- August 27, 2024
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Imagine a world where doctors would treat depression and anxiety, not by writing a prescription for Wellbutrin, but with one for the orchestra, the ballet or the circus.
It's not as far-fetched as it seems. Academics such as Dacher Keltner at the University of California-Berkeley have been studying the healing benefits of wonder.
Keltner has written a book called “Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life” and was a consultant on Pixar’s “Inside Out." In case you haven't heard, "Inside Out 2" has been a surprise summer box-office smash and spotlights a character with the features of anxiety.
Sarasota's arts institutions are no strangers to the power of wonder. The Ringling Museum recently jumped on the bandwagon with a conference of the same name. (Check out the cool "Wonder" merch in the museum gift shop.) Meanwhile, Sarasota's nonprofit Circus Arts Conservatory calls its concert event the "Wonderball."
Cool beans, huh? That's what the comedy duo Cheech and Chong used to say back in the day, long before they were promoting cannabis gummies.
Some boomers aren't ready to leave their wonder years behind. But marijuana isn't legal in Florida, and tickets to the Dead & Company's Las Vegas residency at the immersive entertainment venue the Sphere are pretty pricey ($150), especially when you include airline tickets, hotel and food.
Why not find wonder in your own backyard? The Summer Circus Spectacular at The Ringling's Historic Asolo Theater is just what the doctor ordered, especially if you've got restless kids around the house and temperatures are in the 90s.
Ready to escape the heat with a trip up north? You're in luck. Sarasota's Circus Arts Conservatory (CAC), presided over by the husband-and-wife team Pedro Reis and Dolly Jacobs, is having a residency of its own, in the Massachusetts Berkshires. "SommerSaults in the Berkshires" will run July 19-28 at the Duffin Theater in Lenox, Massachusetts.
The CAC's inaugural Berkshires residency builds on Sarasota's heritage as the longtime home of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. With the exception of one act, Duo Alexander, the lineup in Lenox is the same as last year's Summer Circus Spectacular in Sarasota.
That show included third-generation circus artist Heidi Herriott as master of ceremonies, clowns Dick Monday and Slappy, crystal balance act Serge Sergeev and Aurika Annaeva, speed juggler Tersit Asefa Dersu and Garrett Allen on aerial rope.
Locals may remember Dersu and Allen from their triumphant performances at March's Cirque des Voix, the collaboration between the CAC and Key Chorale.
Does this mean the performers currently on stage at The Ringling's Historic Asolo Theater, or the HAT, could be heading to the Berkshires next summer? CAC Executive Vice President Jennifer Mitchell hints at such a possibility in a statement.
"After several visits to the Berkshires, we felt there were significant similarities between our communities — especially the focus on arts and culture — and felt that a summer show would be a great way to jump-start any potential continued presence there,” Mitchell said.
The Berkshires tickets cost a little more ($25-$30) than those of the Sarasota Summer Circus Spectacular ($15-$20). Both shows are in air-conditioned venues and run for an hour, which most children can sit through.
Helping to keep kids engaged from the get-go at the summer circus is the chance that Renaldo the clown could tap any one of them as assistants in his juggling, plate-spinning and magic routines.
At a recent show, about a dozen kids were recruited from the audience as well as an adult or two. (One man was so adept at throwing and catching objects with Renaldo that he seemed like a plant. But maybe he just played sports in high school.)
Don't let the mention of clowns derail your trip to the Summer Circus Spectacular. Over the years, clowns have gotten a bad rap and some parents are afraid they will frighten children. Rest assured, the CAC's stable of clowns are not scary. Co-founder Dolly Jacobs knows a little something about clowns since her father was the legendary Ringling Bros. clown Ed Jacobs.
Renaldo, whose real name is Al Calienes, speaks a weird patois that sounds like a mishmash of English, Spanish and Italian. Along with his zany, family-friendly antics, Calienes exudes a continental flair that fits right in with the European flavor that Reis, a native of South Africa, and Jacobs have given to CAC performances, both during season and in the summer.
In a telephone interview before leaving for the Berkshires, Reis reflected on the growth of the Summer Circus Spectacular, which started in the summer of 1998 at a place called the Wagon Room. "Those were our first ticketed performances," Reis says.
The summer circus moved to The Ringling at the urging of former Art of Performance Curator Dwight Currie, Reis says, who was a circus fan. Then the summer residency at The Ringling was interrupted by renovations at the museum. The summer circus returned after they were complete.
In the early days of the Summer Circus Spectacular, CAC co-founder Dolly Jacobs, a veteran of Ringling Bros. and Big Apple Circus, performed as an aerialist, Reis recalls. Jacobs has since retired from performing and is more likely to be wearing an evening gown in her appearances at the circus than a sparkly leotard.
Reis says he's been pleased with the growth of the summer circus, which this year runs from July 14-Aug. 17. "It's become very popular. Kids are out of school and we make it affordable for families in a beautiful air-conditioned theater," he says. "Each year is better than the year before."
The HAT is easy for those with wheelchairs and walkers to negotiate and there's room to store the devices along the walls on the first floor of the 530-seat theater. Indeed, many multigenerational groups, with members ranging from roughly 8 years of age to 80, were in evidence at a recent performance of the Summer Circus Spectacular.
There was plenty of wonder to be found on stage. Slack wire performer Antino Pansa got things started with his brand of derring-do after Renaldo warmed up the crowd.
I was entranced by the hypnotic performance of "hair hang" artist Camille Langlois, who performs acrobatics suspended from a rope attached to a bun on her head as a mesmerizing soundtrack plays in the background.
The haunting broken doll performance of contortionist Uranbileg Angarag was an edgy complement to Renaldo's baby with a bottle and a Teddy bear act that it followed, but it was not too dark.
The Bello Sisters, an acrobatic trio, were the crowd pleasers of the afternoon (performances are at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.) with their stunning teamwork showcasing both strength and grace.
Ringmaster Jared Walker did a masterful job of introducing the performers, engaging in hijinks with Renaldo and keeping the show moving.
If there's a performance at the summer circus that doesn't transport you, not to worry: It'll be over in a few minutes. Each act is less than 10 minutes long.
If you've never studied gymnastics or dance, you may not fully appreciate the training and talent on stage at the Summer Circus Spectacular. The performers make everything look deceptively easy. That's the wonder of it all.
If you're ready for more circus, you can take your ticket stub to The Ringling box office and learn about circus history at the Tibbals Learning Center and Circus Museum for just $5, a $25 savings on the admission price of $30. The circus center is not included in the museum's free Monday admissions.
The Ringling recently added a new installation on the second floor of the Tibbals Learning Center called the Greatest Show on Earth. The multimedia exhibit is dedicated to the modern Ringling Bros. circus as it evolved under the ownership of Feld Entertainment, which acquired it in 1967.
There are no selfies or videos allowed during the summer circus, but audience members can pose for free with the cast in the lobby of The Ringling. When an audience member remarked how quickly the line was moving, a Ringling employee responded, "These people are pros, on and off stage."
