No fear of dead cat bounces here
EARLY risers were greeted yesterday by a bungee ballet over the Thames. At 7.30am, 16 performers leapt from the Millennium Bridge to touch the water before flying back up. Inspired by a Latin American rite of passage, this hair-raising spectacle was the opening act in a whole day of gravity-defying action commissioned by the Mayor of London and the London 2012 Festival.
Quick-witted Twitter followers could then track the performers to dry land, for a “sky walk” running down the side of City Hall. At lunchtime, a giant wheel appeared in Paternoster Square, with dancers spinning their way around its rotating frame against the backdrop of St Paul’s Cathedral.
The dancers moved to Trafalgar Square in the afternoon, which became the stage set for an endless climb on a spinning ladder. Apparently “the ever-revolving Sisyphean ascent to the unreachable top of the ladder” was a metaphor, though not necessarily for City careers.
That said, the unlucky recent fate of some who had climbed to the top of the ladder at Barclays could have inspired the following act, as Human Fountain saw a series of gymnasts thrown down from high places.
Surprises:STREB was a one-off creation by the Brooklyn choreographer Elizabeth Streb, staged as part of this year’s London International Festival of Theatre.
FUTURES firms who pride themselves on keeping their eye on the ball should get in training for the third annual Futures Fives football tournament. Taking place on 3 September at Powerleague Docklands, the contest will see some of the biggest banks, hedge funds, and brokerage houses competing to help raise money for Futures for Kids http://futuresforkids.org.uk.
To sign up, contact Deborah.Fisher@ tradingtechnologies.com