LEO, the award-winning, anti-gravity theater performance, amazed audience members and challenged the perception of reality during its showing in Titmus Theater during its first showing on Tuesday. 

The performance featured a single acrobatic dancer on a large, simply painted box on top of the theater’s main stage. The real interest of the show was not the unique visual appeal of the set, but the way the performer interacted with it. 

Next to the stage stood a large screen which projected every movement made by Julian Schulz, the show’s solitary actor. While Schulz acted laying down, leaning, jumping on the walls and throwing himself upside down, the screen presented the scene from a side view. Because of his position, the projection appeared as if Schulz was performing right side up, giving the show its anti-gravity effect. 

Julie Bernstorf, a senior in biological engineering, said she has seen another anti-gravity show in the past, and she chose to see this one because of how interesting she found the concept.

“It’s more exciting than normal dance performances because the concept is so foreign,” Bernstorf said. “It’s very fascinating to think about not having any gravity.”

Schulz, a 25-year-old acrobatic dancer from Germany who said he began performing at age 16, said he has been working with this production for more than two-and-a-half years. He said he does about 75 performances per year. 

Schulz said his favorite part of performing the show is the ending.

“I like the ending, the final scene when I can really exhaust myself,” Schulz said. “I really like to exhaust myself and dance.”

The visually stunning effect of the show attracted many of the show’s viewers. Ryan Branogan, a freshman in biomedical engineering, said, even though he had no idea what the show was going to be about, he was attracted to the show’s visual effects.

“The pictures of this show looked sweet,” Branogan said. “I wanted to check it out.”

Branogan said he was pleasantly surprised with the actual show, as it was completely unlike what he was expecting.

“The show was awesome,” Branogan said. “I thought it was extremely creative and original and unlike anything I have ever seen before.”

LEO, which has been performed all around the world and won several awards at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, including the Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award, the Three Weeks Editors Award and the Scotsman Fringe First Award. The show was directed by Daniel Briére, an actor and director from Montreal. 

The show will run until March 23. All seats for the event are reserved at this time. 

Funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the North Carolina Arts Council, tickets to LEO are $5 for students, $23 for faculty and staff and $28 for the public. The performance was based on an original idea by Tobias Wegner.

This week’s showings of LEO are ARTS N.C. State events.