Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia: Apologies fly for topless trapeze

[Danee]

From: http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/news/local/news/general/apologies-fly-for-topless-trapeze/1991921.aspx

There's a comment section at the original web page.

The director behind a Viva la Gong circus act in which trapeze
performers went topless in front of scores of children, says she never
wanted to offend anyone.

Organisers of Wollongong's arts and culture festival issued an online
apology for the Circus Monoxide performance after a parent used the
festival's Facebook page to condemn the public exposure of bare
breasts.

"It is criminal and wrong to expose children ... to nudity without a
disclaimer or gaining consent from parents," the parent wrote.

"I hope you understand the gravity of this."

The act was the finale in Circus Monoxide's 40-minute contribution to
Saturday's festival.

Circus Monoxide director Jane Davis told the Mercury the act was the
work of two visiting aerialists from Melbourne, who had not worked
with Fairy Meadow-based Monoxide before.

She said a scripted warning about the show's "naughtier" content was
drowned out by music and poor speaker placement.

The circus expected to uphold its usual standard of performance at the
6pm timeslot but in hindsight it would have been better suited to a
9pm show, Ms Davis said.

"We didn't expect to have that much of a family audience, we expected
it to be much more adult at that time of night," she said.

"If I've upset anybody I apologise, that was never the intention."

Dressed in white singlets and blue workers' pants, the trapeze artists
were depicting 1920s-era male labourers on the job when they ended the
routine by taking their tops off, with one of the women facing the
crowd upside-down.

Because she didn't create the act she didn't know its intended
message, but that it carried some comment on the strength of women.

Ms Davis said the act had drawn compliments from the circus community,
which was largely comfortable with the human body and appreciative of
difference in a field that could get "repetitive".

Other audience members had also been complimentary after the act,
however the following day feedback became mixed.

"One mum ... said it was fantastic for her daughter to see women so
strong, so amazing and so obviously proud of their bodies," Ms Davis
said.

"I've had three calls from people upset, four emails saying they loved
it and others saying they loved it but weren't sure about the nudity."

The performance was a talking point at the best-attended Viva la Gong
Festival in recent memory.

The estimated 10,000-strong crowd dwarfed the audience of 4000
reported last year and has fuelled artistic director Frank Madrid's
hopes of drawing significant numbers from Sydney and interstate to the
2011 festival, which he will also direct.

Mr Madrid said he used "roughly" the same budget as last year -
approximately $50,000 plus production costs. He said he was keen to
partner with Tourism Wollongong and other businesses to build
interstate media promotion, hotel packages and special offers with bus
companies into next year's pre-show efforts.

Mr Madrid, who was once the red-skivvied character in Latin-America's
version of The Wiggles - said responses to the Circus Monoxide act
were mixed but included "many expressions of support" from mums and
dads.

"As a former children's entertainer I understand how difficult it
could be for parents to be put in a position where they have to
explain nudity to their children without having prior notice of it,"
he said.

"In Circus Monoxide's defence, it is only fair to say that I had asked
them to provide a typical Circus Monoxide show and that is what they
did."

Comments:

For all the wowsers who were shocked by their children seeing a
topless woman - get a life.

Don't you ever take them to the beach?

BTW. If they were upside down at the time is it technically correct to
describe them as topless?

Posted by gerry, 9/11/2010 11:12:35 AM, on Illawarra Mercury

I think they were great. What a great representation of strong women.
We need more role models for young people and the broader community to
show that women should be proud of there strength and not ashamed of
there bodies.

Well done Monoxide and well done to the performers.

The Circus presence at Viva this year was fantastic.

Posted by e-odsks, 9/11/2010 12:22:36 PM, on Illawarra Mercury

I'm with 'gerry'.

I would have no problem with my kids seeing this, they are 8 & 12...
It would be a conversation starter for sure... not about tits, but
about performance, art, and that these people were trying to tell a
story in their own way.

Posted by ThePurityOfEvil, 9/11/2010 12:33:50 PM, on Illawarra Mercury

umm, has anybody seen some of the people floating around town, they
are topless, go down the beach on a weekend...

please, it's bad enough the nsw gov want a nanny state....

women have been topless in the area around belmore basin for 20 odd
years...so what...

Posted by andrewp, 9/11/2010 1:21:37 PM, on Illawarra Mercury

Is breastfeeding wrong too?

Posted by Bazinga, 9/11/2010 2:43:29 PM, on Illawarra Mercury

I think the issue is being able to make an informed choice. Most
parents want to choose - where possible - what their children are
exposed to. Then those that want to be there can be, and the "wowsers"
as some call them can stay away... and everyone gets what they want.

Posted by JL, 9/11/2010 3:07:00 PM, on Illawarra Mercury

I just turned 70 and enjoyed the variety offered by this fantastic
festival. I enjoyed the Cubans, the young guys that played Stevie
Wonder, a band that sounded like The Beatles. I LOVED the dance
program. Classical music, rock, world... it was awesome. I dance in
the rain to calypso and left the park having seen wonderful fire
effects and dancing to the Colombian singer. I love the vibe, the
shared happiness, the feeling that we were all part of something big,
the re birth of Viva. I can only imagine how big it will be next year
and can only feel sorry for those who missed out.

Posted by Julia, 9/11/2010 4:08:41 PM, on Illawarra Mercury

it was a great festival , made me proud to be from the gong and i
think that it will grow from here. As for the breasts, i missed
them ,but the publicity is 'gold'

Posted by fernhill, 9/11/2010 4:40:53 PM, on Illawarra Mercury

Offended by the bare breasts of a fit strong athletic woman? Have a
look at some of the truly pug-ugly "architecture" in this town...now
that's offensive.

