Starting Tuesday and running monthly through the end of September, the stage at Animas City Theatre will be transformed into a space filled with circus acts intended to take audiences on a journey to different worlds.
If you go
WHAT: Secret Circus Society Summer Series.
WHEN: 7 p.m. (door open at 6): July 22 and 23, “Sweet Treats; Aug. 12 and 13, “Whirlwind Western”; Sept. 23 and 24, “Unleashed, A Celebration of Art.”
WHERE: Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Drive.
TICKETS: $25 presale, $30 day of show; $60 VIP Crows Nest Balcony (limited availability).
MORE INFORMATION: Visit animascitytheatre.com.
The Durango-based Secret Circus Society will perform a summer series made up of three separate themes: “Sweet Treats” (July 22 and 23), “Whirlwind Western” (Aug. 12 and 13) and “Unleashed: A Celebration of Art” (Sept. 23 and 24). Each month has two dates because one is a family-friendly, all-ages show and the other is something a little ... spicier – for adults 21 and older.
This isn’t a circus of days of old, said RubiStarr Bornheim, one of the circus’ ringleaders along with Ben Dukeminier. She’s also a Secret Circus Society founding member.
“I would say we’re more of a modern circus,” she said. “Think Cirque du Soleil style: Acrobatics, stilt walking, juggling, aerial, stuff like that.”
Secret Circus Society is a performing arts collective that uses circus arts to inspire, connect and build community, according to a news release. “Through immersive stage shows and vibrant theatrics, SCS supports local artists, promotes inclusion and creates magical, accessible spaces for people of all ages to experience the joy of live performance.”
The first show in the series, “Sweet Treats,” features “candy-colored costumes, enchanted bakeries, cupcake queens and cotton candy fairies,” the release says. The circus invites audience members to dress up and get silly. “You may even float through a dream with the Cotton Candy Fairy herself!”
In August, it’s time to join the circus in the wild West with “Western Whirlwind,” which will feature a “wild tale of cowgirls, campfire legends and desert dreams,” according to the news release. Audience members can expect to see lasso-spinning stilt walkers, saloon-style aerialists showdowns and fiery frontier magic.
To top off the series, Sept. 23 and 24 brings “Unleashed: A Celebration of Art” to the ACT stage. A full-blown art explosion, the show is a tribute to September Art Month. Expect artistic representations of all mediums: dancers painting with light, acrobats embodying sculpture and characters leaping from canvases, according to the release.
Bornheim said the cast for the shows are made up of about 20 performers, and can feature as many as 40 to 60 for the circus’ bigger productions. Circus is massive in Durango, she said: “I was completely thrilled to see how well circus was received in Durango.”
And while the world may seem like a stressful, tiring place of late, it’s Secret Circus Society’s hope to help alleviate some of life’s anxiety, Bornheim said.
“We really want people to experience joy,” she said. “We like to take people out of the ordinary and put them in a world that’s extraordinary.”
katie@durangoherald.com
