Vasilissa | Sylph Circus & Sirin Ensemble
I was delighted by the mysterious and evocative Vasilissa, a beautiful show that took us into the forest on the outskirts of Maleny on a brisk autumn day. I think it is the first time I have seen a show in a forest, and it is a striking set indeed. The weather was particularly fair, and dappled the ground through the trees.
Vasilissa is a pleasure and a treat. It’s a beautiful show, perfectly designed to showcase the circus skills of the young ensemble, backed by beautiful singing from the Sirin Ensemble, a recently formed choir of six of whom five were performing on the day I was present.
Sirin Ensemble. Images including cover image: Serena Dixon, Fyre Photography
We are invited into the forest, to embark on a voyeuristic journey, observing the vicissitudes of Vasilissa, scorned by her sisters and sent to seek fire from the witch of the woods. Before the journey is over she will have danced with sprites, embraced the spirit of midnight that walks half a step behind us all, and completed impossible tasks for Baba Yaga, the oldest, the wisest, and the most curmudgeonly old woman in the woods. Before our own journey can commence however, we must take a cloak of invisibility, a simple spell offered by our storyteller that sets a calm on us all before we leave the fields and enter the forest following her along her journey.
What I loved most about this show was the suitability of the roles for the girls. It is so rare for younger performers to have the opportunity to perform on stage stories about them, stories for them, stories that link them to their journey through time. And to combine that with the presence of grown women, as observers, oracles, guardians, matriarchs. I am in mind of an article I read recently, exploring the all-too-common representation of women as one-dimensional, as generations in conflict…
“If we look past the patriarchal smokescreen, we see that youth and aging are mirrors reflecting one another. The maiden and the witch are not enemies. The true coming of age unfolds when the maiden seeks out the witch who ultimately empowers her. Who teaches her to be fierce and not suffer fools.”
Vasilissa is an old story, it’s a story that is told over and over, often silently, often by learning it the hard way, yourself, in your life, through experiencing the journey over decades. What a fantastic way to seed that knowledge into fresh minds, and to reawaken forgotten truth in older ones.
The retelling of the Russian folktale is richly woven with symbolism, and the simple stagecraft perfectly encapsulated the rituals of the story. Simple elements, such as a shallow bowl of dirt and poppyseed, a pathway lined with bodies throwing flowers in celebration, a circle of women singing over a sleeping child… Over and over were we treated to small gifts, simple to observe, but many layers deep.
The circus skills were solid, really commendable for each of the performers, in and of themselves, and especially given their age. Each of the aerial performances was intricate and complex, the dance and movement pieces well considered and showcasing the performers range. The suitability of this storyline allowed them to explore their physicality without all the common boring or oversexualised tropes often given to teens. It was so refreshing. I would watch this again in a heartbeat. I look forward to seeing where these young women wind up in years to come, and hope they find a community in the circus world as welcoming as the one I have.
The show struck me on a deeper, more personal level too. I myself grew up in Maleny, in these forests and by these rivers, but there were no women-centred coming-of-age stories for me to learn as I started my journey in the arts, and I wonder what might have been different if that had been so? Where older women gathered to share with, and learn from younger in true creative exchange. I think I felt something akin to jealousy, or at least, a sadness for a younger me, and all the young women who lack this. I also felt a fierce call to action, to seek to provide it if I can for those that lack it. These are strong feelings, connected to deep parts of the self, that speaks to this performances ability to draw from deep wells. This production was truly magickal, in many layers indeed, from the considered to the ancient to the accidental to the elemental.
I hope that Sylph Circus continues this path in future productions, finding other girl-centred stories to tell, to share, to enjoy the creating and performing of, to embed knowledge and learn it joyously, to share it with whomsoever comes to trip down the forest path on a crisp morning in autumn.
