Arcane: Wheels of fortune roll into Waitangi Park

Arcane. Credit: Cie Les Philebulistes.

THEATRE: FRANCE

FESTIVAL OPENING NIGHT

Wheels of fortune roll into Waitangi Park

Take two giant wheels and two fearless French performers and the result is the jaw-dropping acrobatics of Arcane.

Les Philébulistes like to add an extra degree of difficulty to their somersaults, circus tricks and aerial acrobatics, so they choose to perform on a five-metre high, rolling double wheel.

Invented by trapeze artist Maxim Bourdon, Arcane’s wheel is much more than a mere prop. Like spiders on a huge web, the pair clamber over the structure, expertly propelling it around the stage.

As the performance progresses, the wheel becomes the catalyst for increasingly daring and original feats. Innovative French street theatre performers are always crowd-pleasers at the Festival: in 2010, Transports Exceptionnels’ duet of a man and his digger transfixed the crowds at Waitangi Park and Revolt of the Mannequins took over Wellington storefronts. Free events attracted 185,000 people (over half all attendees) for the 2010 Festival.

Les Philébulistes have awed audiences around the world; now it’s Wellington’s turn. A free, family-friendly event.

Arcane is at Waitangi Park from 24 – 26 February for the 2012 New Zealand International Arts Festival, Wellington, 24 February – 18 March. FREE.

ENDS

Sponsored by GO WELLINGTON

With support from Wellington Community Trust and the French Embassy

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