By a Thread

By a Thread is a contemporary circus work featuring seven Australian acrobats and 30 metres of rope. Two industrial pulleys and heavy-duty sailing rope become the stage for virtuosic aerial acrobatics and intricate choreography that explores trust, connection, and the dynamics of relationships.

The performance weaves together moments of confusion, hilarity, romance, playfulness, fear, and friendship. The rope serves as a physical metaphor for the trust essential in ensemble acrobatic work — and in all human relationships. Performers work six metres above the ground, their risk-taking visible and real, with no illusion or trick to soften it.

Fresh from touring Europe, Canada, and Asia, this highly experienced ensemble redefines contemporary circus by using classic acrobatic techniques in expansive ways. The only prop onstage is 30 metres of white cotton rope.

Director and company co-founder Charice Rust explains: "At the core of By a Thread is a desire to share with the audience the trust implicit in ensemble acrobatic work. Circus is a powerful art form because what you see before you is actually what is happening. When you see someone taking a risk by hanging upside down from a rope that is held up only by other people, there is no illusion or trick, that risk is real and the audience can feel that."

Reviewed as "a work of art" and "an intricate and mesmerising piece of art."