Hailing from Kiev, Ukraine, Raw Art describes itself as an alternative circus.

[Raw Art] project was created by the Ukrainian circus stage director and teacher Taras Pozdnyakov based on the Kiev Circus School.

[Raw Art] is a project offering an alternative view of circus, promoting artists who are eager to bring their contribution to the development of the circus as a modern art.
We call [Raw Art] a project on purpose as sometimes we find it difficult to answer the question : What is it?
It is not a theatre,
It is not a show,
It is not a troupe with a certain amount of artists and repertoire.
And it’s definitely not a commercial organization.
We are not restricting ourselves with any borders. It seems to us more interesting…

[Raw Art] team possesses the great potential and aspires to further development.
Doing our job professionally we are open to the possibility of cooperation.

The work certainly defies conventional ideas of a circus.  I am struck by Pavel Stankevich’s choreographic daring.  Part yoga, part acrobatics, all raw art, he had me at the backbend, but then goes further to cheat gravity.   The minimalist set, sculptural apparatus and dramatic lighting all lend a contemporary and eerily sensual quality to the production.  Watch and be amazed, the video follows.

Check their YouTube channel for performances by other raw artists.