Circus delights kids of all ages

Story and photos by

david hurwitz

If red-nosed clowns in baggy costumes and oversized shoes come to mind when you think of a circus, you obviously haven’t seen the “Cirque Dreams World Tour,” which is currently visiting U.S. military bases in the Asia-Pacific region.

Dressed in multicolored spandex with brightly flashing sequins, the talented performers – ranging from contortionists to gymnasts  – mesmerize the audience with feats of acrobatic skill that seem impossible to achieve, until they do them.

In 2012, the first Cirque Dreams World Tour is expected to entertain more than 100,000 U.S. troops and their families at 17 military installations in 10 countries around the world in conjunction with Armed Forces Entertainment. In Japan, it has already visited Naval Base Guam, Yokota Air Base, Yokosuka Naval Base and Misawa Air Base, and was scheduled to be at Camp Foster, in Okinawa, on Jan. 21 and 22.

Interspersed throughout the one-hour show are songs and comedy routines that are good entertainment in themselves as well as offering an opportunity for the audience to catch its collective breath before the next onslaught on its senses.

Shows carrying the Cirque Dreams brand have entertained more than 50 million people worldwide since 1993, according to Cirque Productions. They have taken place in “theaters, casinos, theme parks, at sea and on Broadway.”

This has been possible because they need only a bare stage on which to build the apparatus they require, customizing the equipment and the acts to each venue. 

Contrary to legend, most performers do not run away to join the circus, though each one seems to have their own story on how they entered that world, according to aerialist Molly Murcia, a native of California.

“I’ve been doing circus my entire life,” she said, adding that she fell in love with performing after getting involved in a community circus in San Diego.

Her partner in their aerial act, Rebecca Starr, was a high school gymnast who joined the same local circus. The two auditioned for Cirque Productions as a pair, and were hired.

“We love the traveling, doing the shows, everything. And it’s great coming to bases because they treat us very well,” said Starr.

“The biggest difference between military and other audiences is that military audiences are so appreciative. We feel different energy from the audience, from the other shows we do,” said Murcia.

“Teenagers on bases get so excited. We want to give them a performance they might remember, that may inspire them to do something,” added Starr. 

The stress involved in traveling is often very tiring. To counteract that, “We train all the time and eat right. You have to put yourself in a good place physically and emotionally,” said Starr.

Are they happy with their choice of careers?

“Performing attracts a certain kind of person. It’s an amazing, magical moment when you perform in front of a large crowd. It’s the best feeling. That is why we do what we do,” Starr said.

Addressing the young people who may want to become circus performers, Murcia said, “You just have to be willing to work hard enough, practice hard enough and love it. If you do, anything is possible.”