Dust Palace is bringing their Haus of Yolo (House of You Only Live Once) tour to Northland
Dust Palace is bringing their Haus of Yolo (House of You Only Live Once) tour to Northland
Jodi Bryant speaks with the co-founder and performer of Dust Palace before its colourful cabaret in Kerikeri.
A riotous fusion of party cabaret, live sewing, outrageous fashion and world-class circus is coming to Kerikeri town this Friday. But parents, take note, this show is R18.
Dust Palace is bringing their Haus of Yolo (House of You Only Live Once) tour to Northland for what co-founder and performer Eve Gordon describes as a “high-end circus, fun, fast-paced sort of chaotic fever dream”.
“It’s a fun time for people to come out and watch ... it’s silly, it’s irreverent but it has a high-end of skills as well. It’s something for everybody – as long as they’re over 18!”
The show came about when the team needed a concept for a new cabaret in 2018. Gordon was often sewing the costumes on the side when not rehearsing and they decided to include that in the show.
Brought to life by Dust Palace’s powerhouse creative team and four highly skilled circus performers, Haus of Yolo is an unforgettable night out, blending comedy, circus and pure spectacle.
Audiences are invited into the inner sanctum of Haus of Yolo, where couture creations are stitched live on stage – only for them to become part of gravity-defying circus routines moments later.
“The whole concept of the show is that we sew all the costumes on stage and the audience chooses,” Gordon explains. “Sewing an item of clothing in three or four minutes is a risky thing to do, it’s speed sewing and that’s the kind of game we’re playing with the audience which adds to the adrenaline of the circus.”
Dust Palace is bringing its Haus of Yolo (House of You Only Live Once) tour to Northland.
Following sold-out seasons across the country in 2018, the revised cabaret is this time touring Auckland, Kerikeri and Hastings, before it’s off to Canada.
The company has a regular gig in the country after Gordon decided to take a career gamble back in 2017.
“Montreal is like the home to contemporary circus and I’d wanted to go and check out what was happening in the industry.
In 2017, we decided to take the Goblin Market show across to the arts market in Canada and I spent my grandmother’s inheritance money getting over there. It totally paid off as the show was seen by a producer in Vancouver, who picked it up and we’ve been invited back ever since.”
Performers in Haus of Yolo.
With a background in ballet and theatre – her grandmother paid for ballet lessons when she was small, skills she uses every day. Gordon almost went to dance school but switched to drama school, where she studied to become an actor. She later learned circus theatre, combining story-telling with circus before producing her own shows.
As well as the dance, acting and sewing talents, Gordon writes the scripts as part of a collaborative team effort. Then there’s the performing and acrobats.
“You do have a healthy respect for gravity,” she shares. “That’s the fun, to play with the calculated risk of it.”
Clockwise from top Jaine Mieka, Eve Gordon, Luis Meirelles and Mary Piggin. Photo / Garth Badger
Dust Palace was founded in 2009 by Gordon and Mike Edward and has become New Zealand’s premier contemporary circus company, creating internationally acclaimed productions such as The Wonderwombs, Goblin Market and Te Tangi a te Tūī.
The name derived from a dusty studio where Gordon and her friend were making a circus flash film back in 2007.
“It was this dusty, creative space like magical fairy dust, which harks back to something coming out of the ashes. My friend thought it looked like a dust palace.”
She parked the name and used it years later when she formed her company.
Dust Palace’s work extends beyond performance; they are leaders in circus education and have pioneered New Zealand’s most comprehensive circus teacher training programme. The Dust Palace School, which began in 2013, has had up to 450 students at a time and Te Kura Maninirau Kaupapa Māori Circus School, in its second year, has waiting lists.
Eve Gordon is an Auckland-based circus performer, actor, and the founder and artistic director of Dust Palace.
The company have recently secured a new venue in Ellerslie.
The former War Memorial Hall has been repurposed as an arts venue and, as a dedicated hub for circus arts, cabaret and live performance, is set to become the beating heart of contemporary circus in the region.
Their latest tour kicked off from this new venue on May 15 and they are set to perform at the Turner Centre, Kerikeri, on Friday, May 23.
The flamboyant, fashion-fuelled spectacle is described as pure late-night indulgence with one reviewer saying: “The imperfection of fast-fashion is perfectly highlighted in this fun show that is packed with high energy, thrillingly dangerous acrobatics and a perfectly put-together soundtrack.
“It’s a script but it’s not, we have personal leeway to modify,” says Gordon: “Expect a wild ride. The show is definitely R18, it’s pretty saucy, but in a fun way! Expect fast-fashion, expect to get involved, dress up in as much fashion as you can.” What type of fashion? “Couture, darling, couture,” Gordon laughs. “Your highest-end couture. You only live once!”
House of Yolo will be at the Turner Centre, Kerikeri, on Friday, May 23. Tickets are available via iTICKET.
