not just about performing
a "behind the scenes" look at what it means to be in our youth performance troupe from kiraz' perspective.
My name is Kiraz, I am a 10 year old Junior member of Roundabout Circus Performance Troupe. At Roundabout Circus Performance Troupe, we’ve been working VERY hard to give you ‘Pandora’s Box’, a retelling of the classic story told through circus arts.
This retelling of the story features our Junior Troupe (ages 10-13) and our Senior Troupe (ages 14 - 18). As I said before, we worked towards this show for months and practiced from 4:00 - 8:00pm most Fridays. Our show is breathtaking, obviously, but if you went backstage you’d see that Troupe isn’t just about performing.
Flashing lights, shimmery costumes and dazzling performances. This is what comes to mind for most people when they think about troupe, and while these things are all part of Troupe, they’re not the thing about it that makes it so awesome.
It’s the sense of belonging. And there’s no better way to show you the community that Troupe fosters, than our latest show, “Pandora’s Box”.
It was my first Troupe show and I didn’t know what to expect - was it going to be horribly rushed or calmly chaotic? In the end, I’ll have to go with the latter, that's thanks to everyone backstage, performer or crew.
Our coaches might have made the show happen, but all of us created the community that is Troupe. When I arrived at Roundabout, on the day of our first show, everyone crowded backstage, hoping for a glimpse in the mirror to fix their make-up or hair.
It took a good few hours to get everyone ready but we got there in the end. We had someone doing our hair and another person doing makeup, while the rest of us waited for our turn, or did our own.
It’s probably the closest anyone can get to a second family, this is what troupe is all about. When you join Troupe you automatically become part of our family. It isn’t just a group of friends, this is a troupe family, the best kind of family.
here is an article kiraz wrote for her school assignment -
Roundabout Circus started 9 years ago and the Performance Trope followed a few years later. They've been doing their annual Troupe show for 6 years and they’re not about to stop now.
The theme, ’Pandora’s Box’ was widely brainstormed, but the ideas took form when the coaches asked the performers what it was like to be their age in the world.
The children replied with tales of struggle, perfectionism and pressure.
and so, pandora’s box was born.
This retelling of the classic story is a little different, though. The show begins with a poem about a curious box, unbound with no locks.
The performers start to open the box and then the pressures of modern society fly out, the pressure of time, body image, status quo, social media, organization, competition, and the loss of innocence.
But when everyone is burnt out, can they find the light at the bottom of the box?
-Kiraz | Age 10
So yes — our students learn to fly on silks, catch apples on cue, and spin hoops with incredible skill.
But more importantly, they learn to believe in themselves. They learn to lift each other up, to celebrate wins big and small, and to walk into the world knowing nothing is impossible in the circus… and maybe, nothing is impossible anywhere else either. 💜🎪
This is what we call SOCIAL CIRCUS, and its what makes Roundabout different.
Ready to start your own journey? We're waiting for you. 🌟
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