HEKA

Magic – Juggling - Dance Creation 2024

Heka (ˈhɛkə): the deification of magic and medicine in ancient Egypt. The name is the Egyptian word for "magic" and the practice of magical rituals.

The show: Heka is an upcoming show by Gandini Juggling. After drawing inspiration from the work of Pina Bausch or Merce Cunningham, Gandini Juggling is now looking at magic as a source of creativity. Together with French magician Yann Frisch, Gandini Jugging is revisiting the codes of traditional magic tricks. Objects will appear and disappear,
float, multiply or change colour...

It is not so much the illusion that fascinates Gandini Juggling, but rather the movement that comes with it, like a form of choreography. How can we recontextualise this choreographic language, play with the repetitions, the counter points, and the group effects? The result will be a show unlike any other, defying expectations of what
juggling, and magic can be.

The inspiration

With Heka, Gandini Juggling is looking at magic as a choreographic language. Taking inspiration from traditional card tricks and 20th century magicians, Gandini Juggling will deconstruct the movements we associate with magic to create new and unexpected juggling tricks.

The world of magicians is male dominated and we often imagine magicians as male while their assistants as women. And while this is no longer the case and the number of female magicians is growing, Gandini Juggling want to address the preconceived ideas we have. Heka will shift this power dynamics and will mostly feature female magicians, shifting again the audience’s perception of what magic can be.

Formed in 1992 by word-renowned jugglers Sean Gandini and Kati Ylä-Hokkala, Gandini Juggling continue to be at the forefront of contemporary circus, reinventing and reinvigorating juggling for the 21st century. Gandini continue to collaborate with a wide range of leading artists ranging from ballet choreographers to computer programmers; from costume designers to set makers; mathematicians to composers. They have spent several seasons working with symphonic orchestras, their choreographed juggling patterns lightly meshed to canonical classical works. With HEKA, Gandini Juggling join forces with French magician Yann Frisch.