“Joy is a form of resistance.” The Palestinian Circus offers an act of peaceful defiance. Seven artists from Jerusalem, Ramallah, Jenin and beyond build solidarity with the audience through gravity-defying pole work, aerial acrobatics, juggling, diabolo work, fire eating and Dabkeh – Levantine folk dance. Arabic techno beats give the performers a pounding musical canvas. Trust is also an act of joy, lived when a performer drops from high on a Chinese pole to be caught, while aerial work with satin cloth also later relies on a performer raising and lowering a pulley with their body weight. Clenched fists bookmark defiance between segments. This is masterful craft work. Peace is political. And as an audience we are acutely aware of the genocide in Gaza and at the end we stand as one in ovation.

Underbelly Circus Hub, until 30 Aug.
tw rating 5/5 | [Dionne Lackey]