Traces

I arrived in Dublin anticipating severe jet lag because that's been the case the past two times I flew over. I was so certain I would be exhausted that I didn't book any tickets for that first night in town. Much to my surprise, I was able to take a brief nap in the afternoon and then get a little work done. I even went to coffee with Pippa and Gabry. Later that night, as I was getting myself dinner in town, I decided to see if there were still tickets for this acrobatic performance Gabry had seen. And so I went to see Traces.

As it turns out it was a wonderful combination of circus skills, dance, and dialogue. The performers started training at early ages which meant the cast was all in their early 20s but could perform with the passionate precision of someone who has been studying for 15 years. They combined personal stories and anecdotes with hilariously timed exchanges. They did tumbling, weight transfers, flips, lifts, pole climbing, dancing, skateboarding, and played music.

This production took the elements that I love about circus (that is, the immediacy and truthfulness of it) to another level by incorporating so many diverse abilities into one performance. Part of my pleasure in juggling and feats of human strength and agility is that these things are actually happening and are not easily faked. There is an honesty and tenacity to these performers and it was a pleasure to bear witness.

The bonus was learning that four of the five performers trained in San Francisco at the circus school and the co-director has ties to the New Pickle Family Circus. It is still funny to me that I went halfway around the world to see artists that trained in the same area where I lived. It definitely made me proud to see local folks being successful.