What does 10,000 hours of practice look like? Eight world-class acrobats answer the question onstage with breathtaking lifts, balances, and daring flights. Australian contemporary circus company Gravity & Other Myths brings “Ten Thousand Hours” to the Center for the Arts on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 7:30 p.m.
Accompanied by a live percussionist, the performers reveal the unseen labor behind extraordinary physical skill, exposing the trust, repetition, and relentless practice behind every moment. The work is a tribute to the dedication required to achieve great things and realize physical ambitions, while acknowledging that the backstory can be as compelling as the finished product.
At its heart, “Ten Thousand Hours” is a love letter to the human body and the remarkable things it can do, celebrating discipline, risk, and the pursuit of mastery.
The performers investigate physical skill: how it is obtained, how it is perfected, and how it can transform lives. By highlighting the nuance of high-level acrobatics, “Ten Thousand Hours” invites audiences to consider what it takes to master the skills unfolding onstage.
Set to a driving, dynamic, and intricate musical score, the work celebrates the distinct physical language that defines Gravity & Other Myths, a company known worldwide for combining acrobatic virtuosity with playfulness, honesty, and human connection.
Formed in 2009 by a group of young Adelaide artists with a passion for circus and physical theatre, Gravity & Other Myths has grown into a leader in Australian contemporary circus, creating critically acclaimed works that have toured around the world.
The company’s first work, “A Simple Space,” has been performed nearly 1,000 times across 34 countries, while subsequent works “Backbone” and “Out of Chaos…” have received awards and critical acclaim worldwide.
Please note, this performance includes haze effects.
“Ten Thousand Hours” is supported in part by gifts from Mr. Edwin H. Talley and Mrs. Melinda P. Talley and Kathryn Clarke Albright.
While at Virginia Tech, Gravity & Other Myths will present a free school-day matinee for 1,000 students and educators from Montgomery, Pulaski, Floyd, Giles, Roanoke, Botetourt, Franklin and Carroll counties and the cities of Roanoke and Radford.
In partnership with New River Community Action, community members will enjoy a pre-show meal and complimentary tickets to the performance through the Center for the Arts Community VIP Ticket Program.
Tickets are $30-75 for general audience and $10 for students and youth 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Center for the Arts box office, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.
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