Jessica Harris gets physical at the Minerva Works.
As the venue for TILT, Birmingham’s very own annual aerial and physical theatre festival, the Minerva Works in Birmingham is pretty rough and ready. But the intimacy of the space, the experience of being up close to the performers, the fact that you could almost feel the sweat of their hard work, all made for something special.
TILT’s Pro Night was an opportunity for those who have been running classes for young and old over the Festival week to show off their skills to a wider audience in a night marked by diversity, athleticism and a mesmerising allure. Seven different acts, all notable for their sheer physical accomplishment and their artistry, swept you along and left you wanting more.
Angeliki Nikolakaki from Greece gave a thrilling performance on a pendulous hoop. High above the stage, she moved from upside down splits, to suspending herself from the hoop purely by her ankles.
Anastasia, aerial artist and gymnast from Ukraine, displayed her versatility on the hoop and performed a beguiling routine of floor acrobatics, particularly impressive since the floor had little, if any, spring in it.
Other pieces had a metaphorical element. Kim Wildborne’s performance of aerial acrobatics on silk was an elegy to our contaminated environment. As she ascended the silk, so she pulled with her a netting full of discarded plastic. As she descended, she became entrapped in the detritus. The compelling imagery of the piece, as well as her physical prowess, lingered in the memory.
Felix Fogg portrayed the inner thoughts of a mouse on London’s northern line with humorous physicality. As the mouse aspired for something better and higher than its current position, so he climbed and performed on a Chinese pole.
The final piece, which combined contemporary dance with break-dancing, was delivered by Company Apidae. Exploring undertones of confrontation and tension, the piece was well performed. It will be interesting to see where this company takes its work in the future.
Despite the lack of theatrical devices, each performance in TILT’s Pro Night was a piece of theatre in its own right, captivating and thrilling. TILT is finding a space for high calibre artists in the specialist field of aerial and physical theatre to perform and share their skills with others. And it is great to see Birmingham as a focus for this work.
Kim Wildborne, Director of West MidlandsCircus Centre, Artistic Director and CEO of Rogueplay Theatre, and Producer of TILT23 Festival, is clearly not afraid of putting in the work that an event of this sort requires. Not only did she perform, but she MC’d the event, acted as stage manager, and – who knows – probably did the lighting as well.
TILT23 ran from 10th to 16th July. Watch out for its return in 2024. Further information can be found at tiltfestival.com.
Pics – Richard Battye.
