Recently, local stunt theatre group ECCircus (Explore Contemporary Circus) presented audiences with a special physical theatre experimental performance called Hand to Hand Project, offering an exciting and fresh experience through three separate acts – Try to Open, Kaleido Star, and One’s Religion – blending acrobatic skills and theatrical elements to explore emotions, strength, and faith.
ECCircus aims at making a cross-border fusion of theatre and circus. The group has taken on five trainees since the program started last year and they are looking for more interested local artists to join.
“Circus isn’t just about big scenes and thrills. It can also be an experience that connects deeply with people,” says Bobo Leong, the curator of ECCircus.
Try to Open: A Struggle of Mind and Body
In Try to Open, the audience is immediately drawn into the subtle dynamics of a couple’s relationship. The performance is inspired by Italian playwright Dario Fo and Franca Rame’s classic work, Coppia aperta, quasi spalancata, which explores the tension and power struggles between married couples.
Lead performers Carmen Kong and Bobby Leong integrate acrobatic movements into the story, making the tension between the couple the centrepiece, and enabling the audience to not only witness their physical actions, but also feel the emotional conflict.
“When I first read Coppia aperta, quasi spalancata, I could already see the image of a physical struggle between the man and the woman,” says Carmen, describing the inspiration behind the script. “I thought it had great potential to merge with circus elements.”
Her partner Bobby, who plays the husband, performs through limited words, instead relying primarily on circus techniques to express the struggle between the two, exploring the conflict between “me” and “us,” and delving into themes of compromise, sacrifice, and the awakening of self-awareness within marriage.
The most memorable moment comes when Carmen stands on Bobby’s shoulders, both maintaining a difficult balance and leaving the audience breathless as they anticipate the imminent collapse.
“This isn’t just a technical challenge, but a symbol of fragility and strength in love,” Carmen says.
“This is exactly the effect we aimed for,” adds Bobo, “to make circus an extension of emotions, not just a display of technique. We want the audience to truly feel that oscillation between fragility and strength in love.”
Kaleido Star: Unleashing Female Power
“I fold myself, and gently fold you too,” Sobrina Chan humorously describes her relationship with her partner Wendy Wong. Sobrina moves with cat-like agility, performing mid-air splits, while Wendy, though slender, possesses impressive strength, making her the “strongwoman” on stage.
The two performers, with contrasting personalities but complementary skills, create a clown show full of humour. Sobrina’s petite agility contrasts sharply with Wendy’s strength, and the audience is entranced by their playful banter, laughing throughout the show.
However, their chemistry wasn’t instant, Wendy admits.
“Our arguments weren’t limited to the stage. During the creative process, we frequently had heated discussions about differing ideas, even debating seemingly impossible moves,” says Wendy.
Sobrina believes that these creative “frictions” are what drive their collaboration forward. Starting from simple movements, they gradually challenged themselves, piecing together each small idea like a puzzle, until it formed a complete act. Even a simple clown gesture underwent numerous attempts and refinements, adding layers of tension and humour to the performance.
“Every argument deepens our understanding of each other and opens new breakthroughs,” Sobrina says. “This collaboration made us realise that creating together isn’t just about performing – it’s about choreography, prop design, music production, even costume making. We did it all ourselves.”
Despite the challenges, they display incredible synergy on stage, from high-level lifts to comedic interactions, leaving the audience in stitches.
“Our goal is for every member to not just be a performer, but also a creator,” Bobo comments.
One’s Religion: The Line Between Faith and Madness
The final act, One’s Religion is a one-man show that plunges the audience into a darker and more profound world.
Jason Fong stands alone centre stage with the spotlight on him. He’s not just a actor, but a devout believer, someone trying to connect with mysterious forces.
The performance is full of ritualistic elements, but it’s not a solemn religious ceremony, instead, it’s an absurd satire – Jason wears a clerical robe, exaggerating religious movements, only to break the solemnity with circus acts. It’s as if he’s telling the audience that faith isn’t untouchable; it can be questioned, even mocked.
The most ironic part of this piece is how Jason mimics religious rituals to satirise modern belief systems. He mixes elements of witchcraft, mythology, and aliens, creating a mysterious yet humorous atmosphere. He even jokingly sells “deep lunar water” to the audience, claiming it cures all illnesses, making them reflect on the spiritual scams in modern society through laughter.
“Religion and faith are ways to explore oneself and the world, but I don’t want to define them. That would be forcing an answer on to the audience,” says Jason.
Every move Jason makes evokes laughter, but it soon prompts the audience to ponder: Are we, like him, controlled by unseen forces? This dramatic performance is both amusing and unsettling. In contemporary society, does personal faith truly liberate us, or has it become an invisible shackle?
Finally, Bobo highlights the uniqueness of small folk circus groups like ECCircus: “We don’t have grand sets or flashy lights, but that doesn’t mean our performances aren’t spectacular. All along, we’ve been exploring our own tensions; we aren’t here to make jaws drop. We want the audience to feel that our stories and emotions genuinely resonate with them.”
