Fiq! – what happens when circus meets gymnastics and tumbles into a DJ set: it’s magnificent or rather magni-Fiq! (Grand Opera House until Saturday 21 October as part of Belfast International Arts Festival) #biaf23

Take 15 acrobatic bodies that bounce and flip and spin, one DJ who provides a constant live soundtrack, a circling motorbike, 48 or more red Coca Cola crates, and a dance floor and billowing backdrop that rips apart, than add gymnastic talent, circus skills, passion and energy and you have something magnificent … magnifique … or just Fiq!

That’s the name of the energetic, tumbling and breath-taking show by Groupe Acrobatique de Tanger from north Africa (though troupe member Jemma joins via Scotland!) who are performing for two nights in the Grand Opera House as part of Belfast International Arts Festival. ‘Fiq’ translates as ‘wake up’.

I can close my eyes and imagine being able to do a cartwheel. However, during Fiq! I see performers effortlessly cartwheel on the spot, spinning themselves around in almost a blur. My imagination has nothing on their reality.

What begins like a dreaded school gym beep test, quickly becomes a playful dance exploration of how running back and forward in a straight line can be distorted and made a lot more fun. But the sight of the fifteen performers, dressed in blank, darting back and forth across the stage is only the start of the strenuous activity. Soon the long drapes are being pulled down, the dance floor is being ripped up, the costumes are becoming more colourful, performers are being flung in the air with a human trampoline, and we’re hearing about and watching expressions of freedom, strength in numbers, a fair distribution of wealth, and what happens when you give people autonomy over their bodies.

This is the kind of show that puts a grin on your face that lasts for the whole hour and a half of the performance. Magical Apple AirPlay allows us to see a performer eye view of being tossed around in the air. Even DJ Dino is taken for a spin and elevated out of the way like a magic carpet on the rise when the dancers take back control.

Fiq! is multi-disciplinary, multi-talented, and multi-lingual (with English surtitles conveniently projected above the performers for those moments when you want to check that you’re picking up the right message from the movement). It’s a very accessible expression of dance. Children and adults spontaneously applaud and cheer encouragement. Circus is a great gateway to dance. It emphasises the strength of performers and the remarkable repeatability of their movements.

Due to due to the conflict and the closing of borders, Palestinian circus performer Esam Sultan wasn’t able to travel to Belfast to open the show with his In Between. Festival hope that he can be part of next year’s programme. In his place, local circus supremos, Tumble Circus, have stepped in to perform before Fiq! takes to the stage.

At the end of a long day, Fiq! was a treat. You can catch the final show tomorrow, Saturday 21 October at 7.30pm in the Grand Opera House. Belfast International Arts Festival continues until 5 November.

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