Backbone by Gravity & Other Myths

This show was unbelievable. Using circus, acrobatics, gymnastics, dance and movement, the performance was unlike anything I have ever seen before. The troupe is enormously talented and brilliant at what they do.

There were points where the performers seemed to do the impossible. Three people stood on top of each other balancing on each other’s heads. A performer skipping, but not over a rope, she is skipping over a fully grown adult. A human pyramid. Balancing an enormous pole on their foreheads for 10 whole minutes. The body contorting in ways I didn’t know was possible. Amazing.

As much as the stunt work by these thrill-seeking acrobats was hugely impressive, the story of Backbone was equally hard hitting. The plot evolved around the idea that it took the collective to achieve over the individual, but often the collective was made up of those who had privilege, money and power. The individual was stuck carrying the burdens, and weighed down by their own societal background. It made their ability to achieve much more difficult, whilst the privileged one-percenter city dweller quickly rose through the ranks to the top.

It highlights the problems with our society that the most talented aren’t the ones in the top jobs. Likewise the ones in the top jobs aren’t necessary the ones who have the skills. The hardworking enthusiastic lower class individuals who are talented in their work with the skills will often end up stuck in monotonous unskilled jobs.

The show also highlighted that those who follow the crowd are treated more kindly and given more opportunities than those who are unique, individual and special. It highlighted that society favours those who fit into it, who are able to slot into the existing world engine and those who cannot fall by the wayside. It was a powerful show with incredibly talented performers.