Juggling the way of the sun

Romain Timmers and Sharanya Rao. Pic/Piero Cefaloni

The spread of virtual reality, Romain Timmers confesses, scares him a little. A performance artiste who trained for 10 years in ballet and music theory, he now manipulates objects in motion. There is an old-world charm to his art - a mix of skill and movement. On the Bonjour India 2022 tour, Timmers' new production, Analemma, showcases this contemporary and unique art form.

The title, he reveals, comes from the asymmetrical infinity symbol that can be traced in the sky based on the sun's annual movement. The Pondicherry-based Timmers says, "The sun is the first cause of life." Its movement served the inspiration for tonight's act, put up together with Sharanya Rao, a movement trainer, at the G5A Warehouse.

Rao says, "Entering a juggler's world has been challenging but interesting. I am getting to understand more about how to move objects, where they become an extension of you." This is Rao's second taste of the stage with Timmers, after their earlier production, Alchemia. "The challenge is to communicate through the performance in a way that it is not literal. At the same time, it must resonate with the audience," she adds.

As stunning as it will be, the performance is a far throw from the old form of circus acts. With its mix of dance forms, movement art and music, Timmers' show is a more contemporary take on the ancient community art. "It is still a way to mesmerise people with some technical skills, but we use the skill in order to fill the storyline, and mix different skills together to make it less segmented," he explains.

In an increasingly virtual society these live performances are necessary, Timmers insists adding, "The feedback I get from the audience is that they get hypnotised by some props we use, and it takes them on a journey."

On Today, 7 pm
At Black Box, G-5/A, Laxmi Mills Estate, Shakti Mills Lane, Mahalakshmi.
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Cost Rs 500