Review: 360 Allstars wow the crowd at Auckland’s Civic Theatre

By Mary Afemata, Te Rito journalism cadet

NZ Herald·

27 Sep, 2023 09:39 PM4 mins to read

The 360 Allstars are back in New Zealand for the first time since 2016.

Review by Mary Afemata, Te Rito journalism cadet

REVIEW

Last night saw urban circus 360 Allstars return to New Zealand for the first time since 2016, kicking off their 10-year anniversary tour in Aotearoa with a performance at Auckland’s Civic Theatre.

Produced by Onyx Productions and directed by Gene Peterson, The Allstars dream team is back with the same next-level energy. Providing the best of the best artists with spins and athleticism, each artist is the best in their discipline, with some at a world-champion level.

Living up to its name, 360 is an indication of the full-circle rotation in the acts performed and 360-degree spins delivered by each artist and their art form.

Peterson himself is a talented drummer and virtuoso percussionist, with an extensive career as a musician and entertainer. He opens the show with the mistress of ceremonies, Mirrah, who is also a vocalist and talented rhymer and singer. Mirrah is the only female in the dream team, and as the DJ on the decks, her lovely vocals intertwine with the acts throughout the show.

Together, they hype up the crowd to match the consistently high energy of the performers and are both responsible for the show’s aural excitement, with both a live soundtrack and audio loops.

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The artists making up the dream team are flatland BMX world champion Heru Anwari from Indonesia, Australia’s BBoy Sette, and New Zealand’s own BBoy Leerok.

Basketball freestyler Pafo from Japan juggles basketballs effortlessly, while Australian Cyr wheel acrobat Daniel Price expertly manoeuvres the wheel in sync with his body. All these artists perform all sorts of amazing tricks to keep the crowd entertained, and their chemistry and banter make the show’s 70 minutes seem short.

There are countless backflips, juggling, spinning, acrobatics, balancing tricks and jumps, including a bike jump in the air over people - all examples of the human body being pushed to its limits for the crowd’s entertainment.

”When I go out riding, all day from dusk till dawn…” Mirrah sings while Anwari wows the crowd with his single-wheel bike rotations.

Anwari makes executing every spin and every gravity-defying balancing act look easy. BBoy Sette and BBoy Leerok are introduced in the next act as challengers in a retro video game where they battle each other in a dance-off.

Audience engagement is a must, and the crowd cheers on both BBoys in three rounds. The final round sees both Seete and Leerok doing multiple head spins until they are both knocked out. Pafo engages the audience with his ability to balance multiple basketballs along his shoulders and over his body. He also wows the crowd when he starts off with one basketball and ends up dribbling five basketballs simultaneously. Pafo has the audience eating out of the palm of his hand with the “push the button” segment, and young children can be heard shouting to push the button for more.

Acrobat Daniel Price displays his fluidity and grace with the Cyr wheel, which looks like a giant hula hoop. His ability to synchronise with the wheel, whether it is vertical or horizontal, is truly impressive. He adapts to the wheel and spins within it, reinforcing the 360 rotation with natural ease.

You don’t have to be an acrobatics expert to enjoy the show or appreciate the athleticism and advanced skills displayed in each act. It’s appealing to both the eyes and ears, and the Allstars are highly skilled at what they do, keeping families with children of all ages engaged - it’s well worth heading along to during the school holidays.