“The dance is a poem of which each movement is a word.” – Mata Hari.

Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod was undoubtedly a phenomenal woman. The original femme fatale, the performer utilised her artistic and exotic dancing elegance to enchant people throughout Europe to wide acclaim. Her courageous creativity and captivating feminine grace enraptured the world and this charisma eventually had her identified as one of the most famous spies of World War I.

She made history (HERstory) with her poetic dances and will eternally be admired and revered for her bravery.

The Taiwan based Eye Catching Circus production of #Since1994 is brave, beautiful, bewitching and bedazzling. A trailblazing female-led ensemble, the performers’ acrobatics are otherworldly. However, this is not just a showpiece that demonstrates the unbelievably incredible movements, gymnastics, choreography and physical manipulation; the six artistes have composed a narrative as well using symbolism to defy stereotypes of most notably, young women. They are shining a light on the complexities of modern society, they are undertaking a path of discovery and they are accomplishing this with a punk rock attitude and even HERoic humour.

The show begins in darkness and the performers gloriously glide out in astonishing silence. Each artist then commences to brighten themselves with the use of torches that emit a flashing glow in a hypnotic and powerful display. The quiet is then disrupted by the simple use of bouncing balls, the exhibition administers a theatrical trance on the audience until one of the characters “fake coughs” and apologises with an ice-breaking sense of comedy. In these first few minutes, the essence of the show is revealed to a degree and it is a wonderfully wild experience.

The presenters extraordinarily execute stunts that defy gravity and are above human body abilities remarkably. Juggling a table marked with Taiwanese characters translated to words such as: “Beauty”, “envy”, “discrimination”, “feminism”, “gender” and many more using only their feet is magnificently mystifying. The choreography is at times vivacious and even sensual, but the artistes are also more than happy to put the rock ’n’ roll horns up or even their middle fingers with punk rock vigour. Flips, human towers, handstands, swinging from the smallest body parts in inverted positions and bewilderingly this does include the splits – these are all performed without caution and gleefully. The production has an infectious energy that enraptures all within the venue, it is a story that you wish would never end.

The crowd interaction is exquisite; the artistry of body painting using lipstick delivers a compelling illustration of the numerous concepts and themes. It is also accomplished gracefully and even with intimate humour.

“The dance is a poem of which each movement is a word.”

This dance is beyond poetic and the movement leaves the spectators with one word:
“Speechless”.