A Briefing on Bouleversement
bou·le·ver·se·ment (bül-ver-s&-män)
n.
- Reversal.
- A violent disturbance: disorder.
The idea for Bouleversement came about around the middle of fall semester 05 after Circus Folk Unite had been established as a club for only a few months. We had spent much of the semester so far playing and learning new skills and figured it was about time to show our fellow students just what we could do. Though some preliminary planning for the show took place throughout the rest of the semester, the bulk of the show wasn’t actually created until January. Those troupe members that were still at school during Hampshire’s cold and lonely Jan-term got together and dedicated much of their time to intensive training and planning necessary to make Bouleversement a reality.
The overarching theme of Bouleversement is “revolution.” It follows the story of a band of revolutionaries as they take a stand against their suited oppressors. Through protests and riots, rallies and police brutality, the revolutionaries persist and press on, finally coming to a tense and decisive final confrontation. The story is told through a creative mix of tumbling, acrobatics, acrobalance, dance, trampoline, juggling, poi spinning, contact juggling, hula-hoop, contact improvisation, clowning, and tango.
Despite having only one actual performance (on Super Bowl Sunday nonetheless), Bouleversement was a huge success with over 300 curious students, friends, professors, and parents filling Hampshire’s Red Barn to its ultimate capacity. In fact, so many more people came than was expected that audience members were met with standing room only, spilling over into the aisles that the performers needed to use during the show!
