Tickets On Sale Now for Circus Flora's INGENIOSO Playing 6/3 - 6/27

In its 24th season, Circus Flora, St. Louis' beloved one-ring, European-style circus, presents an all-new show, Ingenioso, inspired by the impossible dream of Don Quixote and presented by Edward Jones. The show premieres June 3 and runs through June 27, adding a full week of performances to the regular production schedule. The always affordable, family-friendly circus takes place under the air-conditioned, red-and-white, big top tent in Grand Center , St. Louis ' arts and entertainment hub, adjacent to Powell Symphony Hall (corner of Grand Boulevard and Samuel Shepard Drive).

With a sizzling Spanish flair and a variety of classic circus acts including galloping conquistadors, hilarious farmyard animals, classic equestrian ballet, breathtaking aerial acts and an awe-inspiring low-wire walker, the world-renowned Circus Flora ensemble brings this memorable tale of misadventure to life. The story of Don Quixote lends itself perfectly to the circus arts, where before our eyes, the ordinary becomes the extraordinary, and heroes emerge as gentle, triumphant clowns persuading others to see the glory of the world as they do.

The circus ring becomes the fields of LaMancha, as Ingenioso follows the noble, often haphazard quest of Don Quixote, the Knight of the Mournful Countenance, and his squire Sancho Panza to right the wrongs of the world - or at least the wrongs of the world within riding distance. Here, windmills transform before our eyes into giants, peasant girls to princesses; a barnyard scene becomes a twelve-pony liberty act, and the swineherd, an elegant lady.

"I know each year I think it's going to be the best show ever. However, the Don Quixote theme couldn't be more perfect for showcasing all the best of Circus Flora," said Ivor David Balding , artistic director of Circus Flora. "In typical joyful fashion, what appears to be may not be, and the world in the circus ring tends to change right in front of your eyes. The magic under the big top becomes the magic of La Mancha."

 

 

Ingenioso refers to the ingenious, quick-thinking of Don Quixote as he mistakes ordinary objects and people for the fantastic, and falls into misadventure after misadventure, always managing to emerge unscathed. His sidekick, Sancho Panza, however, suffers the physical assaults and vicissitudes of the escapades. Thus the beloved clown Nino (Giovanne Zoppe) plays the role of Sancho Panza as he tries to carry out the orders of his sometimes irrational master, Don Quixote, played by Carlos Svenson, animal and horse trainer.

 

 

With returning favorites and surprising new acts, the brand new 2010 production reunites world-renowned Circus Flora stars Cecil Mackinnon as Yo-Yo the Narrator, Carlos Svenson as Don Quixote, Giovanni Zoppe as Nino the Clown, the Flying Pages, the St. Louis Arches and the Circus Flora band. Highlights include the breathtaking trapeze artistry of the Flying Pages, Sasha Alexandre Nevidonski's equestrian ballet aerial silk act, Jenny Vidbel's Mixed Animal Act and Liberty Pony Act (Vidbel also plays the love interest of Don Quixote), the Cossack Riders as the trick riding galloping conquistadors, Vince Bruce of Vince Bruce Roman Riding and Trick Roping as the Knight of the Mirrors, low-wire walker Julien Posada in his Circus Flora debut, aerial straps duo Erika and Andrew Adams, and Hovey Burgess.

"This year we have a fabulous addition," Balding said. "Low-wire walker Julien Posada has perfected an act that includes a feat that no one else in the world is doing. Even after 24 years there's always something new to look forward to."

Show times are Tuesday through Thursday at 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m.; Sunday at 1 and 5:30 p.m.; and "Little Top Wednesday" at 10 a.m., a special one-hour show for smaller kids or the "kids at heart." Tickets for Ingenioso are $8 - $39 and available through all MetroTix outlets including www.MetroTix.com and by phone at 314-534-1111. Tickets are also available at the Emerson Box Office in the Centene Center for the Arts & Education and by calling Circus Flora, 314-289-4040. Group discounts are available for groups of 20 or more. Call Circus Flora at 314-289-4040 for group reservations and pricing. Visit www.circusflora.org for more information.