Petit Mal

Race Horse Company & Circo Aereo

Petit Mal

Petit Mal, the first production by the Race Horse Company, is a collaboration with Circo Aereo. The show is a prime example of concrete circus: a combination of the tradition of village fools and performing art, where sweat and bruises embroider the skins of the performers.

The show has no story or plot, and not much sense to speak of. It does not tell a story, but certainly has its fair share of action.

Petit Mal's building blocks are black humour and collisions. The traditional form, poetry and soft movement of contemporary circus are challenged through randomness, dream-like logic and the menace of violence. Petit Mal is a part of our disintegrating culture and world.

The show toured from 2010 to 2014 and was the winner of Best Performance at the 2013 International Theatre and Street Arts Festival in Valladolid, Spain.

"Experience circus as you’ve never seen it before. Action-packed with seemingly impossible stunts, this explosive show fuses acrobatics with extreme trampolining, breakdancing and Chinese pole in a high-octane performance from the bad boys of Finnish circus, Race Horse Company.

On a stage littered with garage debris, three bold young performers take you through a riotous display of extreme physicality, on-stage anarchy and dark humour - performed to a soundtrack that includes DJ Shadow, Joy Division, Bob Dylan and original music by Tuomas Norvio. An exhilarating spectacle from start to finish, Petit Mal: Concrete Circus takes you to the edge of what circus theatre can be – a thrilling treat for ages 7 – adult.

Since 2010, Petit Mal: Concrete Circus has been performed in 16 countries worldwide garnering rave reviews and standing ovations wherever it goes. "

- Brighton Dome 2013

'This is circus completely outside the box'
- The Times ****

'A visual feast that left you open-mouthed in amazement'
- Daily Echo

'Electric wild and uncontrollable... I loved Rauli Kosonen's extraordinary trampolining... as if he'd like to bounce right out of his own life'
- The Guardian ****

Rauli Dahlberg

Kalle Lehto

Maksim Komaro

Mikko Karhu

Petri Tuominen

Tuomas Norvio

Suvi Hänninen

Information

Director

Maksim Komaro

Circus Artists

Rauli Dahlberg

Kalle Lehto

Petri Tuominen

Mikko Karhu (sub. Dahlberg)

Planning

Komaro, Dahlberg, Lehto, Tuominen

Lighting design

Juho Rahijärvi

Visualisation

Juho Rahijärvi, Maksim Komaro

Sound design

Tuomas Norvio, Maksim Komaro

Costume design

Suvi Hänninen

Premiere

10.3.2010 Verkatehdas, Hämeenlinna, Finland

Production

Circo Aereo, Race Horse Company

Co-production

Cirko, Comedie de Caen, Festival Les Boréales, Les Migrateurs, Scènes de Cirque

Supported by

Alfred Kordelin Foundation, Arts Council of Finland, Finnish Circus Information Centre, Finnish Cultural Foundation, Jeunes Talents Cirque Europe, Juggling the Arts