Mitch Wynter left secondary school at 15. Since then, his career has gone from strength to strength.
At 15, Gold Coast resident Mitch Wynter left high school. A few years later, he joined a circus.
“Everyone thinks the circus is crazy and wild, but it can actually be the opposite,” he says. Wynter is now an internationally renowned dancer, teacher and choreographer who first worked for Cirque du Soleil – the world’s largest contemporary circus producer – when he was 19.
He is currently playing the Trickster, one of the lead roles in Cirque du Soleil’s blockbuster show, Kooza. “The normality [surprises people the most]. You’re travelling constantly; it’s cool to be with a lot of different cultures but you also make some really genuine connections. It’s a very different lifestyle but it’s easy to live it.”
Kooza debuted in Montreal in 2007 and toured Australia in 2016. Globally, it has been seen by almost 8 million people and its return season is expected to become Cirque du Soleil’s most successful Australian production to date. Blending daring acrobatics with the art of clowning, it features a cast of 56 performers from 19 countries, including six live musicians and two singers.
While Kooza explores themes of “fear, identity, recognition and power”, it invites more than chin-stroking contemplation from spectators. As Wynter puts it: “It kind of punches you in the face. It’s very loud, vibrant and fun. It’s good for all ages and it has a really compelling storyline.”
For the 27-year-old, who has played the Trickster in various cities around the world, the role is the embodiment of a teenage dream. After leaving high school, Wynter spent two years studying ballet in Brisbane. During this time, he saw a short video of Kooza, prompting him to submit an application to Cirque du Soleil’s casting team.
“When I saw the Trickster in his costume, it mesmerised me,” he says. “It was nice to see a queer character in a show that I could relate to. His movement and charisma really drew me to him and I knew that one day, I wanted to be this character.”
Wynter arrives at our interview in his costume and make-up, along with three Kooza castmates: Mongolian contortionist Sender Enkhtur and Argentinian identical twin jugglers, Emiliano and Maximiliano Fusco. At one stage, our photographer has the brothers juggling five clubs each while Wynter theatrically sneaks up on Enkhtur, who is doing a handstand. She points her left leg towards the sky while arching her right leg over her head, almost touching the ground with her foot. It’s enough to stop passers-by in their tracks.
‘When jugglers use chainsaws, it’s because they don’t really have a good technique so they want to impress people with something else.’Maximiliano Fusco, Cirque du Soleil performer
Enkhtur has a surprisingly passive pastime to thank for her career: watching television. As a young girl, she’d twist herself into Pretzel-like shapes while relaxing in front of the TV. Inevitably, this caught the attention of her mother, who enrolled her daughter in a contortion class when she was seven. By the time Enkhtur was 14, she was performing professionally.
Coincidentally, Emiliano’s and Maximiliano’s mother was a contortionist while their father was a famous Argentinian gaucho dancer. As fifth-generation circus performers, they practically grew up on the stage while touring with their parents.
During one tour, the show’s owner happened to walk by as the boys indulged in their favourite hobby – juggling. Impressed by their proficiency, he convinced their parents to let the pair pursue the craft professionally. Now, Emiliano can juggle up to 11 rings while Maximiliano is aiming for a world record; so far, he’s managed to keep five clubs in the air for 56 minutes.
While the brothers occasionally use flaming clubs, they favour skill over stunts.
“I always say that when jugglers use chainsaws, it’s because they don’t really have a good technique so they want to impress people with something else,” Maximiliano says. “To juggle three knives is easy, but some people [prefer] to see that.”
Do they ever get homesick?
“It’s the opposite of homesickness,” Emiliano says. “I have a house in Florida but when I’m at home, I can’t wait to start travelling again. I could never see myself working in an office with the same people in the same place all the time.”
To help mitigate the difficulties of regular touring, Cirque du Soleil allows cast and crew to travel with their partners and families.
“Kooza especially has a lot of families and children travelling with us,” Wynter says. “It brings us all together and that’s why people stay … it’s actually very grounding.”
As a dancer, Wynter has worked extensively with professional companies across Australia and New Zealand. Performing with Cirque du Soleil, however, required him to develop new skills.
“With Cirque, you have to be versatile,” he explains. “They teach you how to act, how to do your make-up, and how to be an acrobat. With dancing, you’re usually performing behind an artist or you’re behind the scenes a bit, so it’s nice to be doing your own thing out on stage.”
When I note that audiences at other recent Cirque du Soleil productions barely touched their phones, Wynter says he’s not surprised. He suspects the proliferation of screen-based distractions makes people more keen to immerse themselves in a live performance.
“When you’re watching a video online, you don’t feel the emotion of how hard [it is to accomplish these feats],” he says. “But when you’re there in person, you can actually feel the artistry of the performers; you get to be wowed and thrilled by what they’re doing in front of you.”
Kooza debuts May 20 in Melbourne; August 1 in Brisbane and October 17 in Sydney. Tickets: cirquedusoleil.com/kooza
The Booklist is a weekly newsletter for book lovers from Jason Steger. Get it delivered every Friday.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
