With its impeccable technique, the company makes believe that flying is possible, but behind every stunt there is a great effort. LA VERDAD shares a training week with them
I don’t know how to do a handstand, either alone or with the help of the wall. Neither does the cartwheel, much less the bridge pine. I never dared that momentum and launched myself vertically thinking my hands could support all my weight upright. Maybe it was because of the fear of falling. Perhaps because of the embarrassment of the mockery of falling. With little experience in acrobatics and more embarrassment than fear, I got to see firsthand the effort and technique behind the magic of the circus.
UpArte is one of the best exponents of contemporary circus in the Murcia region. The acrobatic portés, the jumps, the benches – jumps in which the acrobats are propelled by their carriers, who join their hands to create a kind of seat – and the towers are specialties of this company, which has left the audience speechless for some time. decade with different shows. They presented themselves with ‘Everything fits’, with a fresh and humorous touch; they continued with ‘Áureo’, a show inspired by the divine proportion with which they created an atmosphere of harmony and balance; and his third proposal is ‘Desprovisto’, a creation that premiered last December at the TCM and which can be enjoyed in the Region in 2023 on various dates. LA VERDAD shared their education with them to find out what difficulties they face.
For UpArte, the show is a quest for liberation “from appearances, prejudices and roles”. Gisella Segatti, Guimelh Amaro, Paco Caravaca, Sofía Acosta, Daniel Luengo and Alma Montero show themselves “naked and vulnerable to the world, where we will always find the other in moments of doubt or danger.” And this last message, fine words aside, is the essence of the company, developing a work of complete confidence that allows them to run numbers even with their eyes closed.
Between mats, fabrics, slabs of armor, and “mini-trumps” of the Scenic Chimney, their rehearsal headquarters, the Bergbanks become masters of discipline and concentration. Having already juggled to balance their chaotic schedules as multi-employed performers, the six members manage to bring together several days of practice at the behest of Russian Vitaliy Motuzka, who heads the acrobatic lead, to refine a technique that looks impeccable. phase.
Besides the rehearsal venue, the Scenic Chimney, a space managed in-house by three of the artists -Sofía Acosta, Gisella Segatti and Guimelh Amaro- along with Flor Martínez, Nazaret Martín and Anjara Moreno, is also one of the widest and best doors to the circus in Murcia. There are classes for children, teenagers and adults and one can learn how to move between canvases and trapezoids, improve their flexibility, develop movement through contemporary dance and launch into the world of acrobatic movements, figures based on the balance between carrier and agility. Guimelh Amaro teaches this last course that I join for a few days to become Sofía Acosta’s shadow.
The Murcian actress, dancer and acrobat, although with a sweet and subtle Argentinian touch, a sign of her stay at the Rosario Municipal Circus School, explains to me that she will be my portora – one of the few women to play this role traditionally associated with men- and that will teach me the double height, a figure that consists of standing on the shoulders of the partner. Something that just thinking about it seems impossible to me. But I trust Sofia.
Soon the fright passes, with violence. Sofia’s proposal fitted the logic of what she had come to learn. What I didn’t have in mind is that during the first minutes of class Guimelh would prepare us with a workout that is hard to bear – for those of us who only suffer from the gym by paying the monthly fee – in a circuit based on weights, jumping, jumping, push-ups and all kinds of sit-ups.
With their bodies warm, the contestants begin to perform several flips and jumps in search of somersaults, always with the help and supervision of Guimelh and a large equipment of mats of all shapes and sizes. With each new variable I try to slip away, but Sofía insists on trying. Not only them, but also the participants of this workshop, young people who find their moment of disconnection in the Scenic Fireplace and who have created a close-knit group that welcomes the new members wonderfully. Perhaps part of the secret to the good functioning of the activity is the atmosphere that is breathed. A climate of confidence that carries over to every exercise and allows even newcomers like me to emulate the mythical scene from ‘Dirty Dancing’ in which Patrick Swayze lifts Jennifer Gray into the air in the final dance, as ‘The time of my life,” with the peace of mind to let yourself be carried away by who you know won’t let you down. There is trust, yes; However, when faced with complicated exercises, the partners take care of each other to avoid accidents.
With Sofía I do different exercises that allow me to play with balance and weight change in the body. I am fascinated by her strength to support me with her feet or even her hands while resting on the floor. He has power, but above all he knows how to use it. And patience.
As in classical dance, before our short circus demonstration, the acrobat explains to me that it is important to tighten the abdomen and buttocks, that is, tilt the hips or, more plainly, stick in the buttocks. In addition, the position of the dexter’s feet on the wearer’s shoulders is important, trying to find the heels behind the neck and applying force to maximize stability. The keys are simple; apply them all at once, for free. “Sorry, sorry,” I constantly repeat to Sofía. And again we practice different positions. Using the trellis as a support element, I manage to let go for a moment, Sofía celebrates and so do I, until my head plays tricks on me and commands me: “Wait a minute!”
I’m learning how to get in and out of that two-person human tower. Everything has its steps and if you follow them, nothing should fail. Little by little I manage to let go more and more. After three training sessions, it is time to demonstrate what has been learned. I decide this time I’ll get up and stay straight and do that for maybe two, three, four seconds? Don’t know. Until you enjoy the most again, the treacherous head says “until here”. And calmly I look for Sofía’s hands and I return to the ground with the feeling of having transformed fear into that dizziness that tickles your stomach. That much needed feeling that makes you enjoy what makes the adrenaline levels soar.
I am addicted to the circus. I have become addicted to UpArte. To Guimelh and Sofia. To his way of understanding acrobatics and his chimney with an exceptional atmosphere. By his ability to make the difficult and unthinkable seem easy and possible.
Source: La Verdad
I am David Jackson, a highly experienced professional in the news industry. I have been working as an author at Today Times Live for over 10 years, and specialize in covering the entertainment section. My expertise lies in writing engaging stories that capture readers’ attention and deliver timely information about the latest developments.
