- Interview by Carla Lever

On the morning when the weather gods threw the kitchen sink at confused Capetonians, a couple of Argentinians were limbering up in the Arena Theatre on Hiddingh campus, seemingly oblivious to the chill.

La Caravana is a Buenos Aires-based group formed by Cora Alfiz and Cecilia Martinese.  They are researchers into (and teachers of) various circus disciplines as well as performers in their own right. They are also flexible and acrobatic in ways that defy the laws of human motion.

 

Cora and Cecilia focus on what they term circus-theatre. “What we do is a new genre – it comes from the circus, where we are trained, but it’s a very theatrical experience,” says Cecilia. It’s appropriate, then, that after this festival closes, they will do a stint at the Zip Zap circus before heading home to Buenos Aires.

“We found the festival on the internet,” explains Cecilia. “ASSITEJ is a great organisation for networking like that.” Cora clarifies, “We always wanted to tour, to see what else there is outside of Buenos Aires, where there is a huge amount of theatre to compete with. That’s one of the reasons why we made the set so easily collapsible and mobile.” At this, lighting designer Mariano  Arrigoni, who has been industriously striking said set, shoots them a meaningful look that crosses the language barrier.

 

It’s fortunate that the set is so mobile (and Mariano so obliging), then, because La Caravana have just come from touring Vecinas (which translates as ‘Neighbours’) in Chile. Previously, they have taken the show on a national tour around Argentina.

The work is light-hearted and appeals to all ages with its exuberant style of physical clowning that contrasts beautifully with some very delicate moments of interaction. “For us, we don’t have text, so we can really take this show anywhere,” says Cecilia, who clearly has been bitten by the travel bug. “Although the reaction changes, there is no difference in enjoyment whether an adult or a child is watching, or an Argentinian or a South African. “

So how have Capetonian audiences been receiving the piece? “Our first performance was full of adults, maybe because of the late time it was playing,” Cora tells me. “Our second show has been mostly teenagers from Camps Bay High School.  So, I don’t know how it will be with real children, you know? We’re looking forward to finding out.”

Certainly, the school’s audience I was watching with seemed to like it. I caught up with Gift, a pupil at Camps Bay High School, who told me it was an “awesome show” and that he “had a lot of fun.”

 

I’m also eager to find out how Cape Town has been treating its Argentinian acrobats. “It’s very nice here. You have sea and mountain” says Cora with a smile. That latter La Caravana are all-too-familiar with, having hiked down Table Mountain yesterday for 3 hours just prior to their performance. “They did the show in pain!” giggles Mariano, their designer. Perhaps he got the last laugh after all, then.

 

Come and give La Caravana a warm Cape welcome on Friday at 7pm and Saturday at 14:30 in the Hiddingh Arena Theatre.  Tickets are R50 and can be booked at Computicket.

 

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