Tricks and authenticity are in the air at Circus Juventas

As artificial intelligence infiltrates our entire society upending creative economies and raising existential questions about art and the essence of what it means to be human live performance remains an example of what machines are still incapable of copying As I watched the young performers from St Paul s Circus Juventas tell the story of Lumi re a time-hopping dimension-blurring romp celebrating the Golden Age of Hollywood I marveled at their athleticism and artistry and their commitment to the performance It struck me that seeing real-life people do marvelous feats all while connecting emotionally to a narrative acts as a kind of antidote to our increasingly over-automated world Movement whether on the trapeze on the trampoline or the Russian swing is an art form of the body Algorithms can t replicate it because it can t exist without human presence Circus Juventas performers run through a skill known as the circle of death in preparation for their show Lumiere on Tuesday July in St Paul Minnesota Credit Ellen Schmidt MinnPost CatchLight Local Account for America At the same time artifice has long been integral to the performing arts more broadly The history of theater includes various examples of technological inventions advancing the art form Just think of theatrical lighting trap doors and sound effect innovations Meanwhile Lumi re as a title nods to two innovators in the field of filmmaking Auguste and Louis Lumi re The show itself offers plenty of spectacle In certain cases it leans into its theatrical devices almost too heavily As an example the performers mouth their lines while a recorded voiceover airs their text being spoken over the speakers It took me a bit to get used to that concept even though I understood why the production would go that passage with such a physical show Related KRSM s new chapter A neighborhood radio station finds a home in Pillsbury Creative Commons Circus in particular holds immense interest because of its difficulty even in the occurrence of small mistakes When you see a performer not quite make their flip the whole way or miss the person s hands when they are swinging on the trapeze it makes the moves they do accomplish all the more impressive If robots ever get to a point where they could move like acrobats I don t think there d be much of an audience for it We go to see human beings specifically The marvelous feats particular humans can do because of talent and years of training keeps us coming back Circus Juventas is led by Rob Dawson and Rachel Butler Norris who stepped in after founders Dan and Betty Butler retired in With instructors from around the world the school trains youth in aerial and acrobatic arts while building both technical and life skills Lumi re takes place on two timelines and both at the Hotel Lumi re a once glamorous hangout during the Golden Age of Hollywood In the hotel has become rundown and it attracts a group of four friends who call themselves the Lost Souls Society th grader Everett Smith th grader Jacy Johnson Becker and graduated seniors Madeline Swigart and Scarlet Larsen The teens learn about Rose Trueheart performed with sweetness by th grader Lila Gmetro whose spirit was sent into another dimension years earlier thanks to a curious camera invented by aspiring filmmaker Pierre Prism Carleton College graduate Sasha Rapacz The Lost Souls Society take it upon themselves to bring her back to her timeline They trip back to when Hotel Lumi re is bustling with bell hops Hollywood celebrities paparazzi and conniving gangsters The cast of Robin Hood Returns starring Errol Flynn has gathered at the hotel and envious glances dart toward the young Rose cast in her first big feature Telling the story through the art of circus including chandelier acts teeterboards Russian swings and more the performers wow with their spins flips balances and turns as the characters lift the veil between this world and the next Circus Juventas athletes perform a scene of their show Lumiere during a dress rehearsal on Tuesday July in St Paul Minnesota The youth performing arts circus school has been delivering the society performances since Credit Ellen Schmidt MinnPost CatchLight Local Description for America Isaac McEwen brings a boatload of charm to his role as Errol Flynn The newest graduate of St Paul Central High School who is attending the University of Minnesota this fall shows impressive acrobatic skills and ease with a number of aerial acts Latest Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists graduate Gwen Forsland as the jealous Olivia de Havilland demonstrates strong acting skills and beautiful trapeze work There s a simmering tension between Olivia and Rose that s a lot of fun to watch One of my favorite acts came near the beginning when th grader Josh Kohler and th grader Willa Swigart perform a Rola Bola routine Kohler balances on a platform atop an ever-increasing number of cylinders while lifting Swigart in a number of skillful poses It was one of a number of moments I ascertained myself worried they might not make it through the act but they pull through and really do a terrific performance Annie McEwen tumbles during a dress rehearsal of Circus Juventas show Lumiere on Tuesday July in St Paul Minnesota The Wheel of Steel where the performers walk run and jump in two rotating hamster wheels is another thrilling moment Watching the circus dependably makes me a little anxious and I did gasp out of nervousness when performers stumbled or slipped Thankfully Circus Juventas incorporates safety measures harnesses nets padded mats and attentive spotters that allow the performers to take big risks and the audience to breathe a little easier The whole cast shows incredible skill across the board and more than anything I felt their commitment to telling the story Whether I was watching bellhops juggling luggage movie stars dancing the Charleston gangsters catapulting onto hotel balconies or skeleton creatures guiding the main characters between worlds the storytelling gives a frame and emotional arc to the skills the youth were displaying In the end Lumi re succeeds because of its spectacle and artistry but also because of its heart You can see the show on Thurs July at p m Fri Aug at p m Sat Aug at noon and p m and Sun Aug at noon and p m The show runs through Aug at Montreal Ave in St Paul - More information here The post Tricks and authenticity are in the air at Circus Juventas appeared first on MinnPost