Upend is a cross-disciplinary piece for four performers which incorporates handstands, acrobatics and dance, and which seeks to distort circus' established phrases of movement.
The movement of a handbalancer is usually very controlled, but is it possible to move through positions rapidly, and to stop abruptly, without affecting the balance? Is it possible to hit one position, then to bounce out of it to the next? How slowly can someone jump backwards into a headstand? Changing the speed and dynamics at which the performers execute movements and tricks adds a different dimension to the performance. One section of the piece, with the movement performed entirely on the hands, could look like an upside-down ballet, the performers moving in unison and creating patterns in space.
In another scene a forward handspring is interrupted as another performer moves into the space beneath them, catching and diverting the move. The performers invade each other's space; bodies slot into the spaces left as people move on, as if space itself cannot be left empty. The piece will appear like a constantly shifting puzzle.