Canadian Circus Troupe to Perform at Uijeongbu Festival


Celebrating its eighth anniversary starting Friday, the Uijeongbu Music Theater Festival has invited a hip new Canadian circus performance to serve as its opening act.

``Loft,'' by Canadian circus troupe Seven Fingers, will launch the 16-day festival. Performance groups originating from eight other countries will also take part.

Seven Fingers is comprised of seven circus artists also serving as actors, dancers, singers, musicians, directors, writers and choreographers.

After years of performing in the world's finest and most renowned circuses and cabarets, they decided to pool their multiple talents and experiences to form a company true to their ideals of communal creation and their vision of circus at a human scale.

The performances take place in a surrealistic universe, filled with the balletic beauty of awe-inspiring aerialists, the startling precision of amazing jugglers, the breath-taking exploits of graceful acrobats, and the wit and humor of seven young international circus performers.

The seven fingers, four women and three men who inhabit an imaginary loft, find amusement in objects as diverse as apples and knives, bathtubs and shoes, entertaining each other ― and, indeed, the audience ― with acrobatics, juggling, clowning, aerial acts, poetry and song, all performed with gusto and amazing artistry. As in life, the mood changes from intensely romantic to chaotically anarchic.

The Loft kicks off the festival Friday at the Grand Theater beginning at 8 p.m. The festival continues until May 16. For more information, visit http://www.umtf.or.kr.

To get there by car or taxi: From Exit 2 of Uijungbu Station line 1, go straight. Take a left turn at Shinheongro western station toward a public health center, and then take a right turn at Gyeonguiro KT entrance to the city hall. Again, turn right in front of Uijeongro art center toward the court and city hall. Taxi cost is the base fare of 1,900 won.

johnredmond@koreatimes.co.kr

[The Korea Times]04-29-2009 17:00/By John Redmond
Contributing Writer