Circa: Wunderkammer

Australian group Circa are widely touted to be at the forefront of contemporary circus choreography, and after only a few minutes of Wunderkammer it's easy to see why.

Freyja Edney—who later proves to be a lightning force with a hula hoop—dances with a single quicksilver lit hoop, weaving it up and down to the tempo of sensuous baroque. If there is any doubt that circus is as intelligent or creative a form as ballet or contemporary dance, it is erased throughout the course of this electrifying hour. Bodies are tossed and spun in multiplying patterns; women become skipping ropes, men the statues on the shoulders of female pedestals.

Undercutting circus gender archetypes men duet and trio gracefully with each other and a single dandy delicately disrobes from his frills to his lacy knickers in a trapeze striptease.

The moments that stand out most are not the flashiest skills or the tallest human towers but the depth and precision of the dance when layered on top of circus artists' extraordinary strength. Just try tearing your eyes away from the beauty of Todd Kilby and Lewis West floating up and down the Chinese pole as if their bodies are filled with helium, not a wisp of tension in their faces to bely the force being used to feign such lightness.

The neon and lingerie vibe of this show may conjure up visions of vacant mannequin dolls but the flesh and blood flowing through it is a vital celebration of human power.