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Writer's pictureAlex First

360 ALLSTARS, at Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne and touring - 60 minutes

Updated: May 20

Picture this family friendly environment that has children and adults intoxicated.

 

Hip hop music, drumming, a livewire DJ and urban circus, including breakdancing, BMW bike and basketball tricks, together with large ring acrobatics.

 

That is what you get in the packed, hour-long show 360 ALLSTARS, which is all about colour, movement, razzle dazzle and audience involvement.

 

First up, the drummer Jordan Pereira and MC Liam Monkhouse introduce one another.

 

Then with the video screen behind them working overtime, one by one five artistes/athletes take to the stage to showcase their skills.

 

And when I say skills, I mean world class artistry, balance and bravado.

Hero shot by Matt Loncar


Spaniard Inigo Arroyo makes his BMX bike sing.

 

He is frequently up on one wheel, forward, back, round and round, at speed, never missing a beat. In his hands, the bike is real plaything.

 

Hailing from Milan, Samuel Fumei, who goes by the moniker Fume, takes a leaf out of the Harlem Globetrotters’ playbook.

 

His basketball antics are elite. He can spin one on each finger. He can juggle as many as four full size basketballs at once.

 

Like his compatriots, he is a true showman.

 

The chiselled break-dancers Jackson Garcia and Alejandro Scarone are Sydneysiders.

 

Headstands, handstands, back spins, side spins. You name it. They can do it. They make the seemingly impossible possible. These guys are fit and fired up.

 

And it all starts with what is termed a three round BBoy Battle between the pair, which has the look and feel of a video game, only it is real.

 

Fellow Aussie Rowan Thomas has the art of the Cyr Wheel down pat.

 

A Cyr wheel is a single, large ring made from steel or aluminum that is just a few centimetres taller than the person who steps into it.

 

By grasping the wheel at its rim, Rowan causes it to roll and spin like a gyroscope.

 

360 ALLSTARS showcases individual and collective brilliance and command of their respective artform.


A live soundtrack is complimented by video projections on a big screen and on stage floor.

 

That is not to overlook the lighting, the highlight of which is a special spotlight spectacle.

 

The Cyr wheel is laid flat on the ground and a cone beam of white light is shone into it, as one after another the performers step into it and perform their party tricks. Evocative and most effective.

 

At one stage the DJ cum MC steps off stage and and asks the audience to think of individual words that he will use to craft on the spot hip hop verse. That, too, goes down a treat.

 

Not to be outdone, Jordan’s increasingly frenzied percussion solo is another example of speed and hand to eye coordination.

 

Directed by Gene Peterson, 360 ALLSTARS is compelling street culture par excellence, unadulterated entertainment for all ages.

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