Nofit State Circus
Encyclopedia
NoFit State Circus is a contemporary circus
company based in Cardiff
, Wales
.
Formed in 1986, NoFit State Circus have been a mainstay of new and contemporary circus
in the United Kingdom since their inception, and have toured tented and theatrical shows at home and abroad. With the assistance of the British Council, their first big production Immortal had 300 performances in 27 locations in 9 countries. They also maintain an active education programme and run community projects that allow non-professional performers to devise circus work, working alongside the company's own professionals. NoFit State have been involved with many British Juggling Convention
s.
Their show Immortal was described by the Scotsman newspaper as circus that "celebrates the human soul rather than just the human body", and elsewhere lauded as "rich, powerful stuff [...] overwhelming in its diversity of ideas". Writing in The Times
, dance critic Donald Hutera gave a more measured response, saying that it was better to "surrender to the show's deceptively shambolic quicksilver atmosphere" than concentrate overmuch on the plot. Immortal won a Tap Water Award
, an Editor's Choice Award from threeweeks.co.uk, and The Jury Award at Spain's Tarrega Festival. NoFit State's next show, Tabú, premiered at Tredegar Park, Newport in April 2008, and has been touring Britain and Europe in the time since. Directed by Firenza Guidi, who also worked on Immortal, Tabú shares much of Immortal' s visual and narrative style, and carries over some of the old cast. It has received mixed reviews. Lyn Gardner writing for The Guardian
called it "fabulous stuff that owes more to contemporary dance and experimental theatre than it does to sawdust and elephants", but others have criticised that the live show seems to have "no connection with the programme’s bogglingly detailed back story", and that the circus skills on display "don’t dramatise the original concept".
Since 2006 NoFit State have been running a permanent training space / school in Cardiff.
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
company based in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
Formed in 1986, NoFit State Circus have been a mainstay of new and contemporary circus
Contemporary circus
Contemporary circus, or nouveau cirque , is a genre of performing art developed in the later 20th century in which a story or a theme is conveyed through traditional circus skills. Animals are rarely used in this type of circus, and traditional circus skills are blended with a more character-driven...
in the United Kingdom since their inception, and have toured tented and theatrical shows at home and abroad. With the assistance of the British Council, their first big production Immortal had 300 performances in 27 locations in 9 countries. They also maintain an active education programme and run community projects that allow non-professional performers to devise circus work, working alongside the company's own professionals. NoFit State have been involved with many British Juggling Convention
British Juggling Convention
The British Juggling Convention is an annual Juggling convention held in a different town or city in Britain every year. The event usually takes place in the second week of the Easter holidays, Usually lasting from the Wednesday to Sunday. The event is for all forms of juggling and object...
s.
Their show Immortal was described by the Scotsman newspaper as circus that "celebrates the human soul rather than just the human body", and elsewhere lauded as "rich, powerful stuff [...] overwhelming in its diversity of ideas". Writing in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, dance critic Donald Hutera gave a more measured response, saying that it was better to "surrender to the show's deceptively shambolic quicksilver atmosphere" than concentrate overmuch on the plot. Immortal won a Tap Water Award
Tap Water Award
The Tap Water Awards were awarded by committee at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in annually changing categories of performance including theatre, comedy, dance, storytelling and Arabic poetry....
, an Editor's Choice Award from threeweeks.co.uk, and The Jury Award at Spain's Tarrega Festival. NoFit State's next show, Tabú, premiered at Tredegar Park, Newport in April 2008, and has been touring Britain and Europe in the time since. Directed by Firenza Guidi, who also worked on Immortal, Tabú shares much of Immortal
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
called it "fabulous stuff that owes more to contemporary dance and experimental theatre than it does to sawdust and elephants", but others have criticised that the live show seems to have "no connection with the programme’s bogglingly detailed back story", and that the circus skills on display "don’t dramatise the original concept".
Since 2006 NoFit State have been running a permanent training space / school in Cardiff.