This Week — 10 September 2021

Circus artists continue to be a source of light, love and social change in these difficult times. As we remember an artist and performer who emanated those virtues during his too-brief time on earth, let’s treasure the opportunities we have to share our art and knowledge with one another in the coming months.

CAUSES

Help the family of a promising young acrobat taken from us way too soon pay for funeral expenses by donating to the Gian Nardin memorial fund. Gian was a supremely accomplished artist specializing in teeterboard, tumbling, and the jaw-dropping feats of his acrobatic collective Hoops Désolé. He had recently been touring with the Cirque du Soleil show Drawn to Life.
Sweet Spot Aerial Productions successfully matched $3,000 of donations to Connecting Circus Students Around the World, which is now very close to reaching its $25,000 goal to provide a year of micro-grants to circus artists of color. Donate to this organization so they can continue to support the creative and educational circus work we desperately need in the coming year.

September 19

Urban Evolution is hosting a Community Jam for Charity from 4-8 p.m. EDT to support The Education Trust, which works to close opportunity gaps for low-income students and students of color. This event will be live-streamed, and viewers can redeem certain rewards (backflips, silks climbs, costumed foam pit jumps, etc.) by making donations. There is no admission fee, so apart from donations the event is free to view. Visit this link for more information.

RETREATS

September 24-26

Snag a spot in the ShellyFLEX Athletics contortion, flexibility and handstand retreat at the DoubleTree Hilton in McLean, Virginia. Whether you want to increase your range of motion, improve your handstands or reach your contortion goals, Shelly has the winning combination of expert coaching and fun relaxation time to get you there. Visit this link to register. You may have to add yourself to the waitlist, but spots are still open!

WORKSHOPS & CONFERENCES

September 13 – November 29

The Center for Movement Theatre will host Dody DiSanto’s Comprehensive 1 Program, with classes happening on Mondays from 7-10 p.m. This class covers neutral mask work and creation, helping to broaden your sense of play, heighten spatial awareness, and help your body respond without the control of the mind. Register for the class at this link.

September 17/18 & 24/25

The Aerial Nerd Conference is a four-day, online exploration of all things aerial, covering sling, rope, hoop, fabric and more. Learn how to sequence your act, take care of your shoulders, and widen your hip key repertoire in these Zoom sessions, which will be available to you in a recording for three months following the event. Get tickets to individual sessions or buy a conference pass here.

GATHERINGS

September 10 & 17

The Washington DC Unicycle Meetup will host Unicycle Hockey from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Freedom Plaza. Beginners are welcome to attend this fun and low-key event. Bring your electric unicycle if that’s your vessel of choice! RSVP at this link (there are two events listed as 9/17, but one of them is for 9/10).

September 15

The Baltimore Jugglers will meet from 6:30-9 p.m. at the Locus Point Recreation Center. Assuming good weather, the gathering will begin outside and then head indoors when it gets dark. Join the Baltimore Jugglers page on Facebook for the most up-to-date information about future meetings.

ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT

September 10

Battle Night continue to provide a haven for stylish and technical club juggling in a head-to-head format in their Mexican league, which starts at 9 p.m. EDT tonight. Watch on Zoom at this link (you’ll get to vote for the winners this way), or view the competition on the Unicirclo Laguna YouTube channel. Most of the commentary/judging will be in Spanish, but the club juggling will be in universal club language. 🙂

IN-PERSON PERFORMANCES

September 11 – October 24

The Maryland Renaissance Festival returns on Saturdays and Sundays, with the line-up of performers as stellar as always. Enjoy Fools O & LaLa, London Broil, George Street Circus, the Hoop Enchantress, the Danger Committee and more at this completely outdoor event in Crownsville/Annapolis. Masks are recommended, and some independently owned vendors may require them at their stalls. Get tickets and check out this weekend’s schedule at this link.

September 25

DC Art All Night is scheduled from 7 p.m.-Midnight. Enjoy live art activations in various neighborhoods of D.C. including Tenleytown, Dupont Circle, Shaw and more! The schedule is pending, but you can find me juggling in Tenleytown from 8-10 p.m. 😉 See the schedule here, or keep an eye on the website for updates.

October 6

Pie Shop DC will once again host Pies ‘n Pasties, a delicious and dynamite line-up of local burlesque artists with a mission to amaze you and awaken your senses. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. at 1339 H St NE. Get tickets at this link. Masks and proof of vaccination are currently required to attend this event.