Collapse arose from the desire to make room for study, both physical and dramaturgical, that puts circus actions at the centre of a work. On stage, three juggler-acrobats are supported by a musician and a lighting tech/audio engineer. The interaction between what these five people produce brings an innovative composition to life, the fulcrum of which is the work itself and respect for each of the art forms represented.
Music is an art, juggling is an art, acrobatics are an art, and the transformation of sound and light is an art.

The figure who is usually found working in the shadows of the control room, the engineer, in Collapse becomes an actor manoeuvring fundamental components of the show’s dramaturgical script.
A search for what still hasn’t been seen; an attempt to enter a completely-unexplored world get lost and then takes place through a journey with professionals who are also friends and have shared years of work and study. In doing so, our understanding of juggling develops into an art of manipulation of objects, movement, sound and light.

Acrobat, juggler, performer and graduated from Flic Circus School, Francesco Sgrò also studied classic guitar at the Conservatorio di Torino and deepened his artistic literacy via theatre and dance training, seeking greater expressive versatility through familiarity with different performance disciplines. In relation to circus, Sgrò is particularly dedicated to juggling and aerial art forms. As for dance, he studied primarily with members of the Enclave Dance Company between Tortosa and Brussels, discovering and analysing ‘flying low’, a contemporary dance style that meshes perfectly with circus acrobatics. He was one of the artists who performed during the closing ceremony of the 2006 Turin Olympics, and he has participated in numerous Gran Galà di Giocoleria (Juggling Gala) events in Italy and abroad. In 2007, Sgrò won the Genoa Science Festival with his Circoscienza project.
Since 2009, he has worked as a dancer in Sosta Palmizi productions. With Collettivo 320chili, which he founded, Sgrò took first place at the 2010 Equilibrio festival held at the Parco della Musica Auditorium in Rome (Artistic Director: Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui), with his performance titled Ai Migranti (For Migrants). In addition, he is the director and actor in Invisibile, a contemporary circus act currently on tour in Italy and abroad.
Sgrò is the director, creator and performer in Just Another Normal Day, a production by Sosta Palmizi and the Flic Circus School.
In 2013, he supervised and performed in the acrobatic act for “The Cal”, the 2014 Pirelli calendar for FLIC.
Artistic Director at the Fuma che’nduma children’s circus schools, as of September 2012 he has been the Artistic Director of the FLIC Circus School in Turin also. In 2015 he directed the opening performance for Turin European Capital of Sport for Flic. In 2016 he started collaborating with the Codarts Circus School in Rotterdam as a guest director and artistic coach. In the same year, along with a group of fellow artists, he founded Collettivo “Fabbrica C”, a collective dedicated to new studies in contemporary circus acts.
In 2017 he was a performer in Secret Pieces, a travelling show featuring choreography by Giorgio Rossi and Raffaella Giordano.

direction and choreography: Francesco Sgrò
created and performed by Pino Basile, Luca Carbone, Leonardo Cristiani, Enrico Seghedoni, Francesco Sgrò
original music: Pino Basile
light design: Raffaele Biasco, Luca Carbone
advise: Giulio Lanzafame, Riccardo Massidda, Piergiorgio Milano
production: Associazione Spellbound in collaboration with Fabbrica C
with the support of Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali e del Turismo
support: Spazio Dilà Magazzini Creativi Torino, Associazione Jaqulè, Associazione fuma che n’duma

[photo: Cristiano Castaldi, detail]