#circusbella

Part Two: Performances. CIRCUS BELLA (https://www.circusbella.org), the fabulous San Francisco-based troupe, recently completed a three-week stay over the holidays right in the middle of downtown San Francisco (East Cut). In a tent! Clowns, acrobats, juggling, aerialists, live music, the whole deal. These are performance photos - behind-the-scenes images were in the previous post.

A self-assignment, I documented the entire process starting weeks before opening night, from raising the tent, through rehearsals and multiple performances, opening to closing night, plus extensive behind-the-scenes documentation. They let me backstage, a privilege I did not take for granted - that's a private space for any performer. Even though I knew some of the people already and had been around performances before, I was struck - flabbergasted, even - by every single person's intense camaraderie and collaboration while building the tent - a monumental process - and after that, developing and perfecting the show. Everyone pitched in, including performers who helped raise the tent and swept up between shows. Circus culture is an amazingly supportive one, a lesson for us all - me, anyway.

Part One: Behind The Scenes CIRCUS BELLA (https://www.circusbella.org), the fabulous San Francisco-based troupe, recently completed a three-week stay over the holidays right in the middle of downtown San Francisco (East Cut). In a tent! Clowns, acrobats, juggling, aerialists, live music, the whole deal. These are behind-the-scenes photos; performance pics to come in the next post.

A self-assignment, I documented the entire process starting weeks before opening night, from raising the tent, through rehearsals and multiple performances, opening to closing night, plus extensive behind-the-scenes documentation. They let me backstage, a privilege I did not take for granted - that's a private space for any performer. Even though I knew some of the people already and had been around performances before, I was struck - flabbergasted, even - by every single person's intense camaraderie and collaboration while building the tent - a monumental process - and after that, developing and perfecting the show. Everyone pitched in, including performers who helped raise the tent and swept up between shows. Circus culture is an amazingly supportive one, a lesson for us all - me, anyway.