He started and ended in black pumps and a pleated navy skirt, his crimson lipstick a shade too bright for the lighting. He made the announcement in Czech that we were boarding for Barcelona and to take our seats for departure. There was take-off, beverage service, turbulence, plane malfunction, and eventually an evacuation into the water. All of this was accomplished in less than 10 minutes with only a costume and voice. It was one of the most riveting performances I have ever seen, and it was only the beginning of the LOSER(S) show at Letni Letna.
I had heard of a duo called Daemen who were winners of the first year of Czech and Slovakia Has Talent. The circus and acrobatics have always intrigued me, and they duo had gathered other acrobats and dancers to put together a full-on show.
As the dust settled in the giant big-top circus tent, I squinted past the haze of light to try and get a glimpse of the stage. A single carpet appeared front and center, cream-colored, with glow tape on the floor strategically placed at the corners. After the hilarious introduction from the narrator (who also provided sound effects, beat boxing, accents, comedic relief, music, and a hoard of other talents), there were many other performances that were a treat both to the eyes and ears.
A stunning woman dressed in red performed what I could best refer to as lyrical dance. A second tiny woman was thrown, carried, tossed, and bent in unimaginable (and quite frankly terrifying) ways. The five men in the group displayed strength and flexibility beyond which I had ever seen. At one point the tiny woman was tossed into a one-handed handstand on the top of a two-person tower. The intensity was so high within the crowd and the performers I had to keep reminding myself to breathe.
Through gasps and winces, oohs, and ahhs, applause and stunned silences, the perfomers pressed on, determined to put on the best show possible. Their success was written on the enthralled faces of the crowd as they were brought out for over four encores. Eventually the crowd slowly trickled out of the tent and separated to the various corners of Letensky Park.
As I walked slowly toward the bus, I smirked with satisfaction at the show that was part dance, part comedy, part acrobatics, part theatre, part synchronization. Through LOSER(s) Daemen and their team had won yet again, and this time I had been a witness.
