Modern circus masters return to Beaver Creek
Zach Mahone | Special to the Weekly |
If you go ...
Who: Cirque Mechanics: Pedal Punk.
Where: Vilar Performing Arts Center, Beaver Creek.
When: 6:30 p.m. today and 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
Cost: $65 for adults and $45 for children.
More information: 970-845-8497/www.vilarpac.org.
BEAVER CREEK — The Vilar Performing Arts Center welcomes back the rowdy circus where the mischief is on wheels — Cirque Mechanics: Pedal Punk — for three performances, set for 6:30 p.m. today and Sunday at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
This performance showcases creator and BMX rider Chris Lashua’s “Gantry Bike,” a pedal-driven performance apparatus. This remarkable creation is a modern-day industrial circus caravan, moving around the stage with a dynamic and quirky ensemble of high-flying unicyclists, death-defying wheel acrobats, soaring pole climbers and floating trapeze artists.
“This fall, we hosted the world premiere of Pedal Punk by Cirque Mechanics,” said VPAC Executive Director Kris Sabel. “The show was spectacular, and we wanted to share it with as many people as possible, so we are bringing it back for three performances this holiday season. It’s not often you get to experience the wonder and excitement of a Cirque show in an intimate venue like ours, so be sure to get your tickets early.”
Cirque Mechanics: Pedal Punk draws inspiration from steam punk culture, where a post-apocalyptic world of machines is powered by steam. Pedal Punk’s “steam” power comes from the acrobatic wizardry of its daring cast.
Cirque Mechanics thrilled sold out audiences at the Vilar Center in December 2013 and premiered their new show, Pedal Punk, as a part of the Underground Sound series in October. Boston native and German Wheel artist Chris Lashua founded Cirque Mechanics in 2004, after the success of his collaborative project with the Circus Center of San Francisco, “Birdhouse Factory.”
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Cirque Mechanics quickly established itself as a premiere American circus, with its unique approach to performance, inspiring storytelling and innovative mechanical staging. Spectacle Magazine hailed it as “the greatest contribution to the American circus since Cirque du Soleil.”
Although inspired by modern circus, Cirque Mechanics finds its roots in the mechanical and its heart in the stories of American ingenuity. The shows, rooted in realism, display a raw quality, rarely found in modern circus, that makes their message timeless and relevant. The stories are wrapped in circus acrobatics, mechanical wonders and a bit of clowning around.
Tickets to Cirque Mechanics: Pedal Punk are $65 for adults and $45 for children and are on sale now at the VPAC Box Office (970-845-8497/www.vilarpac.org).
