Lifschitz, who admits that the world of circus is “not really a place for a nice Jewish boy,” was brought up in a traditional Jewish environment in Cape Town to South African parents, and says his current role came about through “a weird mixture of a calling and happenstance.”
Yaron Lifschitz. (Circa)[Missing Credit]
“My grandfather was born in Lithuania, so I had that in the background of my background,” he says. “We moved to Australia when I was 10. My father was never very comfortable with the situation in South Africa so I think he was pretty keen to go and find a different kind of political environment. We moved to Sydney – my father was a headmaster of Jewish day schools and there was an opportunity for him to found a Jewish high school, so he did that.”
In Australia, Lifschitz trained as a theatre director but found the work uninspiring: “I didn’t really like plays that much. I found them boring and they struck me as dull. I decided I was going to give that up because I wasn’t really sure what to do with my life. Instead, I went into a range of different things: I worked in museums for a while and somehow found myself working in circus and live performance – I thought that was interesting and it appealed to me, so I’ve been doing it ever since.”
He cites his early Jewish education and upbringing with having a profound effect on the work he creates: “Philosophically, energetically, in terms of its love of questions, its love of thinking differently and not being afraid to question and to pull things apart, it is foundational for me. What I took from my early days when you are going to a Jewish school and you are saying the Amidah twice a day and laying tefillin, and doing things that have ritual, purpose and gravitas made me crave that in the experience that people have when they come together."
Circa's 'Wolf'. (Andy Phillipson)[Missing Credit]
He adds: “I’m not saying what we do is a religious experience because it’s not, but I think it is informed by a sense that what we are doing here is valuable and important and has weight to it. We need to treat it with care and respect as well as making it exciting. I think that, for me, is a very powerful part of the art form that we work in.”
Was he ever tempted to don a unitard and take to the air like members of his 31-person-strong troupe? “Oh, God no! I’m about as physical as a turnip,” Lifschitz says. “You never want to see me do anything physical. All circuses, particularly contemporary circuses, have got fabulous artists, lots of beautiful young people doing amazing skills. What Circa tries to bring to it is real depth and sophistication. We try and make work that is emotionally resonant and connected – work that is very much about relationships, connectivity and questions.”
The other show Circa is bringing to the UK is Wolf, which Lifschitz says is nothing like the refined, precise Art of Fugue. “Wolf is energetic, rambunctious, it’s anarchic, it’s fun. Wolf is like its electronic music: it’s powerful, it doesn’t in any way compromise, and it has lots of big energy, big emotion.”
Perhaps a trip to the circus is what everyone needs in these worrying times. Lifschitz acknowledges there are no easy answers to the issues plaguing the Jewish community and, while he was raised in a family and culture “that loved good robust argument and debate,” he laments the loss of the ability to disagree with respect. “I don’t see how we solve the problems if we can’t talk about them. I think this is a very complex time in a very complex region in an increasingly complex world. It would be great if we could find solutions that would lead to lasting peace and justice, but…what it takes to get there clearly not everyone agrees on.”
It may be over 20 years since Lifschitz created Circa, but he is still inspired by the jaw-dropping feats of his troupe. “Mostly I love watching young acrobats grow and become great versions of themselves, I find that really rewarding. I’m not a perfectionist; in fact, perfection bores me. I’m just somebody who understands the power of art when it is really right. You walk past a picture in a gallery or you hear a song or a piece of music and it connects – it has got some sort of force and resonance. Our job is to try and create those mesmerisingly powerful moments where you think, wow, I’ve just encountered something and it is amazing. These are difficult things to get right, so when you get something really right, it feels pretty spectacular.”
Circa is performing at the Southbank Centre in Art of Fugue on April 24 and 25 and in Wolf at The Lowry on April 29 and 30 and at the Norfolk & Norwich Festival from May 13 until May 24
