Suspended 50 metres above the crowd, Arthur Meauxsoone spreads his angel wings and soars along the zipline strung between towering cranes. Below him, thousands of people turn their faces skyward, the joy evident and reaching up in wonder and delight. Feathers cascade around him and the feeling is “magic.
“It’s incredible,” he says. “This is why I do this.” Arthur (32) is one of 26 cast and crew with France’s Compagnie Gratte Ciel (trans: ‘skyscraper’), a company which specialises in grand scale performances with most of the cast coming from backgrounds in the outdoors industry – ropes specialists, caving and canyoning instructors, climbing experts, paragliders and base jumpers.
Compagnie Gratte Ciel comes to New Zealand in March to perform Place Des Anges in Auckland Domain exclusively as part of Auckland Arts Festival for three nights with 10,000 people attending each night. Written and directed by Pierrot Bidon and Stéphane Girard, Place Des Anges has been performed around the world entrancing audiences of all ages in France, Canada, Poland, Argentina, England, Sweden, Russia, South Africa and Australia.
Like Arthur, Rémy Legeay (32) comes from an outdoors background as a ropes expert and has been with Gratte Ciel for 10 years – he heard of the company while training as a ropes instructor, and a few years later Stephane invited him to join.
As well as performing, he’s the company’s head rigger and aerial designer and is in charge of overall safety, of the ‘angels’ and the public attending the show.
Denne historien er fra February - March 2020-utgaven av Adventure Magazine.
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Denne historien er fra February - March 2020-utgaven av Adventure Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Papua New Guinea
Four reasons to add Papua New Guinea to your bucket list
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An eighteen-year-old princess, who paints his (yes, his) nails and dyes his hair bleach blonde, embarking on an adventure trip with his family, sounds like a plot for a bad 80s movie.
The Meaning of Tramping
What does tramping mean to you?
Keala Kennelly owns Red Bull Magnitude
The North Shore season of 1957 is recognized in the surfing world as the start of an era. When Greg Noll, a young Mickey Munoz and company went out and rode Waimea for the first time, it was a glimpse of what could be in the world of big-wave surfing.
North West Circuit Stewart Island
I found myself in limbo during the winter of 2020, in between jobs in a strained covid economy. And so, I did what any outdoors person would do with a large amount of free time on their hands. It was time to pack up my belongings and hit the road. It was time to leave behind home comforts and go adventure-seeking.
Emilie's adventure to Angelus Hut
“I want to be the leader!” Miss Six announced, pushing past me in her determination to be in front. Momentarily off-balance with my heavy pack, I narrowly avoided twisting an ankle on the sharp rocks and silently swore while cracking a bright smile.
Nancy Jiang Breaking stereotypes
I recently watched a youtube movie entitled, “Her Way” (check it out on the Adventure Website) which introduced a woman who had an overwhelming passion for running. The preface at the bottom of the clip, read as follows:
Adversity at Altitude
The wind and snow is whipping at my face. I’ve readjusted the stiff frozen fleece buff around my neck and mouth, desperately trying to protect myself from the -20 degree bitter wind. Adrenaline is still pumping through my body but I know I’ll start to get cold soon.
Last Great Mountaineering Challenge
Ground-breaking mountaineer Nirmal ‘Nims’ Purja MBE has attained an incredible new world record by submitting K2 as part of a collaborative team in the depths of winter. Until now, it was a record that was believed to be impossible to accomplish and was famously known as the ‘last great mountaineering challenge’.
