Leading European Art Centre Premiers Non Solus Online
Festispielhaus St. Pölten, Europe’s widely acclaimed performing arts centre premiers Non Solus online at 8 am on 26th March 2021. The powerful cirque danse piece created by Bence Vági, performed by Renátó Illés and Gábor Zsíros, tells the story of fragmented souls yearning to form a perfect union in an imaginary space spun from illusions. The recording made in Müpa Budapest can be seen free of charge till 2nd April on the website of the theatre.
Founded in 1997, Festspielhaus St.Pölten has by now become one of the leading performing arts venues of the continent, playing a key role in creating dialogue between traditional and contemporary genres. The theatre welcomes an audience of 70 thousand with over 70 productions per year, offering a colourful repertoire of different genres ranging from modern dance through international production to classical music and jazz. The outstanding dance performances they present attract visitors from all around Europe and the world: the cirque danse genre created by Bence Vági, founder and artistic director of the company and Recirquel fits well into this dance repertoire. Non Solusis Recirquel’s first cirque danse production that is now presented online from Friday 26th March till 2nd April 2021 on the website of the theatre.
Non Solus originally premiered in Hungary in 2015 in the Festival Theatre of Müpa Budapest. Created for two male performers, it reflects on humanity’s journey from birth to death depicted in the context of an apparently living, breathing, organic stage set. This symbiosis between living and non-living materials, between the artists and their setting, propels the story forward to its inevitable conclusion. The piece is performed by Renátó Illés and Gábor Zsiros, who were originally trained in circus and dance, respectively, and then cross-trained for the work. Non Solus is set to compositions by Bach, which alternate with contemporary electronic organ music—creating an aural space that underscores dramatic physical feats.
The production had its US premiere in New York’s prestigious Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), a leading centre of contemporary arts, where the audience was enchanted by the performance’s beauty and unique quality. The New York Times published two reviews about Non Solus within a few days, writing that the meditative, evening-length piece “is no circus spectacle. It’s more like ballet in the air.”