By Morf Morford
Tacoma Daily Index
In-person events are making their way back into our lives and schedules.
And there is no live performance quite like a circus.
And there is especially nothing like the Vernados “humans only” circus that will make its home in Tacoma until July 10.
No animals were harmed in the making of this circus
You might think you know what a circus is, and you might think you have a good sense of what the human body is capable of contorting itself into – and what one body, in unimaginable concert with other bodies, can stretch, invert and stretch itself into.
You have the opportunity for just a few more days, to see such an exhibition.
The Venardos Circus is a mash-up of a world-class, animal-free circus with a Broadway musical-style format which boggles and astounds at every juncture.
You can see it all at an old-style, full-sized circus tent at Tacoma’s STAR Center, 3873 S 66th St., Tacoma, WA 98409.
And, in both a nod to the past, and an embrace of social media, the circus welcomes videos and photos of their performances across any formats.
From traditional word-of-mouth to Twitter, the word is out – do not miss this once-in-a-lifetime, in person tribute to the travelling circus that, for many years, was the ultimate form of entertainment across America – if not the world.
The circus comes as close to being the world in microcosm as anything I know; in a way, it puts all the rest of show business in the shade. – E. B. White
The circus, and this circus in particular, is a reminder of the creative, entrepreneurial, improvisational spirit, perhaps not unique here, but certainly cultivated and nourished to a near-high art form which still saturates our media and screen based culture in ways most of us barely if ever notice.
From The Greatest Showman to Barnum & Bailey, to Big (with Tom Hanks) to Sawdust and Tinsel (Ingmar Bergman) to a hundred haunted stories of spooky clowns or unhinged dreams, the circus, or the mythology of running off to join the circus, the multicolored tents, and the wonders within, have become interwoven in the enduring fabric of what it is to be an American – or maybe even just a creative person anywhere in any time of any age – or as the circus poster used to put it – For children of all ages.
Circuses inform our dreams – and sometimes our nightmares – but either way, there is some thing about their improbable, and always unexpected presentations that touch us the way nothing else can – or ever will.
I’d say that the circus, especially this circus, is an exploration of the art of the possible – except if you see it, you will know that, if anything, these performers spend most of their time – and obvious strength, determination and flexibility, in territory most of us would describe as not even remotely possible.
Yes, the circus, as movies and stories have told us for years, if not centuries, is a metaphor for the unexpected, the pratfalls, the preposterous and precarious situations we as humans so often find ourselves in.
To get details on the schedule, see video clips, get inspired and order tickets for the Tacoma shows, look at this website – https://www.venardoscircus.com/tacoma.
This little circus was profiled on the CBS show Sunday Morning. You can see that segment here.
When the spirit is understood, then life becomes not at all common, but a constant magical circus in which you see yourself reflected in all forms and all formlessness. – Frederick Lenz
