Animal, a circus experience with a spin on childhood memories and rural cliches, performed for one night only at the Regent Theatre yesterday, as part of this year’s Dunedin Arts Festival.
Speaking before the performance, Cirque Alfonse co-founder and artistic director Antoine Carabinier said the show was their first in New Zealand.
Bringing the show, described as featuring chickens that sprout teeth and ducks that give side-eye, to a country with a strong relationship to farming was pleasing.
"It’s pretty funny for us to come [to] a country that farm is really big and important."
The "family circus" — including his father, sister, brother-in-law and girlfriend — had toured around the world for nearly 20 years.
Having grown up on a farm with his parents, Mr Carabinier said it felt natural to create a show inspired by these memories.
"When we were young, we had sheep, we had ducks, we had a bit of every kind of animal.
"I think farm is really about family as well, and everybody can relate to that."
His father played the role of a farmer, while the rest of the cohort dressed as
’70s-inspired farm stereotypes representing animals.
Accompanied by three live musicians playing Quebec folk music, the 80-minute "day at a farm" featured acrobatics and comedy incorporating everyday farm props.
This included somersaults and a teeterboard upon a big tractor wheel, pitchfork juggling, and stunts atop a mechanical bull — some of which could get dangerous, he said.
"It’s not proper circus props.
"To juggle with stuff like that, it needs a lot of practice."
About a year of training had gone into the performance and, despite having toured Animal on more than 300 occasions around the world, it was always difficult and they were "never perfect on stage", Mr Carabinier said.
"You can see us sweat, shaking, but it’s part of why the audience likes it so much.
"It’s authentic — we don’t try to cheat."
