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Circus Bella has come a long way from its first performance, crashing an event in San Francisco’s Dolores Park to give a renegade show on a nonexistent budget.
Back in 2008, Abigail Munn and David Hunt had been hired to assemble a small circus cast for a private event at Bella Vineyards, and they wanted to offer something to the public after all that work. Their generosity turned into a career opportunity when Linda Lucero, the keen-eyed artistic director of the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, happened to see the unscheduled show and, duly impressed, booked the new company for the festival.
From the beginning Circus Bella distinguished itself with a beguiling combination of traditional circus acts, community engagement and superb live music under the direction of accordionist/composer Rob Reich. Over the past decade, the troupe has become part of the Bay Area’s summer landscape, with free performances at parks around the region.
But now Circus Bella is taking a leap into the big time with its most ambitious undertaking ever, an expanded winter production under the big top surrounded by spectacular views of the Bay. Presented in partnership with the Treasure Island Development Authority and Mersea restaurant, Circus Bella’s “Kaleidoscope” runs Nov. 30 though Jan. 6.
While the production is far bigger than anything Circus Bella has attempted before, the company is still relying on its high-wire balance, keeping one foot in the contemporary circus movement and another in the old-school world of circus craft. Like other new circuses, Circus Bella is animal-free, but the company is less theatrical, focusing on captivating acts rather than telling a story.
“There’s the whole new circus movement centered in Montreal, and a lot of that’s amazing,” says Munn, 39, who has directed Circus Bella on her own since her co-founder David Hunt took over Prescott Circus Theatre about five years ago. “We’re much more traditional. We’re performers. We have costumes and a live band. We don’t necessarily have a narrative. We’re not telling the story of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ or Icarus.”
With five-time Emmy Award-winner and Clown Hall of Fame member Steve Smith serving as Head Jester, “Kaleidoscope” unfolds as a series of finely honed acts — such as the Cuban couple Manuel Acosta and Ilenay Peña, who practice precarious feats of hand-to-hand balancing and Chinese Pole acrobatics.
While the show features longtime Circus Bella stars like the graceful and improbably flexible contortionist Dwoira Galilea, the aerial-strap performer and the foot-juggling feats of the Gentile Family (Carlo and Orlene and their children, Gianluca, Giulia, Gioia Mei and Giuseppina), Munn has brought in heavyweight acts to take advantage of the big top, like high-wire artist Paul Resell and Tashkent-born Ruslan Khusinov, a third-generation circus performer who closes “Kaleidoscope” balancing atop a tower of perilously stacked chairs.
A San Francisco native, Munn got her start at the Pickle Family Circus at the age of 9. She already had a taste of show biz from her father, who was lighting director at the San Francisco Opera for 30 years, but she knew she’d found her calling when she walked into the first class. “The apple doesn’t fall far, I guess,” Munn says. “I actually think circus and opera are similar in some ways.”
If Munn has a secret weapon it’s the Circus Bella All Star Band, a sextet featuring some of the Bay Area’s finest improvisers, including saxophonist Kasey Knudsen, trumpeter Ian Carey, and violinist Alisa Rose. Bandleader Rob Reich has been writing original music for the company from the beginning, and is set to record a second album documenting his circus music after “Kaleidoscope” closes.
Responding to the acts moment by moment, the All Stars play an essential role in the circus action, heightening suspense, adding humor, and amplifying intensity. An accomplished jazz musician, Reich sees the circus artists as kindred spirits.
“They’re really inspiring as performers, constantly practicing and training and learning new tricks,” he says. “It’s a really collaborative environment. It feels like anything goes musically. Abigail gives me all the freedom in the world to write what I want. I’ve always been interested in so many different kinds of music. It’s a chance to touch on swing, old jazz, waltzes, film score. I get to bring all kinds of stuff.”
Though “Kaleidoscope” is competing with Cirque du Soleil’s “Volta” near in AT&T Park. Munn’s not worried.
“I’m an eternal optimist,” she says. “More circus is better, and we’re not as pricey. We’re being hosted by a wonderful restaurant and Treasure Island is a fun destination. We’ve always had audiences on both sides of the Bay, since we perform so much in Oakland. No matter where you’re coming from you only have to do half a bridge.”
Contact Andrew Gilbert at jazzscribe@aol.com.
CIRCUS BELLA
Presents “Kaleidoscope”
When: Nov. 30 through Jan. 6
Where: Mersea Meadow, 699 Avenue of the Palms, Treasure Island
Other key details: Yes there is parking and public transportation; and snacks and drinks by Mersea Restaurant; see website for more information
Tickets: $39-$150; www.circusbella.org