Modern circus is more than red-nosed clowns with painted faces, buffoonery, and freak acts. At Rochester Fringe’s Circus in the City on Friday evening, circus was a profound social message, an interior experience, a whimsical journey, and even breezy fun. Four circus troupes set up across Parcel 5, transforming Rochester’s outdoor spaces into a high-flying acrobatic arts experience, a taste of Montreal’s outdoor circus festivals. Aloft, from Chicago, performed an industrial act using interlocking ladders that demonstrated the power of collective action. North Carolina’s Circus EVO, an acrobatic duo with folk-guitar accompaniment, clad in an amorous red, performed an interior love story while hanging and swinging off a black pole against a backdrop of red flowers. Quebec City’s FLIP Fabrique brought the free-wheeling fun of summer break to Parcel 5, turning a bus (which they actually drove here) into a summer-camp acrobatic haven. It even included a water-gun fight, kayaking, and a late-night trampoline jump-off. Vermont’s Big Teeth Collective packed their bags for a whimsical journey, defying gravity as they flipped over and around a swing hoisted into the sky. Versa-Style, the LA street-dance troupe, opened the night. New York’s 3AM Circus entertained on Gibbs Street with hula hoops and other tricks. Here are some photos we took.
The Many Sides of Circus at Rochester Fringe’s Circus in the City
Published in Rochester Fringe Festival
Anna Reguero is the founding editor of Rochester Overture. An award-winning music and dance critic, arts reporter, editor, music historian, and educator, Anna has over twenty years of experience in newspaper, magazine, and online journalism. A National Endowment for the Arts Classical Music Journalism fellow, Anna previously served as the music and dance critic and arts reporter for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, the daily paper serving Rochester, NY. She earned a PhD in music history and theory (critical music studies) from Stony Brook University, and also holds an MA in arts journalism from Syracuse University and a BA in music performance from the Eastman School of Music. You can learn more about Anna at www.annareguero.com.
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