17c起草社区

Keen-eyed readers may recall that the聽17c起草社区聽ran an interview with Ross Mollison, creative impresario behind the Spiegelworld Empire show, almost exactly 12 months ago as the show started its Australian tour.

Now, a year later, the wildly successful tour shows no sign of slowing down, with a Sydney return season booked for January.

For Turkish-born performer Memet Bilgin, it鈥檚 a relentless touring schedule, tasked as he is with one of the show鈥檚 most difficult numbers.

鈥淚 did aerial work when I first started doing circus. Now, I鈥檓 doing numbers that are much more in the realm of 鈥榢inetic sculptures鈥�. I have a background in mime and dance, both of which help me to do what I am now,鈥� Bilgin told the聽17c起草社区.

While it鈥檚 hard to adequately describe what Bilgin does in his guise as Empire鈥檚 resident 鈥�3D Graffiti Guide鈥� – look up 鈥楽anddorn Balance鈥� on YouTube to see it for yourself – it seems apt to describe him as occupying a space somewhere between a sculptor and an acrobat. Slowly, methodically and with the utmost care, Bilgin builds impressive sculptures from many different pieces, a precarious house of cards that he balances on different parts of his body.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a pyramid of support, if you will. There鈥檚 only one critical path, so one mistake breaks the entire chain. There鈥檚 no way to make a mistake that will break only half of the number – one error and it all comes crashing down,鈥� he said.

鈥淔or instance, if the foot jugglers in our show make a mistake, they can recover relatively easily; within a second or two they鈥檙e back in business and the audience cheers even more. This number is extremely long – about 12 minutes – and if I go 11 minutes and make a mistake, I鈥檓 back to the start. It鈥檚 very difficult, and there鈥檚 really no room for error.鈥�

We had to ask…has disaster struck during the tour?

鈥淚t鈥檚 happened a couple of times, always thankfully at the very end of the act. By that stage, I really am at the mercy of the elements. One time there was a draft in the house, and another time one of the sticks got bent. It鈥檚 the last thing I want to happen and I try to avoid it at all costs.鈥�

In Bilgin鈥檚 adoptive home of Montreal, Canada, he made the leap from a career in computer programming to the performing arts. It鈥檚 hard to imagine a desk-bound computer geek suddenly discovering he鈥檚 capable of almost supernatural feats of balance – Bilgin said he was always a 鈥渟cientific, sports kind of guy鈥�, but only discovered an appreciation for the arts in his early 20s.

Of course, art is one thing, but sex sells. Bilgin is just one of many in the Spiegelworld family to showcase their spectacular bodies during their performances.

鈥淲e do recognise that [sex appeal] is a factor in the show. We鈥檙e all fit and to ourselves we look normal, but I recognise that it鈥檚 a thing. There鈥檚 nothing wrong with that – people are welcome to look!鈥�

info: Empire by Spiegelworld opens at the Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park, on Jan 7 2014. Tickets through Ticketek.