Sadly, the circus and street theatre world has said farewell to another great pioneer, with the news of the death of Dave Spathaky. One of the founders of the continually influential Ra Ra Zoo.
The days of Ra Ra Zoo are infamous and set many artists on their diverse career paths including Sue Broadway who became the Artistic Director of Circus Oz, Sean Gandini and Kati Ylä-Hokkala who formed Gandini Juggling, Mark Digby and Ali Houiellebecq who formed La Le Les and Lindsey Butcher who subsequently formed Gravity & Levity.
Under the joint Artistic Direction of Dave Spathaky and Sue Broadway, the company combined the ethos of ‘alternative’ comedy of the 1980s with a 1970s revival of circus skills, variously called ‘neo-circus or new variety by them or contemporary circus’ by other people, it largely promoted a reinvention of circus focusing on human skill without presenting animal acts. Dave and Sue’s background in street performing and in the influential Circus Oz, gave Ra Ra Zoo an irreverent, fast-paced, avant-garde, surrealist feel.
Dave was in semi-retirement for many years but occasionally performed as ‘The Great Davido’.
Colleague Sean Gandini writes on Facebook:
“Very sad to hear of Dave Spathaky’s death. Ra-Ra Zoo was a mother company to so many of us. I learned so much about the workings of shows and routines with them. I hope when the sparse history of UK contemporary circus gets assessed they get the place they deserve. One of my fondest memories was seeing Dave and Sue Broadway swing fire for Test Department in a warehouse in west London. Will be thinking of all of this today on the beaten track which they pushed me onto.”
