Circus Bella, the popular one-ring circus, returns with six outdoor shows for the fall season. Written and directed by Abigail Munn, the show, titled "Flip Flop Fly," promises a variety of exciting acts, including clowns Jamie Coventry, Natasha Kaluza and Calvin Kai Ku, Elise Hing's contortion act, Jefferson Freire with his juggling and unicycle, and other exciting performances.
The shows will feature live music composed by Rob Reich and performed by the Circus Bella All Star Band, featuring Shana Evaniuk on the violin, Ian Carey on trumpet, Kasey Knudsen on sax, Michael Pinkham on percussion, and Jonathan Seiberlich on tuba.
The shows are free, and will commence on Saturday October 15 at the SF Mint Plaza (5th and Market) at 1pm and 3pm. Other shows will take place in the East Bay at Alameda Point, 2151 Ferry Point in Alameda on Saturday October 22 and Sunday October 23, at 1pm and 3pm on both days. Seating is not provided. Attendees are advised to bring blankets or small folding chairs.
Flip for it
One of the more exciting acts scheduled to appear at Flip Flop Fly might be Joey Moore, who will thrill audiences with his aerial straps. Moore tells the Bay Area Reporter that prior to his performing career he was an alcoholic chef.
"What happened was that I ended up in the hospital and in rehab," he recalled. "I ditched my career as a chef and ran off and joined the circus. I tried a flying trapeze class and I never stopped."
Moore is now quite adept at dance trapeze and aerial straps.
"Dance trapeze is a trapeze bar but the two ropes come together to a single point at the top," Moore explained. "It can spin much like a hoop does. It's a little more flowy and artistic than the flying trapeze that most people think of when you say trapeze. It's not so much flying back and forth as spinning and moving with gravity and the flow of the bar."
He describes aerial straps as two simple straps, with which he maneuvers himself into a variety of shapes. The straps involve a lot of spinning.
"I'm a huge fan of spinning, so they both work very well for me," he said. It's the aerial straps act that Moore will be bringing to Circus Bella. In addition to his performing career, he is also an aerial straps and trapeze teacher, which he greatly enjoys doing.
"I like the transformation that circus can bring to people, as it did for me," he said. "I watch people's confidence grow, as well as strength levels and learning new skills. Getting to know your body gets you to know yourself in a way that I didn't think was possible, especially as a trans person. I've seen the circus have a similar effect on a tremendous amount of people as it did on me. Some people might even can say that it can save lives. Not to be overly dramatic but I can relate to that sentiment."
On being out as a trans man, "Visibility goes a long way," he said. "In general, the queer struggle is all about being seen and being normalized. The more we're seen and normalized the more people don't have to be afraid of what they don't know."
Moore added that he's experienced transphobia in every aspect of his life. He's sure that he hasn't gotten jobs due to being transgender.
"But they're not going to tell me that," he said. "I live in this bubble (the Bay Area) for a reason. It's as safe as you can be. I can get healthcare, which is not a great option anywhere else, so that goes a long way."
Moore admits that he's afraid of heights, but he pursued trapeze anyway, thinking that the art form would help him conquer his fear, which it has.
"Being a chef was a good channel for the artistic part of me, which is most of me," he said. "I really loved that part about cooking, it was the running the kitchens that got to me in the end. But this outlet for everything artistic is spectacular. I get to create and get things out of me that need to get out. I get to share stories with people who may be able to relate and grow from them. I get to have fun."
www.circusbella.org
www.joeythetiger.com
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