Over the past 15 years, The UniverSoul Circus has become as synonymous to the black family experience as family reunions and Granny’s Sunday soul food dinner.
In St. Louis, it all started in the parking lot of the Northland Shopping Center (now the home of the Buzz Westfall Shopping Plaza) in the early 1990s.
It wouldn’t be outlandish to assume that some of those teens who were exposed to the first-ever Circus with Soul back then will be toting their own little ones to Jamestown Mall next week (Oct. 14-19) as The UniverSoul Circus Celebrates its 15th Season with Jubalani: Joy, Laughter & Happiness.
This year’s show includes a silk aerial ballet, mixed animal act dubbed “Noah’s Ark,” contortionists, an acrobatic horse riding team and a comedy trapeze artist.
“I never seen a black clown before,” my niece said when I took her to the UniverSoul Circus as a 6-year-old.” She’s now 13, and her 5-year-old brother, who was not born at the time she had her first “soulful” experience at the circus, will be there alongside her.
Last year, Gary Boyd’s dance performance met with intense, bustling laughter from the people around the office who attended with family and friends.
Boyd was one of the people randomly called into the ring from the audience. He got up there and did “his thing,” which was apparently quite hilarious.
“He dropped it like it was hot n let’s just say that,” said St. Louis American Classifieds Manager Vida Medina, who took her five children to the circus. “I couldn’t stop laughing.”
She was still laughing about Mr. Boyd’s “performance” as she thought back to that day.
While Boyd n a grown man n was enjoying himself, so were Medina’s children (ages 3-9) as they watched the paid performers of the circus.
“Their mouths and eyes were just wide,” Medina said about her children. “I’ve taken them to Wringling Brothers before, and they weren’t as excited as they were when they saw the UniverSoul Circus.”
“Our show is about bridging generational and cultural gaps,” said UniverSoul Circus founder and CEO Cedric Walker. “As our world is getting smaller, families are looking for ways to spend time together and appealing to all ages is no easy feat.”
The children acrobatic bike performers and the woman who could literally change in the blink of an eye were highlights from last year’s show.
“They were walking around on the floor, and she would step inside the hula hoop,” Medina said. “This guy would raise it over her head, and it had a screen attached to it. A second later they would drop it and she would have a totally different outfit on.”
It’s no wonder that the UniverSoul Circus ranked #8 on Ticketmaster’s coveted Top 10 Most Requested Family Attractions, alongside shows like Disney on Ice and Sesame Street Live. The UniverSoul Circus even outranked the mainstream hit The Wiggles (#9).
Medina gave a laundry list of pluses of UniverSoul, from the music to the intimate setting that allowed the audience to get up close with the performers.
“UniverSoul’s blend of old-school soul and modern hip-hop sounds provides entertainment and a rich cultural experience that grandparents, parents and kids can enjoy,” Walker said.
Though the tour includes on average only about 30 cities, St. Louis has managed to stay in the mix n probably because of the capacity crowds that come out year after year.
So after families have had their fill of Big Mama’s best dishes, they can (and usually do) head over to the circus.
“I’m glad that I was able to take them so they could see that people of color are capable of performing in this way,” Medina said.
UniverSoul Circus will continue its 15th Season with Jabulani: Joy, Laughter and Happiness” from Oct. 14-19 at Jamestown Mall. For more information, visit www.universoulcircus.com. Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com or calling (314) 421-4400.
