The Chicago Contemporary Circus Festival shines a light on cirque nouveau—which is not circus.
by Jena Cutie
To say the state of contemporary circus in America is dim isn't to insult the discipline—it's merely to point out that, with the exception of Cirque du Soleil, which is Canadian anyway, there's yet to be a troupe that's set the country ablaze. The first Chicago Contemporary Circus Festival intends to end this period of relative obscurity with an dynamite program—including eight world-class performances and five days of professional workshops—that will bring a broader contingent of cirque nouveau troupes to mainstream audiences.…[ Read more ]