Posted by bigpete, 9/11/2010 6:38:27 PM, on Illawarra Mercury

The real issue is one of respect, whether you agree with nudity or not
(that is subjective) but not to inform the organisers and especially
inform the public, shows a lack of respect for your audience. A simple
statement to say that the next act features some nudity would have
given the audience the chance to choose whether to stay and watch or
not.

Posted by respect, 9/11/2010 9:07:32 PM, on Illawarra Mercury

I thought it was a sublime act, these performers are a credit to all
women. There was nothing gratuitous, and they showed incredible skill
and grace.

The whole day was excellent.

Posted by Ellen, 9/11/2010 10:07:34 PM, on Illawarra Mercury

What.. doesn't anybody watch SBS anymore?

Posted by NoName, 9/11/2010 10:44:35 PM, on Illawarra Mercury

Apology not needed. Let's not be strangled by advocates of compulsory
head to toe dress code.

Posted by Barry, 10/11/2010 6:57:34 AM, on Illawarra Mercury

I think when children are bombarded by over sexualised pop (Katy
Perry, Rihanna, Kesha, Miley Cyrus) a pair of natural bare breasts is
nothing to be offended by.

Posted by Miss Priss, 10/11/2010 7:42:00 AM, on Illawarra Mercury

I think these parents should have been delighted that their children
were exposed to the artistic image of the human form. Perhaps a
warning should have been effectively issued but they still had the
option to leave if they found it so offensive. I find the fashions
that people allow their daughters to go out in public in these days
far more offensive. Grow up - women have boobs - what a shock!

Posted by lame, 10/11/2010 8:11:34 AM, on Illawarra Mercury

Honestly officer - I didn't think anyone would be offended when I
dropped my pants in front of those kiddies - it's an artistic
statement....

Posted by m@RV, 10/11/2010 8:32:17 AM, on Illawarra Mercury

Damn, I missed it.... Nothing more beautiful than the human body.

Posted by Over it, 10/11/2010 9:34:41 AM, on Illawarra Mercury

Agree with Ellen and many others. My 5 and 3 year old kids didn't even
bat an eyelid. Viva, Viva la Gong!

Maybe the festival needs a small Wowser Tent next year with artists in
hesion sacks doing nothing of any intrerest to keep one parent happy?

Posted by DaddyC, 10/11/2010 10:28:49 AM, on Illawarra Mercury

Breasts are a source of food for children...Were the offspring of
these wowsers breastfed? If so, did they blindfold their kids when
they were on the breast?

There are plenty of cultures that never turned breasts into a sexual
fetish.

There's something a little sick and creepy about our society.

Posted by prudishness is a social construct, 10/11/2010 10:35:53 AM,
on Illawarra Mercury

Barechested isn't nudity, is it?

Posted by John, 10/11/2010 10:59:56 AM, on Illawarra Mercury

When it comes down to it, there's a time and a place for this sort of
thing. And a Saturday afternoon, in the park, at a family event, is
not the time, nor the place. The trapeze act was fantastic, the
exhibitionist segment at the end spoiled it.

And it ruined the event for the acts that followed on the main stage,
as many many people left.

I wasn't shocked or outraged by the topless incident, but a lot of
people around me were and decided to go home.

In some ways, the trapeze artists should really apologise to the
musicians etc who had to battle on in front of a meagre crowd
afterwards.

One circus act in the afternoon caused the whole Viva La Gong family
day to fizzle out. That's the biggest disappointment.

Posted by Viva?, 10/11/2010 11:21:57 AM, on Illawarra Mercury

In reply to Viva?, like a lot of people around us, we all seemed to
leave after the trapeze show because either (i) our kids were
exhausted from a fun day, (ii) it was getting dark and/or (iii) it was
dinner time. We definitely didn't leave because of the "exhibitionist
segment" nor did I see " a lot of people around me" who were "shocked
or outraged". Maybe you were at a different festival?

Posted by DaddyC, 10/11/2010 2:24:16 PM, on Illawarra Mercury

OMG! breasts! quick cover the childrens eyes lest they see!

But its ok to expose them to violence etc!!

Wowserism should be outlawed!

Posted by Natural, 10/11/2010 8:28:14 PM, on Illawarra Mercury

Maybe a warning before the performance about nudity, and then you have
the choice to stay or go.

Posted by Home-girl, 11/11/2010 7:26:38 AM, on Illawarra Mercury

[Jann]

Can you hear a rhythmic thumping noise?  That is me, knocking my head against the wall.   I am so tired of people taking the position that breasts are obscene or somehow harmful to children.

Here,  take that!  and that!  Bunch of tossers, the lot of them!

[MrDude]

Lol...newborn kids love breasts so much..they keep sucking them!

[hemingway]

There's been recent debate over here about breastfeeding in public too... meanwhile, medical professionals are screaming for new mums to breastfeed rather than forumla.

So mums that need to feed in a shopping centre are hustled into a room probably next to the toilets and probably with the same stench of bulkbuy sanitizer.

I thought we aussies had a rep for being laid back but we seem to be getting quite neurotic.

[mrj001]

Can you hear a rhythmic thumping noise?  That is me, knocking my head against the wall.   I am so tired of people taking the position that breasts are obscene or somehow harmful to children.

That was my reaction too.  Especially that this happened in Australia.  Any beach there usually has a few exposed breasts and more than a few children.

[Nude_not_rude]

Maybe the festival needs a small Wowser Tent next year with artists in
hesion sacks doing nothing of any intrerest to keep one parent happy?

Brilliant!!!!!