We always knew circuses had heart. Now
we know they have soul, too.
Founded seven years ago in Atlanta by Cal Dupree and Cedric Walker,
UniverSoul Circus, now in Prospect Park by the Wollman Skating
Rink, bills itself as the first, and only, black-owned, produced
and performed circus.
Although some (most notably the New York Times) say there was
a black-owned circus touring the United States in the early 1900s,
certainly UniverSoul is the first circus to embrace contemporary
black urban culture and present shows to a largely black urban
audience.
Walker and Dupree, the ringmaster, have assembled a troupe of
performers, mostly of African descent, who dazzle with amazing
feats of daring and dexterity. There are stilt-walkers from Senegal,
a Josephine Baker impersonator who wears a banana skirt and cavorts
with an elephant, a Brazilian hand-balancing act, and a flying
trapeze team from Cuba.
Young, Gifted & Black, composed of a South African woman
and two Mongolian women, perform acts of synchronized contortion
that are as awesome as they are graceful.
Dupree himself doubles as the Great "Caldini," a magician
who makes a beautiful woman emerge from a smoky cauldron of "Brooklyn
gumbo," a dog appear in a formerly empty box, and two women
turn into a caged lion.
There are also plenty of clowns and dancers (my favorite was
a quartet of dancing dwarfs), animals that come near enough so
that ringsiders can get a whiff, whirling lights, and the live
music – African, Afro-Caribbean, African-American – performed
by the Platinum Soul Band.
UniverSoul Circus costumes have all the traditional glamour and
glitter – leotards, tights, revealing costumes that flatter the
figures of both men and women – that add so much to the spectacle,
as well as a brilliant array of ethnic African dress.
My 14-year-old son, who accompanied me to the show, couldn’t
figure out which was more interesting to look at, the huge elephant
standing on one leg or the scantily clad woman who rode atop
of the elephant. He didn’t blink for two hours.
If one-ring circuses are special because of their intimacy, UniverSoul
Circus goes one step further. Ringmaster Dupree, aka Casual Cal,
a former DJ who grew up in Harlem, actively engages the audience,
inviting "sisters" and "brothers" to come
onstage to sing and dance.
"When I say, ’big top,’ you say, ’circus,’" Dupree
chants. In one sequence that’s both funny and moving, he has
couples serenade each other, then exhorts everyone in the audience
to go home and do the same.
If UniverSoul Circus has a mission to express African and African-American
culture, it also has a message: With discipline and hard work
black children can realize their dreams; with love, black families
can stay whole; with pride and compassion for each other, black
men can stand tall.
In the finale, Dupree introduces a scene that shows black men
first scorning, then embracing each other.
Although no one knows when and where the first circus acts were
performed, as far back as Roman times people thrilled to displays
of skill and bravery in chariot races, horsemanship, wrestling
and acrobatics.
The modern circus dates back to the 18th century English shows
of horsemanship, which were later embellished with music, acrobats,
tumblers, rope walkers and clowns – all performing in a single
ring. In the 19th century, American circuses began adding their
own touches to the entertainment – the canvas-topped touring
circus with its main tent or "big top" (previously
circuses had been resident, or non-traveling), a musical instrument
called the calliope, another two rings – for a three-ring circus,
and the parade when the circus came to town.
Indeed, circuses, in all their rowdy, raucous excitement, are
as American as apple pie and ice cream. And as America changes
and transforms itself, it is entirely appropriate that our circuses
reflect those changes.
American circuses have always drawn talent from around the world
– tumblers, wire walkers and acrobats from China and Japan; and
horse trainers, equilibrists and acrobats from the former Soviet
Union, Belgium, Italy, France and Arab states.
UniverSoul Circus walks exuberantly down this same liberating
road.
The UniverSoul Circus performs through
April 21 at the Wollman Rink in Prospect Park. Show times are
Monday through Friday, 10:30 am and 7:30 pm; Saturdays, noon,
4:30 pm and 8 pm; and Sundays, 3:30 pm and 7 pm.
To get there by car, enter at Parkside Avenue and Ocean Avenue
and follow road to Wollman parking lot. By foot, enter at Lincoln
Road and Ocean Avenue. For a map of the park, go to www.prospectpark.org.
Tickets are $10-$40. For tickets and more information, call (800)
316-7439 or visit www.universoulcircus.com.
