The New Circus

For centuries, the circus has been a form of entertainment for people of all ages in many countries. Troupes would pitch tents and in the main one have a three-ring extravaganza of trained animals, daring feats, and lots of sequins. In more recent years however, there has been a rise in popularity of what is called the contemporary circus, made most famous by the Canadian group, Cirque du Soleil. Located in midtown Manhattan happens to be one of the largest schools for training aspiring contemporary circus performers.

Founded in 2006 by the now retired performer Cypher Zero, the New York Circus Arts Academy came into being after his realization that a lot of people wanted to learn how to do the things he did.

“I was mostly focused on creating professional performances and I had a company called Firefly acrobatics,” said the 32-year-old. “After a certain amount of time, I realized demand in the United States was much more for instruction than it was for performance.”

Anna Marie Otazo is a 21-year-old CUNY student who decided to join in this past Fall when she read about it in a magazine. She said: “I came here, and tried out and I love it and I come here all the time.” She added: “I do want to perform but I think I got into this because I like the thought of teaching.”

On the opposite side of the room, Rachael Shane dangles by her feet from a hoop hanging from the ceiling. She is in the training program at NYCA to become a professional performer and teacher. As an actress and dancer, the appeal for the circus arts came from its combination of both of those things. “It just made so much sense to me in terms of the way I move and the way I want to express myself,” said the 28-year-old real estate agent.

Tonight is a smaller class of only aerial work; there are days when the entire gym and not just two-thirds of it is swimming with multiple activities such as juggling, clowning, acrobalance and more.

This winter, people will get to see all of these acts brought together in an original production by the New York Circus Arts entitled “Takura” which is premiering off-Broadway in December 2009.

So what is it about this art that keeps people from all different cultures captivated? Rachael Shane attributed it to “seeing things that are outside of the norm, seeing people do things that you hadn’t been able to conceive of yourself.”

Cypher Zero thinks that it’s more about the human condition. He said: “What we see through these performances is not performers who have become fantastical characters but performers who have played fantastical characters and learned to be human or to be themselves through doing that.”

“I don’t know what makes it the greatest show on Earth,” said Otazo. “It’s more exciting than real life, I guess.”