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This June, ground-breaking contemporary circus troupe Nouveau Cirque du Vietnam will make their Opera House debut in the Joan Sutherland Theatre for the Sydney premiere of À Ố Làng Phố.

Loosely translated to mean ‘from village to city’, this production from critically-acclaimed French-Vietnamese company explores the urbanisation of a once-rural agrarian society through impressive acrobatic stunts, authentic props and traditional folk music.

Set in a small farming village, the performance eschews the extravagance of traditional circus with performers navigating an intricate set constructed entirely of bamboo and rattan. Woven through the production is a theatrical narrative on the gradual disappearance of farm life and the widening division between generations. In the absence of spoken language, a dazzling array of aerial work, contortion and juggling is performed against a soundscape of traditional Vietnamese instruments mixed with hip-hop beats to deliver a unique and dazzling blend of genres fusing physical theatre, dance and live music.

Directed by Cirque du Soleil alumnus Tuan Le, and featuring a dynamic cast of 15 acrobats and five musicians, the Sydney premiere of À Ố Làng Phố follows a sell-out season at Perth International Arts Festival in 2017.

Sydney Opera House Head of Contemporary Performance, Olivia Ansell says: “I am delighted to bring Nouveau Cirque du Vietnam’s unique physical theatre and circus production –  which juxtaposes Vietnam’s rich traditional culture with Hanoi’s bustling metropolis –  to the Opera House stage. Tuan Le’s À Ố Làng Phố is a dynamic and humorous spectacle, full of youthful joy and theatrical brilliance. Prepare to witness the transformation of a quiet hamlet into a modern and tumultuous city through a stunning mix of circus skills, acrobatics, live music and beat boxing.”