Reach new heights of Christmas joy

By Meredith Deliso

Office parties. Santa Claus. Ice skating. This is the stuff of the holidays. For Suspended Cirque, it’s also the stuff of aerial art.

In three shows at Galapagos Art Space in DUMBO from December 19-20, the aerial theater troupe will present “The 12 Acts of Christmas,” a holiday spectacular like none other.

This fanciful new holiday show features ice maidens on a triangle trapeze, a ribbon-dancing Nutcracker, ice skating in mid-air, a live musical rendition of “Sleigh Ride” like you’ve never heard before, a drunken Sugar Plum, and even Santa on a unicycle.

“It’s all turned on its head a little bit,” says Suspended Cirque co-founder Angela Jones of the holiday show.

Indeed, the cast of characters also includes a “hipster elf,” says Jones, who will be playing electric guitar and DJing throughout the show. And Santa will come in and out on, rather than a cherry red sleigh, a unicycle. “He’s our theme in variation,” says Jones.

Combining aerial acrobatics, theater, music, dance and circus arts, these 12 acts will certainly enthrall as the show moves from a movie montage to Jones own solo rope piece to its triple trapeze grand finale. Another highlight is sure to be the troupe’s rendition of “Sleigh Ride,” featuring all the performers – Jones, Joshua Dean, Michelle Dortignac, Ben Franklin, and Kristin Olness – as a band. “My only responsibility is to be Mrs. Claus cracking the whip, literally,” says Jones.

In addition to live music — the troupe’s own variations on holiday classics — DJ Uri Attia will also provide some sounds.

For the past few months, Suspended Ciruqe has taken up a residency of sorts at Galapagos, performing “Across the Water” last spring and “Urbanopolis” this past summer.

“In general we don’t have a lot of opportunity to perform aerial work in various spaces,” says Jones. “They give us an entire evening to basically do what we want.”

The venue approached Suspended Cirque to put on a holiday show, which they gladly accepted, mainly as a creative break from their other theatrical projects.

“A lot of us are dancers and have done ‘The Nutcracker’ five million times,” says Jones. “This was something we could do creatively and have more leeway and fun with it.”

That’s sure to be a draw for audiences as well, looking for some new holiday entertainment beyond Radio City or Broadway.

“It’s something you can do for the holidays that’s different than what you might normally do,” says Jones, “like seeing ‘The Nutcracker.’”

“The 12 Acts of Christmas” by Suspended Cirque is Saturday December 19, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, December 20, at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for children and seniors. Galapagos Art Space is located at 16 Main St. For more information, call 718-222-8500.

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High flying in Brooklyn

Starting this Thursday, The Montessori Circus Show comes to town, an avant garde performance featuring aerialists, hula hooping, puppetry, wood chopping, baking, and some clowning thrown in for good measure.

With its 15-foot ceilings and wood ceiling, The Bushwick Starr makes for a perfect venue for the circus, one of several in Brooklyn able to accommodate a trapeze.

"There seems to be a big following for it," says Sue Kessler, managing director and curator of The Bushwick Starr, who's had several trapeze troupes come through since opening as a performance space two years ago.

With its loft and industrial spaces, Brooklyn at large has been a breeding ground for young trapeze artists. Here's a look at some of the main players and places specializing in trapeze, many of which also have classes so you can get in on the fun as well:

Lollo Brigitta: A trapeze duo comprised of Lollo Romanski and Cecilia Grimm, the two created The Montessori Circus Show for the Bushwick Starr, which is their first full-length show and also features the talents of acrobats Jocelyn Davis and Ana Carolina. It starts this Thursday, December 3, and runs for two weekends only.

Ruby Streak Studio: Founded by performer/instructor Natalie Agee, this Sunset Park-based studio offers private and semi-private instruction in trapeze, handstands, acrobatic partnering and more, to people of all levels. Studio rental space to qualified students and professionals is also available. The space frequently hosts performances as well, though the next event is non-aerial related - a holiday craft fair on December 20.

Espana-Streb Trapeze Academy: This Williamsburg space, a former warehouse near the waterfront, gets you soaring with classes in the flying trapeze. Classes and workshops are held in the Streb Lab for Action Mechanics, which is also home to Streb's Pop Action school, as well as performances by the company. Want to get flying? Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. are devoted to a beginner trapeze workshop (drop ins welcome), costing $425 for 10 weeks. Email trapeze@streb.org to book a spot.

