Q&A with ‘Fuerza Bruta: Look Up’ stars Daniel Case and Holly Shunkey

From the creators of the international hit De La Guarda, Fuerza Bruta: Look Up (the name means “brute force” in Spanish) is now in its fifth smash year at the Daryl Roth Theatre in Manhattan. The show is a multi-sensory, gravity defying extravaganza that has been seen by over 1.3 million people across 15 countries, and continues to expand its worldwide appeal, with upcoming shows across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.

Described as an event where worlds collide, dreams are real and reality takes a back seat, Fuerza Bruta is described by The New York Times as a “clublike spectacle” with spectacular visuals and stunning effects. With pulsating club music and no dialogue, performers glide across a 20-foot-high flying curtain, a man runs headlong through a wall from a speeding six-foot-high treadmill, and the finale presents a dance in watery world just above the audience’s heads.

In this exclusive interview, I caught up with two of the show’s current performers, Daniel Case (a veteran of De La Guarda), and swing Holly Shunkey, a Pilobolus Dance Theater alum and the original dance captain for Wicked at Universal Studios Japan.

You’re a trained actor. What sparked your interest in aerial stunts, and who were some of your influences in this field?

Case: I was always a very physical actor and for a period of time got pulled into modern dance as well. I performed a piece with my wife Brook Notary’s dance company, which utilized aerial elements, and loved it. I also got involved in some circus theater with my wife's brother Terrence Notary, a Cirque du Soleil veteran who had his own circus production period for a time but is now heavily involved in film. I had an extremely visceral response and attraction to flying and could not get enough of it. 

I had been in New York for about a year when I first saw De La Guarda. It had not been open too long, but I had an overwhelming response to the show. It was a bit like I just knew this was the theater for me. I related to it in so many ways: I responded to it visually as a visual artist. Physically, as an athlete. And as an actor, it was transcendent: It transported the audience and cast to a surreal otherworld of the supernatural.  

I have been profoundly influenced by Diqui James, Fuerza Bruta’s creator, as well as Pichon Baldinu, who co-created De La Guarda with Diqui. One of the beautiful things about their work is the fact that they create pedestrian aerial theater. It is intentionally kept from becoming overly acrobatic. In the words of Diqui James, "We leave that to Cirque du Soleil.” It is aerial theater with a postmodern sensibility influenced by [Antonin] Artaud. Another artist whose aerial theater work I think is amazing is James Thiérrée.

For the uninitiated, how would you describe Fuerza Bruta?

Shunkey: Fuerza Bruta is a multisensory experience that takes place above and around the audience inviting them to become a part of the show. 

Let’s talk about that treadmill. How many miles per show would you say you run per show?

Case: I would say we actually only run about three miles in the show. But they are hard miles. We have prolonged bursts at high speed.  

How is Fuerza Bruta different from some of your other experiences in theater and dance?

Shunkey: The freedom! There is so much room within this show for discovery and growth as an actor and as a human being.

What other kinds of physical demands does the show require of you?

Case: It is important for us to remain well conditioned overall. Core strength is essential with this type of work. I do a lot of Pilates in my warm-up. We also tend to do a lot of physical therapy exercises to take care of minor injuries or prevent new ones.

What were your thoughts about the show when you first heard about it, and what about it appealed to you most to make you want to join?

Shunkey: When I first saw the show I was amazed! I was immediately drawn in by the cast and was blown away by the vision of Diqui James. I knew I wanted to work with him.

Any “close call” stories you can share regarding the props or stage design? 

Case: We all rotate and play all the roles, but there is a bit of a running joke at the show that whenever something goes wrong with the technical aspects of the show, I am the corridor, or running man. It usually has more to do with transitioning from one act to another. On a number of occasions I have been stuck within one episode of the act and had to simply extend the sequence until we can move on. I once had to keep walking, dragging the rolling bed for around 10 extra minutes. The show is set up that the music can loop at different points in the show—if it gets stuck for some reason, we simply need to stay involved and focused on whatever task or act we are engaged in. It is a great challenge and thankfully it’s not that jarring for the audience as the act is already nonlinear and has repetition of events built in.  

How would you describe Fuerza Bruta compared with the more traditional Broadway musicals?

Shunkey: In traditional theater, the audience is removed from the performance. You sit in your seat, watch the show, and go home. Fuerza Bruta invites the audience to become a part of the show. The audience moves among the set pieces and the actors, and the show offers the audience the opportunity to dance, touch, and play.

What’s the most difficult part of each show for you?

Case: I would say the show is very demanding physically and emotionally, but not difficult. I think it is difficult to do something you don't love. I love this show very much, as we all do, or we would not be here. This show feeds you. I leave the show feeling both exhausted and energized. However, to answer the question, the corridor, or running man, act is the most challenging, primarily because you need to stay truly engaged in the moment. Keep it informed by your own personal journey which you have created, and still try to not comment or self direct moments. All while engaged in a strenuous act. 

