Edinburgh Fringe 2024
Ten Thousand Hours
A Simple Space, Gravity & Other Myths
Genre: Circus, Dance, Physical Theatre
Venue: Assembly Hall
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Eight world-class acrobats investigate physical skill: how we obtain it, how we perfect it, and how it can transform our lives. Accompanied by pulsating and vibrant music, they literally reach heights not only in skill level but nearly touching the ceiling in physical pyramids.
Review
From Adelaide, Australia, circus and physical theatre stars Gravity & Other Myths return to the Edinburgh Fringe with a new work. Entitled Ten Thousand Hours, eight world-class acrobats investigate physical skill; how we obtain it, how we perfect it, and how it can transform our lives.
Gravity and other Myths – this troupe definitely defies gravity. Balancing on one leg while stepping from one colleague’s head to another just had me shaking my head. Thrown into the air in the confidence that someone across the stage will catch you. Terrifying. The bravery. The strength, The balance. The trust. They need all of that within the troupe to be able to execute a performance at this high level.
The concept of the “10,000 Hour Rule” is a common belief that it takes approximately 10,000 hours of dedicated practice to become an expert in a particular field. This idea was first introduced by psychologist Anders Ericsson in his 1993 study “The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance” and championed by bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell. To master the acrobatic skills demonstrated in the production, the idea is that each participant will have spent the requisite 10,000 hours practicing and honing their craft. There is a large LED countdown of time on stage to emphasize the theme of time.
That kind of dedication requires a laser-focused life. Performers trade family time, excursions with friends, vacations, dinners out, and more, for training sessions, dance lessons, late night practices, workouts – and, hopefully, massages.
Director Lachlan Binn: ”Ten Thousand Hours is about the excitement of learning something new. Our artists have spent their lives in the pursuit of mastering their craft, whether that be acrobatics, gymnastics, music, or dance and their journeys share remarkable similarities. There’s the excitement of the first steps, the frustrations as skills become more and more challenging, the elation at a breakthrough, and the resulting surge of progress.”
But it goes beyond the drilling and mastery. The acrobats have developed a synergy, a communal style, unspoken communication that raises the level far beyond the individual’s technique. They work in tandem like a well-oiled machine, with confidence and the joint pursuit of excellence. They literally reach heights not only in skill level but nearly touching the ceiling in physical pyramids. Every nuanced move is practiced, perfected, and consistent. Their safety depends on it.
There is something about watching these elite acrobats that raises your heartrate, makes you grip the hand of the person next to you as you are silently cheering for a performer’s safe landing, and stops your breathing as the artists soar into the air. The show stirs emotions and touches the soul.
There are comic moments and some cheeky routines, like when the acrobats take on the personalities of cats. People in the audience are invited to shout out animals for the athletes to imitate. Someone is chosen from the crowd to design stances for the acrobats that they must try. All of that serves to highlight the strong bond among the performers and their dedication to not only demonstrating their outstanding skills but also connecting with their audience on multiple levels.
The accompanying music is perfectly synchronized with the stage routines. A single drummer works with loops as well live drumming to add pulsating and atmospheric music.
This is not Cirque du Soleil. There are no fancy costumes and characters. It is a raw display of phenomenal talent, unencumbered by external trappings. It is all about the body, what it is capable of doing, and pushing the extreme limits.
Throughout the program the artists have defied gravity and stunned the audience with incredible feats of strength and agility in a mesmerizing performance. At the end of the show, you are either glued to your seat in utter amazement or jumping to your feet to give them a standing ovation. Either one would be understood by these extraordinary performers.
The show is definitely family friendly. However, if your little ones want to try flying through the air, make sure you have a lot of mats for landing.