the Downside-Up Circus » Pacific Northwest

Sunny in Seattle

Tara — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:11:19 +0000

Tara, Molly, and Victoria have had an excellent week in Seattle following the Fremont Solstice Parade! (See the latest pictures of Interrobang’s various gigs and adventures on Flickr.)

We recovered from our circus-on-concrete extravaganza and did some sightseeing at the Pike Place Market. We went to see Just Add Water at the School for Acrobatics and New Circus Arts, a new collaborative show put together by seven young circus professionals who did a short summer residency at SANCA. (It was a thoroughly enjoyable show, though some parts were more polished than others.) We stayed with many different friends (thanks to Allison, Marple, Erica, and Bryan!), practicing our juggling and enjoying the well-earned break from long-distance biking. And to top it all off, all week the weather has been gorgeous – sunny and warm!

On Saturday we joined in the fun at Artopia in Georgetown, juggling in a procession with our friends the Titanium Sporkestra and the Harlequin Hipsters, witnessing the absurdity and destruction of the Hazard Factory’s power tool races, wandering the market stalls, and catching several acts by various configurations of SANCA’s three youth performance troupes. The night closed out with a rather hectic marching band & fire-dancing blowout on the street!

On Sunday we met up with Lindsay and Kristian in Kirkland for a family barbeque, where we showed off our choreographed acts for our hosts. Next: Port Townsend for Fourth of July weekend, our last major leg of the tour! (Plus, for a few days we have the pleasure of a guest member, our friend Juliana who’s joining us from Oakland, CA.)

Busy busy Bellingham

Victoria — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 16:07:24 +0000

Phew, we sure had a busy few days! As Tara mentioned, we had quite a haul up to Bellingham from Bothell (and back) loaded down with everything we’d need for the week. We stayed with a lovely friend of a friend, Margaret, and had the chance to show off our acts! We also stayed at the quarry with circus folk and saw a wonderful fire show by Vulcan Studios from Oakland, CA. Vulcan Studios is a self described “artist’s colony” consisting of painters, sculptors, ceramicists, photographers, musicians, film makers, actors and performers of all types.

The next day we went to (and better yet, performed in!) Vaudevillingham, which was incredible! Tara, Lindsay, Victoria and Molly (with Kristian as our loving stage mom) opened the first show with an acro-based 5 minute act that was received really well. As the night went on, the acts got considerably less family-friendly, but hilarity abounded. It was wonderful to see such a wide variety of skills and acts; some acts were polished, shiny and nearly perfect, while others were thrown together with about 24 hours notice. Still, the audience hollered long and loud for everything from housewife acro (by yours truly) to toy room contact juggling, to mustachioed silks, pirate aerials, character guitar, dance trapeze, and Dresden Doll cloudswing.

Now we’re back in Bothell for food, showers and laundry, but soon we’re headed down to Seattle for the Solstice Parade!

The tandem is here! The tandem is here! (A tall, treacherous, tragic, and finally terrific tale.)

Victoria — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 23:51:44 +0000

Come dear readers, gather close as I tell you an epic tale of one bike’s journey to the edge of the universe.

Once upon a time, there were two girls. These two girls (let’s call them Tara and Victoria) were crowded closely together looking at pictures of bikes online, looking for one that would carry them both as they embarked on a wonderous tour in western Washington. As they debated the benefits of each bike, suddenly they found the perfect bike. It gleamed red and was perfect in size and price, so without hesitation, they snatched up that perfect bike.

For two months they biked happily in tandem, enjoying the breeze and company of another person close by. Time flew, its hair blowing in the wind. Soon, the time of the tour arrived, and in a frantic flurry, the two had suddenly graduated. Tara sent their “Sweet Ride” on its way through Greyhound Package Express. It was far cheaper than mailing the bike by either post or taking it on the plane, and promised to arrive at their destination in three (yes! three!) days. Though unbelievable, Tara accepted this good luck graciously and sent off the bike whispering, “We’ll see you soon, Sweet Ride.” It gleamed lovingly back as if to say, “I’ll miss you every minute I’m gone.”

And so, the two girls found themselves in Washington and eagerly called the local Greyhound to see if their dear friend had arrived. Alas, it hadn’t. Surely, the girls thought to themselves, surely Sweet Ride will be here soon. Every day the girls thought this before laying their heads down to sleep. Surely, surely Sweet Ride will be here soon.

However, the days skated by without a care for the absence of Tara and Victoria’s dear friend. After calling so often, the girls began to instantly recognize the voice of the wonderful woman, Leah, who works at Greyhound. And every day, Leah would sadly inform the girls that their red bike friend was nowhere to be found.

After a week, the girls called in to put a tracer on their friend, to see if any other stations had seen Sweet Ride. Alas, no response.

It was one perfectly normal day, as normal days go. The sun shone, peeking out between clouds. The troupe had just put together a few acts and since it was two and a half weeks from sending their bike on its journey, Victoria called once more in final resignation.

“Hi Leah,” Victoria said. “I know our tandem isn’t here yet, and so I’m calling to put a claim on it.” Leah completely understood and told us how we could come in tomorrow to pick up the necessary paperwork. Tara and Victoria hung their heads sadly, with the sad thought that they’d never again see their bike. If only they hadn’t taken their time with Sweet Ride for granted, they thought. If only we could have one last ride.

