By Morf Morford, Tacoma Daily Index
And, now, come to this spot
Where the spotlight is hot
And you’ll see in the spotlight
A Juggling Jott
Who can juggle some stuff
You might think he could not…
– Dr. Seuss
There are few images or experiences more rooted in our history, culture and even shared identity, if not mythology, than the image or experience of a travelling circus. The image/memory/fantasy/fear of the circus runs deep in our culture and the fact that the circus tends to be semi-seasonal only adds to the mystery and appeal. Beside the mercurial nature of any live performance, the “here today, gone tomorrow” element of the circus increases and confirms the mystique – and the legend.
The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd
Some of our readers may remember the Afifi Shriners Circus that came to town every summer for many years. The Afifi Shriners Circus (often at the UPS Fieldhouse) was packed with three rings (at least) of tightrope walkers, trapeze artists and, of course, trained animals. And clowns. Lots of clowns.
To put it simply, maintaining and transporting a cast and crew of this size and diversity (from trapeze artists to elephants) was daunting, difficult and, of course, expensive. From cost to working conditions to the treatment of animal, that was then, and this is now.
A (relatively) new circus is in town
Tacoma has been lucky enough to host a scaled-back, human powered-circus for several years now (2023 is the fourth year at Tacoma’s Star Center, before that, Wright Park was the location).
The Venardos Circus, each year, wends its way across the country from Tacoma, WA to Asheville, NC (and a dozen points between). There are very few big cities on the agenda of this very small circus. The Venardos Circus has just begun their 2023 touring season. You can find their performances at a location near you here.
The Venardos Circus may not have elephants or three rings, but what they have is a skilled set of acrobats, balancers, limb-stretchers and comic scenes that surpass, by far, anything on a screen. And, speaking of screens, the Venardos Circus allows, even encourages, any and all videos or clips to be shared on social media or among friends.
Awe inspiring – and Awwww inspiring
I sat next to my granddaughter at a recent Venardos Circus performance. She does ballet in Pointe shoes and can do the splits. After seeing her on stage for several years, I thought I was prepared for any bodily contortions and death-defying (and physics- and gravity-defying) acts that the human body could display.
Nope. As I watched the circus unfold, I found myself saying “What?!” and then “Whaaaaatttt?!?
Don’t try this at home
And then, after a few moves that defied gravity, biology and common sense, I turned to my limber, flexible, ballet-trained granddaughter and said, “Don’t even try that!”
Sensory day
Each tour has at least one performance set aside for those who find background music and sound distracting or intrusive. Venardos Circus is all about building community – and that means everyone of all abilities, interests and ages.
Look at their schedule for the special Sensory Friendly performance of the show. This performance will feature fewer lighting changes and the sound volume (voice and music) will be greatly reduced. Besides that, you can experience the same acts, same musical numbers and the same amount of unexpected astonishment. These are the perfect shows for anyone who is sensitive to loud sounds or bright changing lights.
The sensory friendly performance is perfect for hearing impaired (sign interpreter available with two weeks notice) and the intimate tent setting provides a space with the opportunity to step away and take a break.
Lighting is adjusted to eliminate strobe effects and the volume level is kept lower. Special accommodation can be made for groups in wheelchairs. Earplugs provided free of charge.
What’s so special about a circus?
There is perhaps no institution in the human cultural landscape, across Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas that is more embedded in the cultural fabric than a troupe of wandering minstrels, story-tellers, jesters, musicians and acrobats.
The Venardos Circus, with its no-frills, no CGI, and no special effects, is not your father’s circus – but it might be much like your great-great-great grandfather’s circus. There’s nothing like it – and every performance is different.
As the ringmaster points out at every performance, the Venardos Circus is a dream that has taken form, a summary perhaps, of human aspirations and possibilities. This circus is a dream pursued, a dream, a vision, a career of sorts, a fantasy shared among a few determined, and as we all know from the movies, some from pretty far on the eccentric spectrum, doing, in a practical sense, what few of us could even begin to imagine. Details, schedules and tickets can be found here.