Interview with Sean Gandini, Heka
Interview conducted by Danai for Theatre and Tonic
Inspired by the wonder of magic and the artistry of illusion, Sean Gandini’s latest creation, Heka, arrives in London on 30 January as part of Mime London, before embarking on an extensive tour through June 3, 2025. This marks Gandini Juggling's first new show in three years to debut in the UK.
Drawing on the themes of enchantment and innovative choreography, we caught up with Sean to learn more about the inspiration behind this captivating production.
Sean Gandini. Photo by Camilla Greenwell
1. I’d love to begin by delving into how you discovered juggling. What was it about it that interested you so much?
I grew up doing magic and could always juggle a little, but I once saw a street performer in Covent Garden juggle five balls. It completely mesmerized me, and I had a strange, compulsive feeling that I had to learn it. There was something about the ability to draw geometries in space that fascinated me.
2. Your career has led to the creation of Gandini Juggling, which you co-founded in 1991. What inspired you to start this company, and how has its vision evolved over the years?
Meeting my partner in crime (and wife) Kati Ylä-Hokkala was the biggest step in founding the company and ensuring its longevity. We’ve shared a creative vision and a boundless enthusiasm for exploring the possibilities of juggling. Over the years, juggling has returned that energy and kept us joyous.
When we started, we had a youthful stubbornness and a commitment to abstraction. Later, we embraced a “tabula rasa” approach, realising that juggling can be whatever you want it to be. It mixes joyously with so many art forms, and that has kept us inspired.
3. How do you approach your creative process of combining juggling with contemporary dance and other art forms?
We’ve often thought of our work as sending juggling on “Tinder dates” with other art forms: ballet, Bharatanatyam, prestidigitation, mathematics… We love the process of combining art forms, and dance has always felt particularly close to us. Juggling, by nature, is intrinsically choreographic.
When we collaborate, we immerse ourselves fully in the art forms we’re engaging with. For example, our juggling and ballet piece sparked a ballet class addiction for both Kati and me!
4. What challenges have you faced in pushing the boundaries of traditional juggling, and how did you overcome them?
Initially, there was resistance to what we were doing. Our first pieces were highly experimental, and it took almost a decade before our work gained proper acceptance. Juggling comes with many preconceived notions, so getting audiences to attend a performance is often the first step to changing their perceptions.
5. Your new show Heka premiered in Paris last month and is coming to London this month before a tour. Can you tell us a bit about it?
Heka looks at juggling through a magic filter and vice versa. It’s a cheeky journey through a series of sequences designed to trick the eye. We worked with two remarkable magicians, Kalle Neo and Yann Frisch, who were immensely helpful and generous.
6. What has been your favourite part of developing Heka, and has anything about the creative process surprised you?
We’ve loved learning some of the manipulation skills involved in magic! What surprised us most is that magic doesn’t have to be narrative. We’ve spent years deconstructing ideas, but magic is challenging to deconstruct. If you see just the final part of a magic trick, it’s no longer magic—it loses its power.
7. What can audiences expect from this show if it’s their first time seeing work by Gandini Juggling?
We hope they experience visual seduction paired with enough silliness to keep it all wonderfully human.
9. What do you envision for the future of juggling as a performing art, and how does Gandini Juggling fit into that future?
Juggling is currently in its golden age. If we’ve contributed even a little to this evolution, we are thrilled.
10. Finally, why should people come to see Heka?
For a poetic departure—a moment of cheekiness and puzzlement that we hope will linger in their minds long after the show.
Heka plays at The Place in London 30 January - 1 February before visits to Cambridge, Farnham, Lancaster, Brighton, Oxford and more.