But a beautiful thing happened! Tara’s phone rang quite suddenly. They both looked at the screen. “Greyhound Xpress,” it read.

“Hello?” Tara breathlessly answered, barely daring to hope.

“Is this Tara?” Leah asked coyly.

“Yes…yes, this is Tara….” The silence stretched on for three lifetimes.

“I have a tandem bicycle here for you!”

Indeed! Their Sweet Ride, their beloved bike had arrived! The sun blasted out from behind its cloud cover and a joyful chorus rose around them as Tara and Victoria grinned at each other.

And that, good friends and readers, is how the tandem came to Washington. Tara, Molly, and Victoria will be leaving Port Townsend tomorrow to head back to Everett to pick up Sweet Ride and soon head off to Bellingham.

I can’t help but wonder: will Sweet Ride reveal the secrets of its journey? Or will it silently keep the memories of Miami beaches, New Orleans jazz and the wide open skies of Montana? Who knows? If any of its stories should slip out, Tara and I will be sure to tell you. But for now, rest assured that it is finally here.

From pedaling to paddling!

Victoria — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 05:05:08 +0000

For those of you who have been keeping tabs on our flickr, you may have noticed several boat-centric photographs. “But circus friends!” you might exclaim, “I thought the INTERROBANG tour was exclusively by bicycle!”
Well, dear readers, we’ve decided to…rock the boat, as it were. The tandem has apparently been sightseeing all over the U.S. (and is therefore taking its time getting to us), so Tara and I have decided to forgo biking and will instead be making a splash by boating!

But seriously, let’s leave the nautical puns in our wake. Today was a beautiful day, so Corvus generously showed off his watery digs and took us for a ride. We’ve also been planning, routing, scheduling, stretching, and practicing! Things have been changing a bit, but we’re nothing if not flexible. In addition to touring and performing, our group will also be: working on a farm, taking care of the farm children, making rent for post-tour, doing a theater internship, getting jobs on the east coast, and moving out of homes into new ones. Proof that circus folk CAN do everything!

Currently we’re camping out at Corvus’ house and having fun going into Port Townsend. We’ll be playing around at farmer’s markets and putting show ideas together in his backyard. Next week look for us in Bellingham! Speaking of which, if you happen to have a couch or yard that could house us in Bellingham or halfway to Bellingham, we’d be much obliged.

Look forward to seeing ya’ll up north!

Gearing Up in Seattle

Tara — Sun, 30 May 2010 04:37:45 +0000

Victoria and I have joined Molly in Seattle! While awaiting the arrival of our tandem (which is making its way across the country via Greyhound Package Express and should be here soon!), we’ve been going on bike rides on Molly’s family’s bikes.

Today, despite a short downpour we did a 35 mile bike trek mostly along the gorgeous Burke-Gilman Trail, from Molly’s house just outside Seattle all the way in to Seattle Center. There, where we jaunted around the Folklife festival, enjoying great folk music and street performers, contradancing, and playing with newfound fellow circus folk. Lots of fun despite the gloomy weather.

Tara and Luke juggle at Folklife.

Now we’re staying with a lovely bearded man, Bryan, in Georgetown, in a little house with its own bike rack out front. He’s involved with Alleycat Acres, an urban farming collective that “transforms vacant spaces to create a network of sustainable urban farms that reconnect people to food while helping to increase food security on a community level.” So, he’s awesome. And he’s letting us stay on his couch(es)!

Victoria and Tara do acro at Folklife.

Bicycle power brings touring musicians to Seattle…

Molly — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 22:04:50 +0000

live on-bike music

Dozens of bicyclists drifting through the streets of Seattle, hauling guitars, cellos, multiple drum kits, a 2000-watt pedal powered PA system, smiling and waving at confused pedestrians and annoyed drivers, being serenaded by a musician on a bike-stage: this is the essence of the Bicycle Music Festival.

It was, put simply, AWESOME. There are about 15 touring musicians, orchestrated by the Ginger Ninjas, who teamed up with about 10 other local bands. A few bands would play at a park – the sound entirely powered by audience members pedaling on bikes – everything would be packed up onto the bikes, and we would critical mass through the streets to the next venue.

Max juggles heavy bike locks - very impressive

The music was great, the atmosphere was spirited, vegetarian sandwiches and vegan donuts were handed out by Food Not Bombs, good times were had by all. One of the highlights for me was meeting up with a bunch of other jugglers. It’s incredible how magnetic whipping out a few juggling balls can be. Some of them were better jugglers than I was, but I taught all of them how to pass and how to steal – I think partner and multi-person juggling is even more fun than individual tricks.

When I was handing out Downside-Up business cards and telling folks about our planned bicycle-tour, Max the juggler said Hey! I’ve heard of the Downside-Up Circus! My face contorted into an interrobang of disbelief and exclamation. It turns out that he knew one of our troupe members, Corvus.

It was fantastic to see the results of a successful bicycle performance tour, to prove that we aren’t just chasing an impossible dream, and exciting to hear about the Ginger Ninja’s next venture: a bicycle tour of Europe!

More photos from the day can be found here.