At first, how did you prepare for rehearsals and performances?

Shunkey: Before we even started rehearsals for the show, I did a lot of running and I also took some aerial classes to brush up on my harness skills. Other than that, yoga and some Pilates, but mostly running. 

What can you tell us about the show’s creator and artistic director Diqui James? Is he as boundlessly frenetic as the show itself, or something else entirely?

Case: Diqui is a genius. He is both full of joy as well as having a complete understanding of human suffering. I think he is very Argentine in this. The country has been through a lot of turmoil, dictatorships, the collapse of their banks, etc. And yet, they have an amazing capacity and need to celebrate life. Diqui once described De La Guarda as "a run towards joy," which I think says a great deal about who he is. We may have pain, we may suffer, but we can enjoy life.

A lot has been written about the celebrities who have attended Fuerza Bruta over the years. How exactly did this begin, and what specific word of mouth would you say is what keeps them coming?

Shunkey: People who come to the show get excited about it. They can't wait to tell people, bring their friends, and share the experience with their relatives from out of town. I think it’s this kind of excitement that draws people to the show, celebrity or not.

Have you been part of any of the show’s international tours? What was a favorite moment from that experience?

Case: I have not toured abroad with the show. Although I would love to be a part of bringing the show to another city/country/culture. I have a wife and daughter here in New York, and the timing has never been ideal for me. The one thing everyone who has done the show in another culture says is that it is fascinating to see how they respond.  

Something about the show that goes completely over the audience’s head (no pun intended) is…

Shunkey: I think every member of the audience experiences the show from whereever they are in life at that moment and that’s all the show asks of them. 

Your favorite part of each show is…

Case: To select one part of the show as my favorite is really difficult. I really feel that although the show is nonlinear, it is the journey or ride that the show takes you on which makes it so beautiful. The opening corridor sequence of the solitary running man as a standalone piece would be very dark; however, by the end of the show, hopefully the audience feels uplifted, inspired, and energized. I guess some of my favorite images from the show are those relating to barriers and obstacles: The running man crashing through walls, the women in the pool throwing themselves at the transparent floor/ceiling in the pool. 

What are some of the more interesting examples of audience participation you’ve observed or heard about in your time as a cast member?

Shunkey: It is the most incredible sight to see people from all walks of life come together at the end of the show and dance, from kids, to grandmothers, to businessmen. I am so grateful for this each and every night. 

Because of the audience participation, in what way is every show different from a performer’s point of view?

Case: The energy and experience of each audience is unique. We have shows that feel like a rock concert from the beginning and then shows which feel much more like observers and spectacle to begin. What we find most important when interacting with the audience is that we "listen" to them. We have to see how willing each person is to interact with us and coax them into the experience. Some people begin hesitant but then dive in. Some are ready from the get-go. Some people are much more comfortable simply dipping their toes in, so to speak. I think that some of our less rowdy audiences are the most interesting to talk to after the show. They frequently want to discuss their artistic interpretation of the experience and images. That's part of the beauty of the show; it's a bit like a Rorschach test: It tells us about you.

You’ve worked in a lot of international dance productions. To you, what aspects were most unique from country to country?

Shunkey: The culture. Each country is so different in how they work and how they perform. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to get work with all different types of people. 

You’ll be performing aerial stunts in an upcoming film called The Tribe. What can you tell us about it?

Case: My wife’s brother, Terry Notary, has gotten very involved in movement direction and stunt coordination in the film industry. He asked me to work on a film called The Tribe with him, and I jumped at it. I performed aerial stunts and creature work in the film. It is a horror/sci-fi genre film about people who get stranded on an island inhabited by creatures somewhere between beast and humanoid. I truly enjoyed the experience; I did a lot of aerial stunts, wire work etc.

I enjoyed the creative exercise of creating and inhabiting movement which was somewhere between human and bestial. We did quadrupedal movement, running on all fours, etc. It's also fascinating to lead with your other senses. In the film, it is revealed the creatures are blind. We are so visually dominant, it's fascinating to let your imagination see what it might be like to have your other senses heightened and rely on them, and as an actor, attempt to portray this physical life. It's all very grounded in Method, sensory and animal exercises, which I studied as an actor.

The footage we shot actually got used for two films: The Tribe and The Lost Tribe. The second was rewritten and recast, but used some of the same creature footage. Neither film received a theatrical release. They are flawed films, but I enjoyed the experience and the people I worked with.  

Finally, what would you like people to remember most about Fuerza Bruta?

Shunkey: I hope people remember the show as an experience that moved them in some way, maybe made them think a little differently, made them feel something, and I hope it’s an experience they want to come back to again and again.

Fuerza Bruta: Look Up is now playing at the Daryl Roth Theatre, 101 East 15th Street (between Union Square East and Irving Place) Wednesdays through Sundays in New York City. For more information, visit www.fuerzabrutanyc.com.

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