I’m a big sucker for “circus arts” theater. Tell me a show has fire play, contortion, acrobatics, and I’m there. I blame it on the time I spent around the SF bay area, where you can find small events like that just about every weekend. This weekend I heard about a show that sounded promising on Sunday night (Sunday night?!). Sounded promising, though even after reading the venue’s website, I still didn’t have much of an idea what to expect. Which is not all bad; walking into a show with no expectations or pre-conceived notions can be a good thing.
The venue was new to me, the Someday Lounge in Chinatown of downtown Portland. It’s a smallish venue, but with enough wide open space that it doesn’t feel claustrophobic. There’s even a little balcony area that provides some additional seating, though on a damp Sunday night, there weren’t enough people to overflow up there. The act was Cirkus Pandemonium, a local troupe of circus performers. Our master of ceremonies was a stilt-walking fire breather who introduced the acts.
The various performers included…
– a pair of aerialists working from a single trapeze bar
– a pair of women swinging fire poi
– a matador swinging red-caped poi to entice a “bull” on a unicycle
– an aerialist working from silks hanging from the tall ceiling
– an assortment of jugglers
It was an unexpected “find”, and great fun. I’ll definitely look for some future shows from this troupe.
Cool!! I’ll definitely have to check them out sometime.
Oh very cool. Lovely photos too.
Ooh, love the pictures! I saw Cirkus Pandemonium’s bus parked in Laurelhurst Park once, but then I forgot about it. I need to learn a circus art for sure…
A while ago, I took some classes in making and using fire torches, and then got into a little fire eating and fire breathing. But that kind of fire play doesn’t go well with facial hair. But it sure was fun!
I’d like to try some tumbling. I’m big enough and strong enough to be a floor person in towers and the like. My juggling is way rusty and needs some attention. And I’ve wanted to try stilts and unicycle.
So many interests, so little time.
Hey! You live in Portland! My good friend and cousin is planning to relocate there with her husband. They are headed out there in August to get a feel for the city. She is a linguistics major getting her certificate in teaching english as a second language. Her husband just graduated from a culinary academy and is looking into running his own business as a personal chef. Any advice for a young professional couple interested in Portland?
Where are they moving from?
There’s an LJ community called “DamnPortlanders” which your cousin should consider joining and reading the past posts. It will have a lot of information about individual neighborhoods, jobs and the like.
I’m really enjoying living in Portland. But depending on where you’re coming from, it might be an adjustment. In comparison with the bay area, for instance, Portland moves a little slower, more crunchy, has a weaker job market and not quite the same eclectic nature. But, it has real weather (yay!), the outdoor scenery is glorious (mmm, hiking in the gorge), still touts a “Keep Portland Weird” vibe and some of us actually enjoy the slower speed.
Does that help at all?
thanks! That helps lots. They are moving from New York – where they went purely for her husband to go to culinary school – and the fast pace and crowded steets are driving them crazy. Before NY they lived in Salt Lake City for school-related reasons. And before that they lived on the big island of Hawaii for many years and loved it there (except for the total lack of job opportunities). So I think they picked Portland partially in hopes it would be slower-paced, more crunchy, and closer to nature.
Interesting; I seem to know a few Hawaiians who have ound happy homes in the pacific north wet. Something about the region seems to work for them.
There’s definitely a major east-coast, left-coast difference. I remember being in DC for vacation, walking to a bike rental in my hiking shorts and a tee-shirt at 9 in the morning, already wet with sweat and watching men in three-piece suits bustle past me for the subway. I thought how odd it was that the coast with the more moderate and reasonable weather also had the more relaxed and informal dress code. As a sweeping generalization, Portland is more the land of hiking shorts, sandals, polartec and wind breakers, rather than three-piece suits and power ties. Think micro-breweries, not pretentious wine bars.
Politics will be a difference as well. Portland is (again, massive generalization) a liberal city in a largely rural and conservative state.
There is significantly less racial diversity than I was used to in California or Tennessee.
What else can I tell you?
If your cousin moves here, does that mean you might come visit some day? 😉
It means I might visit some day. But not particularly soon. Since I just moved to New Zealand!
Sounds right down my alley! Great find!