A young group of area circus performers— mixing breathtaking athleticism with artistic flair— Toledo’s Bird’s Eye View Circus will open for the New York-based Constellation Moving Company, July 29 at the Collingwood Arts Center.
A local studio teaching circus performance techniques to all ages, Bird’s Eye View’s classes include modern aerial silks to more traditional Big Tent Circus, like trapeze and partner acrobatics.
“We are also a performance company, so if our students hone their skills well enough, they may graduate into performing with us,” says owner Erin Garber-Pearson, who frequently produces, directs and performs herself in Bird’s Eye View shows at the Collingwood.
Taking flight
The circus has been a part of Garber-Pearson’s life for years. She spent summers during college as a circus performer, with aerial tricks being her specialty.
She moved to Northwest Ohio to take a job teaching at BGSU, “I just opened my own studio. And then other people found out I am an aerialist, and wanted to start training with me,” she says.
After founding Bird’s Eye View in 2012, Garber-Pearson devoted herself to training others, with a curriculum geared toward newcomers. Many students are inspired by modern circus showcases like Cirque du Soleil. In addition to performance skills, students find it a stimulating way to stay in shape.
“One of the things that’s really fun about the circus is, everyone who stays with our studio long enough gets crazy buff, but they’re never really thinking about ‘working out,’ because what they’re doing at the time is just interesting and fun,” Garber-Pearson says.
The stars align
Garber-Pearson’s years as a performer have garnered her many contacts and friends in the circus community, allowing her to stay on top of the latest trends, and providing opportunities to help bring nationally recognized acts to the Toledo area, often to play a show with her own company.
“Toledo has a nice geographic center point, where there’s not a lot of circus stuff, but a lot of shows pass near here. It’s a convenient place to stop,” she says.
Whether it’s teaching a new generation of performers, producing shows to demonstrate the skills they’ve learned or simply performing herself, Garber-Pearson says she hopes audiences will be moved and inspired by the work of Bird’s Eye View.
“When folks come to our shows, I hope that they’re entertained, I hope that they’re engaged intellectually, in a way, with what we do,” she says.
Back in the TRENCHES
100 years ago, the soldiers of World War I lived through fear and misery in the trenches of European battlefields. Their tragedies served to provide freedom for many, and inspiration for Maia Ramnath, co-creator of the acrobatic-drama, TRENCHES.
A Toledo-native, Ramnath is the founder and artistic director of The Constellation Moving Company, a New York City-based troupe coming here to perform TRENCHES on Friday, July 29. Bird’s Eye View Circus will accompany.
“I’m really thrilled to be performing here for the first time,” Ramnath says.
8pm | Friday, July 29 | $25/GA | $15/students & seniors.
Collingwood Arts Center | 2413 Collingwood Blvd.
For more information on the show and the Bird’s Eye View Circus,
visit birdseyeviewcircus.com