Hands on performance high art

Circus

Hands some Feet

4 stars

Black Flamingo at Yagan Square

REVIEW CLARISSA PHILLIPS

How long can you watch a Fringe World show that involves only juggling, a tightwire act and a couple of skipping ropes?

My answer to that question is probably forever after seeing what Hands some Feet duo Liisa Näykki and Perth-raised Jeromy Zwick can do.

The staging is simple and the props minimal. It opens with balls scattered over the floor, which Zwick picks up and playfully throws in the air, while Näykki sings and plays the background music.

It’s not your average juggling act. Zwick contorts his body to catch the balls at all angles, in various joints and even on his face.

The juggling act isn’t reminiscent of clowning, rather, it’s a thoughtful piece.

When Näykki takes to the tightwire, there is not a step out of place.

It’s not the type of routine that will make you hold your breath in anticipation of a fall. Instead, you’ll tap your toes in time with Näykki while she dances, spins and slides along the tightwire while Zwick plays the digeridoo on solid ground.

Näykki and Zwick both shine in their individual routines, but it’s when they team up, armed with a pair of skipping ropes, that the performance becomes brilliant.

The ease with which they twist, turn and weave in and out of one another’s ropes will both bring you joy and leave you gobsmacked as to how they didn’t end up a tangled mess.

Hands some Feet is on until February 17.