- Title: FRANCE: CIRCUS ARCHAOS MAKES COMEBACK AFTER FINANCIAL COLLAPSE IN 1991
- Date: 14th May 1996
- Summary: PERFORMANCE - DANCE OF SEDUCTION INCLUDING RACHE RAPEZE ACT
- Embargoed: 29th May 1996 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVADREDUK1VNW2QJPMQAPU8T768
- Story Text: Five years after collapse into financial oblivion, anarchic French circus act Archaos has returned with a characteristic mix of eroticism, violence and hard rock.
Once infamous for dangerous acts such as chainsaw juggling and human fireworks, the show is still violent, raucous and wild, although it has dropped some of the more lethal stunts.
Paris saw the premiere of the new show "Game Over" on May 14 -- which exploress a world dominated and exploited by the phenomenon of television.
Archaos founder Guy Carrara explained: "The performance is like a big muddle inside someone's head after they've watched 20 television channels a day and read every single daily newspaper." The show present a frightening picture of modern life,the power and influence of technology and the hard edge of the city, all tinged with humour.
Former singer Creso, who has been with Archaos for one year, conceded the show has moderated its violent side but said the mix of music, theatre and cinema still thrilled and shocked the audience.
One of the original Archaos performers, Raquel Rache, explained the unique appeal of the circus as a spectacle. "Archaos is the most coventional circus in the world because it really does take risks. Circuses have always taken risks," she said. Rache has been with Archaos for eight years. Now pregnant, she still dances in the show, as well as taking care of costumes.
Freedom of expression is what drew 22-year old acrobat Benoit Belleville to the international troupe. "You can concentrate on more than the technical side of things," he explained.
All artists acknowlege the show needed to change -- in 1989, the troupe suffered 50 injuries, including a trapeze artist who broke six vertebrae and a human firework who needed plastic surgery.
But Archaos still takes risks, including BMX bikes doing flips and trapeze acts without safety nets, and Carrara does not want to eliminate the danger completely.
It has taken Archaos five years to recover, with 300,000 U.S.
dollars of help from the French government. In 1991 it went from being one of the most feted in the world to being more than 150,000 dollars in debt. The 28 nationalities employed in several huge shows touring three continents at a time were laid off and the motorbikes and chainsaws sold.
At its height, Archaos employed nearly 200 people, ran two circuses, a television company, a theatre set builder and a circus school. It also influenced traditional circuses which have been criticised for using animals.
After Paris, Archaos Circus will perform in London then tour France in Autumn. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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