Below Zero is a Swedish circus company that combines artistic expression with a Nordic feel. For this year’s Cirkusmania festival in Stockholm, they performed In Praise of Shadows – a visually captivating acrobatic performance celebrating the shadows both within and around us.
On a freezing Stockholm evening, Below Zero successfully delivered a wholesome experience, bringing the frosty Nordic outdoor atmosphere indoors.
The artistic group gave the impression of a living, breathing organism that moves as one. With bodies synchronised with music to an utter degree, the folkloric sounds provide a full-blown immersion into the carefully threaded world of shadows. The audience is invited to step into the aesthetically pleasing curation of balance, intuitive interaction and challenge.
One of the major wins of the show is being funny without a classic circus repertoire. No red noses, polka-dot overalls and lion tamers. Just good physical comedy and acting.
At the same time, In Praise of Shadows carries a deep emotional message. Throughout the performance, trust works as a unifying thread that ties people, stories and places together. Being the core element of a community, one could almost feel the trust without borders among the artists. The element of trust also served as a security measure for the openly risky, demanding acrobatic figures that were causing occasional gasps and exclamations from the audience. Altogether, it created a steady, reliable communal feeling that can lift you up or bring you down. Quite literally in the acrobatic world!
As the storyline unfolds, the audience understands that the community that once supported you can easily turn against you. In fact, it can make you question yourself and seed doubts about once-believed facts. This way, a particularly powerful part of the narrative depicts the man and his shadow self. Battling through internal disagreements, you can’t help but relate to the ups and downs most of us face from time to time. Eventually, we learn that the harmony doesn’t mean uniformity or lack of differences. Instead, it’s about a functional coexistence of those differences and self-identification because the shadow self is not a rival but a friend. The name of the performance, In Praise of Shadows, perfectly summarises the underlying motive and hints at a potential solution – praise and cherish your shadow self to keep the balance.
My favourite part of the show is when one artist starts to behave oddly in the eyes of others. With everything in his body language highlighting the differences between him and them, Below Zero explored the ideas of control, emotions and conformity. Do we need to control our emotions? What is a healthy outlet for your oddness? Food for thought, of course. In my interpretation, it presents quirkiness as a way of living and a normalised approach. The oddness comes from the eyes of the observer, not the doer.
From a composition perspective, I can’t help but highlight the organic transitions between the sections. With high- and low-energy parts flowing into each other, the audience experiences a well-crafted, thoughtful performance with few repetitions. Simultaneously, the artists fulfilled different functions and showcased their best without being monotonous. Everyone brought in something personal and was shown in a different light. Combined with simple but striking props like a flowing piece of fabric moving across the stage and eventually creating a dress, the minimalist techniques impress with their scale.
Below Zero is a collective that regularly performs in Sweden and abroad for events and private bookings. If the Nordic-inspired, reflective and visually striking performances sound intriguing, don’t miss a chance to see them live!
Photo: Anders Klepp
