This Week — 23 October 2020

Published on by christiankloc

We interrupt this tremendous calendar of upcoming circus events with an important reminder: get outside, do a cartwheel and EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE. Whether you’re voting by mail, biking to your nearest ballot box, or taking the polls by storm on Nov. 3rd, WE THANK YOU for making your voice heard. If you’re not registered or need more information, visit this link.

Now, let’s kick off this weekend the CIRQUE WAY.

READ

  • Was #quarantraining trending 100 years ago? Did the circus world experience a Covid-style seismic shift in the industry after the 1918 influenza epidemic? In our latest article, The District Ringer further explores the history of this parallel worldwide health crisis and its impact on touring circuses. Read all about it on your Patreon-sponsored circus news source.

WATCH
TONIGHT

  • Battle Night USA (#3) kicks off at 8:30 p.m. EDT with eight competitors (including your humble listserv author) flexing their grooviest three-club juggling sequences in a thrilling head-to-head format judged in part by you. Visit the Facebook page for the Zoom link, or view on the Unicirclo Laguna YouTube channel. Also check out their mid-week preliminary battles featuring competitors from Mexico.

SATURDAY (10/24)

  • Experience the Belfast International Arts Festival’s online presentation of Blame Game by the international hip-hop/circus company Kundle Cru. This show merges dance and circus to convey the dirty politics of scapegoating. Watch it at 1 p.m. EDT on the BIAF YouTube channel. The show will be available for public viewing for a week following its premiere.

MONDAY (10/26)

  • The Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show: Quarantine Edition starts at 8 p.m. EDT. Behold a worldly cast of performers, presented weekly for your entertainment (and generous tips). Watch on Facebook or YouTube. You can donate during the show at the links provided, or support their fantastic feats of circus anytime via the donation page on their website.

OCTOBER 30

  • The Graveyard Show by Quark Circus invites you to an online edition of their ‘bootstrapped, backyard, socially distant circus show about grief, death and healing.’ This production, filmed in Alexandria in mid-October, will air with a live emcee and prerecorded acts at 8 p.m. The show addresses themes of grief, death and healing, but is appropriate for all ages.Tickets are available at this link.
  • The Witching Hour, hosted by Park Up DC, will present two drive-in shows in the RFK parking lot featuring live performances in aerial, fire spinning, drag and more, all projected on a 60-inch HD LED screen. The first show is on October 30th at 7 p.m. (appropriate for all ages). The second show is an ‘after dark’ edition featuring burlesque acts in addition to the usual line-up, happening October 31st at 11 p.m. (performance is R rated). Visit this link for tickets.
  • Plague Tales is the latest online streaming creation from Florida-based troupe Phantasmagoria. This show, available to stream October 30th-Nov. 2nd, takes viewers on a dark journey of haunted stories told through dance, fire arts, aerial, stage combat, puppetry and much more. Recommended for ages 8+. Find more information at this link.

OCTOBER 31

  • Search for Sumatra, a circus collective based in Vermont, is hosting an encore presentation of their show Manxome Foes at 7 p.m. on Halloween. This show is a fundraiser for POC youth to attend Circus Smirkus camp. Watch the show trailer at this link and RSVP at the Facebook event page.

PERFORM

  • Busk the Ballot is inviting street performers to sign up for shifts of ‘boredom-busting busking’ to entertain voters lining up at polling places across the country. Visit their website to learn more and to bring some joy to the determined souls exercising their civic duty.

ATTEND
OCTOBER 23/24

  • Grab tickets forAutumn Revival: An Intimate Campout with Friends, a two-day social gathering (at a physical distance) hosted at Ramblewood Resort in Havre de Grace, Md. Activities include music, LED dance performances, workshops, live art, games and more. The organizers will be doing temperature checks and enforcing mask-wearing and strict distancing throughout the event.Get more information and register at the Facebook event page.

NOVEMBER 7

  • One-wheelers, sign up now for the Maryland Fall Unicycle Ride, hosted by the DC Unicycle Meetup group. This scenic group ride will take place in Columbia, Md., with route lengths determined by rider interest and ability. Join the group and RSVP at this link — if you need to borrow a unicycle, it’s likely that someone can lend you one. Closer to the date, the organizers will look at Covid numbers and the weather forecast to determine the ride’s fate.

SUPPORT

  • Clowns Without Borders USA is producing excellent online content, including recent live-streamed interviews about global volunteerism, dismantling racism in circus, clowning in a digital world, and framing human rights in the context of joy. Check out these and more informative talks at the CWB Facebook page. Donate to support their continued work, and to allow their eventual return to worldwide clowning tours that foster hope and healing.