Shift of Tides
Physical Theatre Performance
by Karolina Gorton and Pipi-Ayesha Evans
Thoughts, actions, ideas, situations have a beginning and an end. Often these beginnings and endings are not defined, linear nor consistent. Often, we don’t have control over them. Sometimes we think that we do, but really? Do we?
The circle of life with the first breath to start and the last one to finish. We walk through our life collecting our experiences and memories. We walk through life carrying the luggage of our ancestors. We carry our own burdens, but we have the strength to lift them. We are not helpless… Are we?
We walk through life into the future with our eyes directed into the past. Our hearts are between yesterday and tomorrow. We walk through life between the shift of tides - where happiness meets pain, where we lose ourselves only to be found again, where existence brushes against the void.
Karolina Gorton is an artist, activist, and cultural animator with extensive experience in theatre. She has been involved with several festivals, including the New Zealand Fringe Festival (Wellington), the Victoria Fringe Festival (Vancouver Island, BC), the Luma Light Festival (Queenstown), Theatre-Action (Suwalki, Poland), Masks (Poznań, Poland), and the Nelson Arts Festival. Additionally, she is a co-creator of the Nelson Fringe Festival. Throughout her life, Karolina has trained and collaborated with various theater and performance groups, such as the Body In Space Physical Theatre Company (2012-2017), Inside Out Physical Theatre Company (2017-2022), The People’s Republic of Improv (2019), Raspberry Productions, Zen Zen Zo, and the Umbrella Project. Her theatrical training includes techniques such as Viewpoints, Suzuki, Butoh, contact dance, improvisation, and mask work. Karolina is passionate about storytelling, enjoys collaborating with others, and is dedicated to co-creating projects that aim to make the world a better place.
Pipi-Ayesha Evans is a theatre and circus performer from Whakatū. She specialises in physical theatre, stilts, aerials and performance art. She has performed throughout Aotearoa and the world. Pipi’s work has been described as: ‘Utterly charming in a ghoulish kind of way.’ (Theatreview), and ‘Seductive yet disturbing, graceful yet jarring, unequivocally captivating and above all absolutely fearless.’ (Regional News). For the past two years Pipi has been working with Dreamcast Theatre in the Solomon Islands. She worked with them teaching circus and theatre skills, supporting their production of the Pacific Games ceremonies and mentoring Dreamcast to continue teaching circus in the Solomon Islands.