Fresh from a triumphant season at the Edinburgh Fringe, award-winning Australian circus company Gravity & Other Myths (GoM) is bringing its critically acclaimed production Ten Thousand Hours to Melbourne for the first time. Playing at Arts Centre Melbourne’s Playhouse from 13 – 25 January 2026, the show is a breathtaking exploration of the dedication, collaboration and sheer human potential it takes to master a craft. We spoke to one of GoM’s Founders and the Director for this show, Lachlan Binns, to learn more about the show and what makes this Adelaide-based company so successful.
Binns is an acrobat through and through. Training from a young age with CirKidz, he has performed in many of GoM’s hit shows. “I still dabble occasionally,” he shares with a wistful smile, but he spends more time these days helping behind the scenes with the prolifically touring company’s production, marketing and admin – basically anything needed to keep their internationally in-demand shows on the road. That said, he had a different perspective for Ten Thousand Hours as the show’s Director.
“Ten Thousand Hours is based on the quote by the author Malcolm Gladwell, which says that it takes about 10,000 hours of dedicated practice at any given skill to become a master,” Binns reflects. “We’re really interested in that because we’ve all obviously put a whole lot of time into mastering acrobatics and mastering music. And there’s a commonality with everyone in the world who has practised something, has learned something, has attempted to master something.”
Known for their pared-back aesthetic which prizes human connection and authenticity over flashy costumes and set, with Ten Thousand Hours, Binns says, “We like to imagine that you stumbled into a bunch of people training in the park or on the street.” On stage, that idea comes to life as performers let us see not only their breathtaking skills but also the stumbles as bodies hit the floor, the retries, and sparks of invention that lead somewhere unexpected. The effect is disarmingly human: we witness the playfulness that drives their artistry, the courage behind their ambition, and we’re invited to share in their journey to greatness… with lots of laughs along the way!
That accessibility is key to their enduring success, says Binns. “Playfulness is always a huge part of any GoM show. We play with each other. We play with the audience. We generally have a good time and joke and laugh. That’s what we like the audience to experience. We don’t take ourselves too seriously. It’s authentic – a real part of our training. We do the thing we love with a bunch of our friends and have a great time doing it.”
The premise of Ten Thousand Hours promises access like you’ve never had before. “People find watching us train and watching us practise and watching us try things again and again, really interesting and entertaining,” says Binns. “Obviously, it’s nice to put a really polished, slick product on stage, but that story and that journey that goes into that perfect moment, we’ve thought is really interesting and audiences have kind of told us it’s really interesting.”
The genius of the show lies in that openness. Instead of only showing the flawless end result, Ten Thousand Hours celebrates the grit, the repetition, and the occasional failure that pave the way to mastery – reminding us that missteps are an essential part of success and it’s important to laugh at ourselves, and with others, along the way.
“A big part of watching acrobatics is that it’s exciting because things can go wrong. There’s a fascination that people have with risky, dangerous, scary things. Actually pulling back the curtain, even more than just imagining it can go wrong, maybe seeing it occasionally, I think heightens that appreciation.”
Binns’ small chuckle reminds us that these circus folks enjoy making our hair stand on end. “It makes audiences’ hearts race a little bit faster,” he relishes. Then comes the playful disclaimer: “Not that anything is super dangerous… I mean, it’s all dangerous. But, you know, we’ve practised 10,000 hours, so you know it’s relatively safe.”
But behind the fun, there’s also an important lesson to learn from Ten Thousand Hours. One we dancers perhaps need reminding of more than most. “It’s important to not let yourself get too absorbed by that pursuit of perfection,” maintains Binns. We should be “enjoying the process and enjoying the journey and kind of celebrating the highs and the lows and enjoying the ugly stuff, too.”
Having reached a massive milestone in 2025 with over 1 million tickets sold and showing no signs of slowing down, we were curious what it is about GoM that continues to delight audiences? “It’s kind of hard to put your finger on sometimes,” a humble Binns replies. “I think our instinct is that it’s something to do with that accessibility that we make shows that aren’t too challenging and that are just joyous and fun. And anyone across the world can come. There’s no language barrier, there’s no cultural barrier.” He adds that the company balances that ease with innovation. “It comes with just the right amount of pushing the boundaries and developing the form – all the stuff that goes along with having done it for so long – but trying to retain that accessibility and that human connectedness that people are drawn to.”
Having created a number of internationally acclaimed shows, GoM are undoubtedly masters of their craft. Their dual ensemble touring schedule is enough to make mere mortals shudder, but not these energetic and driven machines of human wonder. With so much time on the road, we wondered how they keep that authenticity and camaraderie alive. “We put a lot of time and energy into casting and getting that cast mix right,” Binns shares. “We started as a group of close friends founding a company together, and then we kind of slowly grew over time. That process of bringing new people into a group doesn’t always go perfectly. But communication is one of the highest skills that you can have with GoM. We try to communicate really healthfully, and we make sure we put a lot of time into picking the right people to come and join us. It’s not just the person that can tick the box that can do the skill on stage. You’ve got to fit the culture.”
Back to the show in Melbourne. “Coming home to Australian audiences has a real strong place in our hearts; we love it,” Binns says, beaming. “We find everyone around the world appreciates our shows, but there’s something about Australian audiences, the same sense of humour, the same kind of cultural experience and we can really dial everything up to 11, I guess.” Binns is clearly excited by the prospect of an Australian show after many months of this particular show touring consistently through Taiwan, France, Canada, Denmark and Luxembourg.
As Melbourne audiences prepare for their first taste of Ten Thousand Hours, we asked Binns what he hopes they’ll take away. “This show can be pretty inspiring to people who maybe used to be practising something and they’ve given it up. Maybe they’ll decide to pick it back up again and give it another crack. Or someone that was a high-level gymnast, feels that nostalgia towards their old training journey.”
But it’s about more than acrobatics, he adds. “We really hope we inspire people to move and have fun and enjoy their groups, their communities, the people they’re close to in whatever they’re doing. It doesn’t have to be acrobatics, you know, it can be your family at home. All the people in your office. Just that connecting with other people and having a good time doing the thing you love.”
We recommend gathering that group together and booking your tickets for Ten Thousand Hours. Let these elite playful circus masters inspire you and wow you with their tenacity, virtuosity and the reminder that it’s important to have fun with those who matter along the way.
Ten Thousand Hours runs at the Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne from 13 – 25 January 2026. For more information, visit www.gravityandothermyths.com.
By Nichola Hall of Dance Informa.
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