READ ALL ABOUT IT!
The District Ringer has arrived as your source for DMV circus news. This month’s edition, The Covid Chronicles, delves into how local circus businesses are reopening amidst a worldwide health crisis. Part one of this series spotlights Emilia’s Acrobatics and Gymnastics in Laurel, Md. We caught up with general manager Yuri Kostovetskiy to find out what it was like to open a state-of-the-art facility — fulfilling his father’s 30-year dream — in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. Read the story at this link, where we’ll post fresh content every Friday. Next week’s article looks at how touring circuses dealt with the influenza epidemic of 1918.
PARTICIPATE
August 21st-23rd
The National Capital Puppetry Festival includes puppet shows and slams, panel discussions, and workshops happening online throughout the weekend. The Friday evening show (8-9 p.m.) is hosted by Alex & Olmsted and features puppeteers from Maryland, New York and Mexico. Registration is $20-25 for the full weekend. Visit this link to sign up and see the full schedule.
August 28th-30th
CIMAC Valparaíso is an annual circus/juggling festival in Mexico, held entirely online this year and featuring workshops, talks and shows. While many of the events are in Spanish, the topics — clowning, dance, juggling — should translate to some degree. Visit the Facebook event pagefor the latest.
WATCH
August 21st
Battle Night, a tournament of head-to-head three-club juggling battles broadcast live on Zoom and YouTube, continues tonight with the Latino American League at 8:30 p.m. EDT, featuring jugglers from Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia and El Salvador. Eight jugglers enter. Only one can win! Don’t miss this electrifying event providing a global sampling of the hottest club juggling styles. Log onto the Zoom page at this link, or view the battle on the Unicirclo Laguna YouTube channel.
August 22nd
Aloft Circus Arts in Chicago presents Sanctuary — Live from Aloftat 9:30 p.m. EDT. This show boasts a stellar line-up of acrobats, aerialists, trampoline wizards and more. Visit the Facebook event page for information on how to purchase tickets, which will allow you to stream the performance for your entire household.
August 30th
Enjoy a live show on Zoom featuring four dancers and circus artists to delight and amaze you at Cocktail Cirquantine @Home. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. EDT. There will be an artist talk-back following the 7:30 p.m. show. Guests are invited to dress up and turn on their cameras to join the fun! Tickets are pay-what-you-can at this link. You will receive the event link after you purchase your ticket.
LEARN
August 28th
Cirque Psych out of Colorado is offering a Mental Health First Aid for Circus workshop online from 3-5:30 p.m. EDT. This workshop gives you tools to support circus artists, from students to professionals, who may be struggling with trauma, panic attacks, suicidal thoughts or eating disorders, taught by licensed social worker Janelle Peters. Register at this link. Cost is on a sliding scale, starting at $35.
SUPPORT
Undefined Futbol is hosting the Freestyle Against Hunger Project. Freestyle soccer players should visit this link and fill out the form to donate at least $15 to World Central Kitchen, which has mobilized worldwide to address food insecurity in disaster areas. Then, upload your favorite, best, funniest freestyle video (10-30 seconds) to a public Instagram page with the hashtag #fsagainsthunger for a chance to win Undefined Futbol swag and to have your video featured on their social media pages.
Help Modern Vaudeville Press build the next generation of jugglers by supporting their efforts to make and distribute juggling ball sets (with printed instructions) to Little Free Libraries across the United States. Just $5 will cover the costs of making, packaging and shipping a set of balls to a community of soon-to-be jugglers. Visit this link to donate.