UK

SMASHED2

This is Smashed. But not the one you know.

In Smashed, the manipulation of the forbidden fruit took a sagacious look at the strained relations between seven men and two women, kindly flaying traditional juggling and contemporary circus.

Smashed2 is the dark art of juggling revisited. Turning the tables on one of the most celebrated contemporary circus pieces of the last decade. 7 women and 2 men. This is a tale of retribution. This is the same but different.

Inspired by the work of the great choreographer, Pina Bausch, director Sean Gandini and Kati Ylä-Hokkala have borrowed elements of her gestural choreography and combined them with the intricate patterns and cascades of solo and ensemble juggling.

Simultaneously evoking great pleasure and small disquiet, Smashed2 lightly disrupts the rigid conventions of etiquette, dress and body language. The result is a new hybrid of juggling which is performed with meticulous unison and split- second timing. This funny, inventive and characterful work is akin to dance theatre and will challenge your perception of contemporary juggling.

Formed in 1992 by world-renowned jugglers Sean Gandini and Kati Ylä-Hokkala, Gandini Juggling continues to be at the vanguard of contemporary circus, reinventing and reinvigorating juggling for the 21st Century. Gandini Juggling celebrates juggling in all its facets, exploring not just what juggling is, but what juggling can be. Currently an ever-evolving ensemble made up of a virtuosic core group of jugglers, they regularly expand to include up to twenty performers for specially commissioned events and performances. Gandini Juggling is based in London and for its performances invites talented jugglers from all over the world. In addition to performing, Gandini Juggling are very much in demand at leading circus schools, where they teach workshops, create performances, and support the next generation of circus artists. Alongside all this, the company publish their own books and DVDs, continuing to support the wider understanding of the beautiful possibilities of juggling, for jugglers and non-jugglers alike.