Falling Christian in control

Christian Schooneveldt-Reid was always comfortable taking the more difficult path and he walked it…. on his hands!, The difference from other kids was he didn’t grow out of this different perspective of navigating the world and even startled and shocked a neighbour by the dangerous act of jumping off a roof! It seems with such extreme early experiences Christian would be destined to become an acrobat and circus performer.

Christian has a genetic predisposition to perilous performing, with a great uncle, a member of a circus that toured Europe in the 60s and 70s and his great grandfather gravitating as a gymnast.

Christian is a regular visitor to Tasmania for the circus festival and the ironically the ‘Falls’ festival. In fact it was at Falls last year, while on the peninsula he experienced the fires. This year he aims to return there to collect the swimmers he left at a friend’s house and also if time allows, to take up where he left off and enjoy some of the beaches.

Circus and acrobatics, Christian explains, are areas of skill and entertainment that are growing in popularity and are continually evolving. Now, there are circuses without animals and the focus is on the skill of the acrobats.

Like the circus in general, ‘Controlled Falling Project’, the production the troupe are bringing to Tasmania, is a continually evolving project. Christian says that the title was thought up by the group because acrobats like to be in control and at the time of coming up with the title it was still a ‘project’ in its early phases.

I ask Christian about the importance of trust in his act and he says there are two kinds of trust, trust for one’s physical wellbeing and goes without saying in a project like this and is therefore played out subconsciously. The second kind of trust is trust in your fellow performers to not only be there for you physically but also to be there for you emotionally. When you are out on the stage you are in a vulnerable position in performing acrobatics.

Christian says that he hopes audiences will be entertained by the shows ‘quirky, grace daring’ and something ‘beautiful’ and also the occasional laugh or two.

I wonder what safeguards are in process should there be a minor mistake in the show. Christian says the key is in the live music accompanying the show which can be shortened or lengthened as required to cover a minor mistake and see them through to the successful completion of the act.

As would be expected from such a high energy production the show is not stagnate and all members are on stage at the same time allowing the audience to experience their ups and downs in the story, which is set in an laboratory and about three scientists conducting experiments on their physical abilities.

One of the physical abilities Christian’s will showcase is the ‘teeterboard’ or ‘the high energy see-saw.’

You can see ‘Controlled falling project’ at the Theatre Royal on the following dates and times:

and at Devonport Entertainment Centre, Thursday, May 1, 2014.
Paula Xiberras