With plenty of thrills and no spills, the highwire spectacular, The Xrossing presented by SeedArts at Lismore Quad on the weekend, drew hundreds of ooh-ers and ah-ers who delighted in the breathtaking performances.
The Xrossing, performed during NAIDOC week, was created in tribute to Con Colleano, a Gamilaroi man born in Lismore in 1899 who became the greatest tightwire artist of all time. Known as the ‘Wizard of the Wire’ Colleano’s grace, style and achievements on the wire have never been paralleled and, until the weekend, his story was little known even amongst Lismore residents.
The Xrossing featured celebrated tightwire walkers, including Wiradjuri wire walker and circus artist Dylan Singh, in an awe-inspiring performance on highwires stretching 60 metres across Lismore Quad.
Performances by community walkers
The Xrossing also included performances on a lower wire by ‘community walkers’ who had taken part in a series of free ‘Wizards of the Wire’ tightwire workshops in the lead up to the show.
The performance was opened on Saturday with a welcome ceremony and included speeches from a family relative of Con Colleano’s, Deb Hescott, and respected circus historian Mark St Leon, author of Con Colleano, Wizard of the Wire.
The Xrossing co-director Simone O’Brien said they wanted to make Con Colleano a household name. ‘We definitely planted that seed with The Xrossing this weekend.
Years in the making
‘The Xrossing has been many years in the making and wouldn’t have been possible without an incredible team of performers and creatives, the community who have been involved all along the way, and all our supporters including Lismore Quad, local arts organisations, Lismore City Council, the Federal and NSW Government.’
