I chatted recently with one of the cast members of Greasepaint’s “The Wiz,” who reminded me he’s part of a local circus troupe called the Taylor Family Circus — recently featured in the June 2010 issue of Raising Arizona Kids magazine.
I seem to find the circus arts here, there and everywhere these days. Just last month “Cirque Shanghai Bai Xi” performed at Chandler Center for the Performing Arts.
Your next opportunity to enjoy a large-scale circus production here in the Valley is just around the, well, ring. I’ve never heard of a three-corner circus — though nowadays I suppose anything is possible.
“Cirque Dreams Illumination” takes to two Valley stages this month — Nov 9 & 10 at Mesa Arts Center and Nov 11-14 at the Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix. The show, presented by Theater League, combines three elements many parents will find strangely familiar.
There’s “urban acrobatics” — which reminds me of darting between clothing racks with a double stroller and a triple shot of espresso. There’s “dazzling choreography” — not unlike maneuvering your way into the shortest line at the grocery store. And there’s “brilliant illusions” — akin perhaps to believing we still fit into our prom and wedding dresses.
Expect leaping, balancing, flying and plenty of special effects — all set to an “original score of jazz, salsa, ballroom, pop and trendy beats from the streets.” This last one has me worried since most Arizonans think of street music as beeping their car horn.
If you’re looking for a unique way to enjoy the winter holidays with family and friends, a trip to the circus might be just the thing. “Zoppe An Italian Family Circus Since 1842” performs at the Chandler Center for the Arts Dec 26- 31 and Jan 1-2 (2011).
Circus arts in the 21st century involve much more than many of us remember from our own childhood trips to the big top — when cotton candy and clown cars were enough to leave us bright-eyed and up way beyond bedtime with dreams of riding in the elephant parade.
Explore the wonders of circus arts behind the scenes on a new section of the PBS website — PBS Arts. It features information and entertainment of the dance, theater, visual art, film and music variety. There’s even a “Contribute Your Art” feature that lets folks contribute their own work.
Tune to PBS tonight (Wed, Nov 3) for the start of a new series of six one hour episodes titled “Circus” — which features the Big Apple Circus of New York City, a nonprofit performing arts circus formed by two clowns “inspired by the intimacy of a one-ring show.”
It might feel a bit like a circus with all of today’s post-election reporting and rallying cries, but I’ll take the performance arts over political illusions any day of the week.
— Lynn
Note: Learn more about circus history at www.circopedia.org.
Coming up: Hard love, big love and puppy love; Science and Shakespeare?; Herberger highlights; Playwrights from my past
