Circa’s Sacre, Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring Gets an Athletic & Sensual Reworking

AUSTRALIAN CONTEMPORARY CIRCUS RETURNS TO BOSTON WITH A DANCE/CIRCUS HYBRID

Igor Stravinsky’s epic 20th century composition Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) gets a poetic, raw, and acrobatic overhaul in Sacre, a distinctive hybrid dance/movement performance by acclaimed Australian contemporary circus company Circa. Sacre is presented by Celebrity Series of Boston on February 9, 10, and 11 at 8 p.m. at the Boch Center Shubert Theatre.

Created by Yaron Lifschitz and the Circa Ensemble and directed by Lifschitz, the work takes inspiration from Stravinsky’s original ballet score depicting a series of pagan rituals that welcome spring’s earth-bound renewal. With its minimal aesthetic, Sacre centers on a group of 10 performers moving in and out of a single white spotlight, focusing attention on the extraordinary athleticism of the troupe.

In partially improvisational solos, duets, and full-company segments, the artists toss themselves and others into and out of the light, perform duets that mix balancing feats with sensual moves, and build jaw-dropping human architecture up to three people high. Individualism and interdependence are echoed in the feats of strength; group movements around the spotlight perimeter suggest secret rituals. Stage pictures and physical structures evoke botanical, floral, and DNA images.

As Sacre progresses, performers shed suits and dresses for more body-baring costumes that underscore tensions built into the original music and this interpretation. The production begins with a contemporary soundscape by Philippe Bachman that suggests aspects of The Rite of Spring, particularly its aggressive drum-driven beat, dissonance, and off-kilter accents. Traditional orchestrations appear in the 65-minute second half, where suggestions of ritual and sacrifice intensify. H

Sacre plays at Boch Center Shubert Theatre: Thursday, February 9; Friday, February 10; and Saturday, February 11, 2023, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $49 and are available online at celebrityseries.org.