The Trapeze Loft: Tanya Gagné (one half of the world-famous Wau-Wau Sisters) and local circus artist teaches the craft at the Trapeze Loft in Williamsburg. Founded in 1999 as a place to learn and improve circus skills in a professional yet relaxed and supportive environment, the Loft offers classes in juggling, hula hooping, tightrope, handstands, lyra, doubles trapeze, and more. An upcoming highlight includes aerial silks lessons from Kellie Vella, for both beginner and advanced levels. For two weeks starting December 18. Email kvelour@yahoo.com to sign up.

Galapagos Art Space: The DUMBO venue has seen its fair share of aerial arts, including shows from The Trapeze Loft and various runs by aerial troupe Suspended Cirque. Each week, the cabaret space hosts its Floating Karaette, a variety show sure to have an acrobatic or two. In fact, this Friday's features Germany aerial adonis Jan Manke and aerial beauty Lisa Natoli as some of its featured acts. And on December 19 and 20, the aforementioned Suspended Cirque brings its 12 Acts of Christmas to the space, a holiday spectacular up in the air.

Unata Aerial Yoga: Michelle Dortignac, a member of Suspended Cirque, is at the helm of this yoga studio, which combines traditional yoga with the physical training of an aerial acrobat, so you're suspended as you stretch your spine. The main class location in Brooklyn in Williamsburg kicks off its winter schedule this Saturday for those interested in checking it out. All levels welcome.

LAVA: Artists like Lollo Romanski and Cecilia Grimm have trained with LAVA, a troupe of artists who perform original works that combine dance, theater and acrobatics, training in their Prospect Heights studio. Last seen in Brooklyn performing "we become," LAVA is currently on tour for that show. The studio also provides classes in acrobatics and trapeze for kids and adults. The winter session begins January 4, with registration beginning December 7. Check its website for the complete schedule.

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Montessori Circus Show comes to town

By Meredith Deliso

Forget parading elephants and cheesy emcees.

The Montessori Circus Show is a Brooklyn-style stage spectacular, an avant-garde piece featuring aerialists, hula hooping, puppetry, wood chopping, baking, and some clowning thrown in for good measure.

Conceived by trapeze duo Lollo Birgitta, the show was commissioned by The Bushwick Starr following the two’s sold-out show last spring during the theater’s Bushwhack Series, an experimental performing arts festival. The production is the second piece to be produced by the two-year-old theater, following their run of “Rocky Philly” this past summer, and will be the first full-length show for Lollo Romanski and Cecilia Grimm, who comprise Lollo Birgitta.

Though there are decidedly diverse elements included in the night, “I didn’t want it to be a variety show,” says Grimm, who, in addition to Romanksi, will be joined by acrobats Jocelyn Davis and Ana Carolina on stage. “We wanted to create small stories within a bigger story.”

Specifically, the show will feature circus acts and vignettes inspired by classic 19th century American carnivals as it plays upon aspects of the Montessori method, specifically the idea that physical activity should be used in a child’s absorbing abstract concepts and learning practical skills. Fittingly, the show answers the question “What do I want to be when I grow up?” as it weaves its various acts together, performed on the stage and in the air at the Bushwick space, which, with its 15-foot ceilings, is a natural for aerial stunts.

“Our space is a good-sized theater, but you feel really close up to the action,” says Sue Kessler, managing director and curator of The Bushwick Starr. “It’s so exciting to see aerial work and these kinds of things in an intimate space like ours. You’re just so used to watching trapeze from very far way in more of an arena setting.”

When Kessler and partner Noel Joseph Allain got the Starr Street space in 2002 to use for their theater company, they never envisioned performances would take place above the stage. But since opening as the Bushwick Starr in 2007 after the theater company fizzled, they’ve hosted Lollo Brigitto, as well as Agee’s Ruby Streak Studio and the San Francisco-based company Bow and Sparrow, among others.

“(Aerial work’s) always been really received well, especially by the Bushwick community,” says Kessler. “I think it’s great that a lot of theaters are embracing this art form. We’re very happy to be a part of it.”

In addition to trapeze work, the Montessori Circus Show will also feature stilt walking, juggling, live baking (to include more of the senses), and finger puppetry, which will involve animal shapes projected onto a large screen. So, in a way, there will be elephants.

The Montessori Circus Show runs at the Bushwick Starr (207 Starr St.) December 3-5 and December 10-12. All shows are at 8 p.m., with tickets $10. Advance purchase is recommended.

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