between a normal bicycle and the artistic bicycle. All the other elements (saddle, handlebars, frame) are custom-made and have a particular shape adapted to acrobatics.
Why will Life-Cycle appeal to children? What are the messages and themes in it that you think will resonate?
This show will please both children and their parents because it touches on universal themes: family heritage, the relationship between parent and child. It is a family story, a story of memories filled with magical realism where objects come to life. Concretely, the show mixes circus, new magic, object theater, circus and acrobatics. Life-Cycle is a poetic show that moves, rolls, contemplates, touches and takes us on a journey through the space of a family life.
Life-Cycle opens on January 17th and ends on the 26th! Get tickets online or call our box office at 204.942.8898.
