The circus will soon be back in town.
Yet not the average, run-of-the-mill circus, but UniverSoul Circus, which will be at Jamestown Mall in Florissant from August 25 through August 30.
The UniverSoul Circus is making its annual trip to the area to thrill and excite audiences with its nuanced take on what can go on under the big top. While the normal circus essentials – such as gymnastics, acrobatics, elephants, and lions – can all be found at the UniverSoul Circus, once you see their take on the average circus clown, it becomes obvious that this is a circus like no other. This same inventive style translates to each aspect of the circus.
In the early 1990s, UniverSoul Circus founder and CEO Cedric Walker knew that he wanted to explore and expose a different side of black entertainment.
“The vision was to explore the various talents other than singing and dancing that black performers had to offer,” Walker said.
“We wanted to apply our gathered years of experience in the live appearance industry, to make a difference, to change the industry we lived in, creating growth and opportunity.”
In the 1970s Walker worked with successful Motown group The Commodores as production and stage manager, and later as promoter for the Jackson Five. In the 80s he organized the world’s first rap music tour, Fresh Festivals, which included Run DMC and Salt n Peppa. Before creating the UniverSoul Circus, he also helped produce two successful gospel plays.
This entertainment experience coupled with his life-long love for the circus would seem to make the task of creating hip-hop under the big tent an easy feat to accomplish, but the circus proved not to be an effortless achievement.
The first step was research, learning all he could about the contributions that black people had made to the circus. Walker was able to line up a few sponsors, but Walker had to put much of his own money into the million-dollar project.
The first show was in 1994 on the parking lot of the Atlanta Fulton County Stadium. During its first season the show went deep into debt, but ecstatic audiences and great reviews kept “The Universal Big Top Circus” (its original name) alive.
In 1997 the touring circus had 10 cities that it visited per season. The circus continued to grow, and in 2001 the UniverSoul Circus debuted its first international show in South Africa. Walker’s ability to achieve his dream and triumph over the difficulties he faced in creating such an industry changing production put a lot of extra soul into the show.
The UniverSoul Circus promises to be a fun-filled family event as it boasts being the most interactive circus. With audience volunteers helping in actual performances, and a ring leader that walks through the aisles giving audience members high fives, the UniverSoul Circus should have no problem keeping its reputation and is sure to please the viewers.
