Two nights of Gravity Defiant inspired audiences recently, as the participants of the Voice Project performed two sold-out shows at the Circus Project. The Voice Project is the Circus Project’s new training company for young adults with marginalized identities, and in their capstone performance the six performers used circus to share experiences from their lives.
Performer Sleepy Ninja, who is of Lakota descent, included traditional Lakota dancing in their piece. They performed a tightwire and juggling medley that explored the metaphors of “walking the line of oppressive forces, and juggling identities.” An aerial fabric piece by Katie Weaver addressed how trauma and mental illness affects one’s daily life.
In the beginning of the show, the six performers all danced individually - by the end, they were interwoven in duos, small groups, and a finale, ensemble piece. The show overall had a theme of moving from isolation into community, and the healing that can happen therein.
This echoes the experience that the participants have had throughout the year. Jasmine said, “I’ve never fallen head-first into such a tight-knit group before.” Chase added, “There’s such community and connectivity here…Basically, we’re not just doing circus.”
The Voice Project was launched with seed funding from Cirque du Soleil and the program is deeply supported by a circle of generous donors.
The Circus Project is looking forward to evolving the Voice Project into a multi-year program. All six of the current participants plan to continue training into the future, and there is a waitlist of five additional hopeful participants.
YOU CAN GIVE VOICE. Make a gift today to make this opportunity available to more students facing barriers.