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Two circus artists have turned an 11-year friendship into a gravity-defying debut production that earned them a standing ovation from audiences.
Muika Dodd, 18, and Meya Donkers, 19, premiered Celeste at New Brighton’s Roy Stokes Hall, a contemporary circus performance inspired by the relationship between the moon and the ocean, on July 9-10.
The pair, who have trained together at the Christchurch Circus Centre since they were seven, took on every aspect of the production themselves, from directing and choreography to costume-making, marketing and lighting.
"We both wanted to create contemporary circus because other shows we've been involved in were more upbeat, clowning-style performances,” said Dodd.
"You don't see a lot of contemporary circus, and we both really love that style.”
While performing aerial routines high above the stage can look fearless, Dodd admitted the nerves never disappeared.
“There were nerves every single night, especially because some of the audience were people we knew.”
The hard work paid off.
Performances on the Thursday and Friday nights attracted crowds of about 100 people, with another 80 attending a daytime show on the Friday.
“When the curtain fell on opening night, the audience rose to its feet and we got a standing ovation. I’d never had one before,” said Dodd.
However, it was not all serious business in the six months of planning, fundraising, choreographing and rehearsing.
Dodd recalled one rehearsal mishap during a scene in which the pair pour a jug of water over themselves.
“I accidentally swallowed a lot of the water and spat it back out,” she said.
“Luckily there wasn’t an audience, but everyone backstage could see what happened and they all started laughing.”
Celeste explores tides, currents, storms, gravity and moonlight through aerial arts, acrobatics, dance and hand balancing, blending technical skill with an emotional narrative.
Both Dodd and Donkers are former Aotearoa Youth Aerial championship winners and have spent more than a decade mastering disciplines including aerial silks, lyra, trapeze, rope, straps, contortion, juggling and tight wire.
Creating their first independent production proved to be about far more than simply performing.
The duo launched a successful crowdfunding campaign, raising $3000 to help cover lighting, sound, seating and staging costs.
“We tried to like save as much money as we could. So all of our costumes we sewed things into to make them look cool,” said Dodd.
They also designed promotional material, printed hundreds of brochures and posters, and organised backstage detail themselves.
Dodd also highlighted the support of the Christchurch Circus Trust, which allowed the performers to use its equipment and provided backstage assistance free of charge.
Led by directors and professional clowns Chris Carrow and Lisa Wingfield who perform as the duo Carrot and Pickle, the charitable trust teaches circus arts to hundreds of students, including after-school youth programmes, adult classes, and aerial training.
“They’ve known me since I was like a kid,” said Dodd.
“They’re amazing. The Circus Trust is a community space, so they don’t make a lot of money off it, but they keep it as cheap as possible for everyone.”
Although the pair are taking a well-earned break after Celeste, Dodd already has her sights set on an even bigger stage.
“My big dream is to perform on a cruise ship,” she said.
“I’m not giving up on that. It’s going to happen.”