"The living planet" is a sixty-minute Indoors and outdoors show about the 5 Elements "Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Metal" , performed by Corpus Acrobatic Theatre and accompanied by Circle Percussion.

Long ago people thought that the Earth was flat. The stars were points of light fitted on to an invisible crystal ball that rotated once a day around the world. There were a few bright points that behaved in a different manner: they moved through the signs of the zodiac. These five planets were named after the Greek gods Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.

In ancient times people believed that the elements were the indispensable powers that maintained the Earth. Here in the West, four elements were distinguished: Fire, Water, Air and Earth. And out of the East (China) the 5th element: Metal. The importance of the elements as organizing principle in the universe is a recurring theme in the symbolism of cultures all over the world. The elements were also considered to be the vital aspects of the human body. Fysical and mental health were a matter of the right balance between the elements, just as in Nature.

“The Big Bang” and the portrayal of the five elements are the basic ingredients of this acrobatic Multimedia Circus. A vulcanic eruption is accompanied by enormous projections by a video artist as the audience is literally carried away in a violent outburst of natural forces. One of the most persistently asked questions has been: How was the universe created? Many once believed that the universe had no beginning or end and was truly infinite. Through the inception of the Big Bang theory, however, no longer could the universe be considered infinite. The universe was forced to take on the properties of a finite phenomenon, possessing a history and a beginning. About 15 billion years ago a tremendous explosion started the expansion of the universe. This explosion is known as "The Big Bang".

In this setting an international cast of air and ground acrobats is moving, each in their own personal way giving a poetic interpretation of the five elements: Earth, Air, Water, Fire and Metal.

The show is particularly suitable for large indoor and outdoor events, festivals and special openings. Its premiere took place on the 18th of September 2004 at the opening of the cultural street festival Fantastival, at the invitation of the city of Oss in the Netherlands.

Due to its overwhelming succes the show has been prolonged.

Circle Percussion accompanies “The Living Planet” with impressive Japanese drumming.
The show can be combined with; pyrotechniques, a lasershow , a singer and video projections.

Circle Percussion was founded in 1973 and named after the first piece they performed: “Circles”, written by the Italian composer Luciano Berio. With this performance the ensemble won an important prize at the Gaudeamus Concours in 1974. The introduction of Japanese percussion, with its spectacular visual and musical traits, marked an important step for Circle Percussion, resulting in the first concert on Japanese instruments ever to be given by non-Japanese players, at the Holland Festival in 1983. At the 100th anniversary of the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996, Circle Percussion performed the theater production “Drums of the World”, which would prove to be a trend setter in percussion acts. Circle Percussion has succeeded in finding the balance between power and beauty, which is what makes Japanese drumming so difficult and so intriguing at the same time.

The combination with the expressive “total” acrobatics of Corpus has turned “The living planet” into a real Multi-media Circus.

Duration of the show:
60 minutes

Booking and technical information:
Corpus Acrobatic Theatre
Management in The Netherlands
00 31 (0) 20-6323409
Email: amsterdam@corpus-acrobatics.nl