Raw Art

At the moment, one of the things making the rounds among my circle of circus folk is the work of the Raw Art alternative circus project. Aside from them being awesome and from Ukraine, as well as their repeated claim that circus can be alternative, I haven't been able to find out all that much about them. Their site is currently under construction and only offers links to videos.

From what I've seen, they represent the contemporary circus movement of Eastern European circus. In the world of circus that I inhabit, the idea of acrobats from countries like Ukraine and Russia is basically synonymous with being outstanding. And I assure you, it's a claim to fame that is justly deserved. Unfortunately, there is also a belief that circus from that part of the world is old school traditional, cheesy, and riddled with sequins.

Well, the artists at Raw Art take the skills and high level of technique that their culture's rich circus heritage has to offer, and aptly combine it with the edgy alternative style that is becoming more and more common in the West. Moreover, the acts they present range from classic disciplines like hand-balancing, contortion, and hand-to-hand, to unique and well-researched acts performed with apparatus of their own design. Not to mention the use of objects you wouldn't necessarily nod your circus cap to.

Like anything, some acts are more interesting than others. There are some that start off with great promise, but probably could have been a minute or two shorter. But that tends to be the case with any collected work.

From what I understand, Taras Pozdnyakov appears to be the artistic director as well as the person in charge of com. You can find links to all the Raw Art videos available online on his Youtube channel. This is definitely a collective worth checking out. Artistically, it may not be for everyone, but you can't argue with the technique and innovation.

To start you on your merry journey of discovery, I'd like to share J-Ropes!

Enjoy!