Circa's 'Wolf': Grit and brawn at Jacob's Pillow

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Lisa Goldsworthy of Circa Contemporary Circus shows her fangs in "Wolf" on Wednesday night at Jacob's Pillow. (Photo by Christopher Duggan)

​Circa Contemporary Circus went deep into the forest to draw out one of its most misunderstood and mystifying creatures – the wolf. And in its U.S. debut of “Wolf” at Jacob’s Pillow on Wednesday night, this Australian company of 10 acrobats astounded with strength and grace in a ferocious evening-length work.
 
Choreographed by Yaron Lifschitz in collaboration with the ensemble, “Wolf,” the audience is told is based on research on the canine in the wild. And what came across, was a clannish group that is playful, loyal, and sometimes cruel. And all of it – the depiction, the movement, and the accompanying sound design by Ori Lichtik – fascinated.
 
Set on a plain backdrop onto which color of any kind could be projected, the work began with a sole performer curled in a ball and suspended from aerial ropes. Another stood nearby at military-like attention, watching the horizon. As she rose and fell from the ropes – in movement both smooth and harrowing -- the other became engaged in what is a preview of “Wolf.”
 
It can be best described as dancers climbing on and falling into other performers to a constant momentum of a drum roll. And the variations of this never ceased to astonish.
 
While watching, those in the audience gasped at much of the action. But what I found intriguing was the relationships between the players as they depicted the wolves as they ran, played, hunted and most importantly, in the end, united in a coordinated pack.
 
In one section, wolves injected themselves between a mating couple – as it happens in the wild. In another, they bounced off each other in a unifying romp. And in the end, as they hunted, their shoulders rose and fell menacingly as if stalking prey.
 
The ensemble also built these human towers – performers standing on shoulders, standing on shoulders. At times, another would fly out of seeming nowhere to be caught midflight on this totem. Here, the wolves were seemingly seeking higher, safer ground.
 
While all of the performers were mountains of brawn and grit, one stood out. Barney Herrmann was the lone wolf – launching himself into the air and crashing down to the floor again and again. It was a punishing solo that emphasized loneliness does not equal weakness.
 
In the end, the wolves were all together, pulsating to a rhythm as they stared at the audience, telling them beware and respect.  
 
Circa Contemporary Circus certainly has earned that esteem.