Kaleidoscope Circus bends reality with aerial arts at Plant Riverside District
The Plant Riverside District has hosted plenty of free concerts and other events to bring families downtown. “The point of all of that is to bring something more to the riverfront area than just shops, food, and drinks,” said Scotty Henley, the director of entertainment at Plant Riverside District.
Henley said bringing live and freely accessed entertainment allows the audience “to imagine, to forget about their mortgage payment for a few minutes or maybe longer.”
Some of that entertainment has included circus acts. On Saturday at 7:30 and 8:30 p.m., there will be free performances from a new circus troupe called Kaleidoscope Circus. This is not the first circus troupe to perform there. Henley said they have had positive experiences with a previous troupe. Unfortunately, as their popularity spread, it became harder to carve out time for Plant Riverside District. Henley said being contacted by Kaleidoscope Circus was perfect timing.
Kaleidoscope Circus was founded recently by Haley Trash of Trash House Productions, but she is no stranger to the acrobatics scene in Savannah.
“I used to do hula hooping when I was in middle school, but I kind of gave up on it. I moved to Savannah in 2014 for [the Savannah College of Art and Design]. I did jewelry designing at SCAD, but during that time, I was doing a lot of yoga in Forsyth [Park]. There were a lot of people doing partner acrobatics in Forsyth, so I kind of joined their little group.
“From there, I got into aerial arts. Around the same time, I had a few friends I met who did fire spinning… I started performing and teaching at festivals throughout 2016 to 2019.”
During the early months of the pandemic in 2020, Haley bought her own aerial rig to continue training on her own. After a move to New Orleans and working with a circus troupe there, she decided to move back to Savannah to help restart the community here.
“Back when I was at SCAD, I would run public fire spinning and acro-yoga jams. People could come and learn for free in the park. I wanted to restart those up as well as start a circus troupe.”
Through her performances for private events, Haley was able to approach Scotty Henley about hosting Kaleidoscope Circus at Plant Riverside. It seems it was meant to be.
Currently, Kaleidoscope Circus has seven members with a few who float between several troupes. Their skills cover all sorts of aerial performances, from hoops to silks to trapeze. They also have pole, fire, acrobatic, clown, and juggling acts among others. Haley said those attending the Saturday event will see fire poi, aerial silk, partner acrobatics, fire fans, and aerial lyra.
Even though this is a new partnership, both Kaleidoscope Circus and Henley seem to be excited about the opportunity. Henley said these events allow parents to connect with their children in a new way or give adults a chance to rediscover some of their childlike wonder.
IF YOU GO
What: Kaleidoscope Circus
When: Saturday at 7:30 and 8:30 p.m.
Where: Plant Riverside District, 400 W River Street
Info: PlantRiverside.com
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Kaleidoscope Circus bends reality with aerial arts at Plant Riverside District
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