West Michigan is invited to a free and fabulous reality circus
performance as part of Grand Valley State University's 50th
Anniversary celebration.
"Stand Up Eight" will be presented Thursday, March 24,
at 7 p.m. in the Fieldhouse Arena, on Grand Valley's Allendale Campus.
This is a show that breaks the rules by combining conventional
theater and modern circus elements. Eight wild and spunky street
performers interact with audiences during a partly scripted, partly
improvised show of mesmerizing flight, cracking whips, untamed fire
and side-splitting fun.
Among the performers is five-time national trampoline champion,
Christianne Sainz, a Plainfield native who studied theater and
graduated from Grand Valley in 2006. During a guest artist workshop,
she met Allison Williams, and after graduating joined Williams’ circus
arts company, Aerial Angels and more recently, her Stand Up Eight
reality circus.
"The opportunities I had at Grand Valley helped to shape me
into the person I am today," said Sainz. "It’s thrilling to
return to campus as a professional performer."
Williams, the group's artistic director, said most of the
performers have backgrounds in festival and street performance with
specialties ranging from aerial skills and contortion, to fire eating
and theatrics.
"This will be a family show, appropriate for all
ages," said Bob Stoll, director of Student Life & Event
Services. "We wanted to bring something quite unique to campus to
celebrate the university's 50th anniversary with the community."
Open to the public with free admission, this event is sponsored
by the School of Communications, Office of Student Life, Spotlight
Productions, and the 50th Anniversary Celebration Committee.
For more information contact Stoll at 331-2345, or [email protected]. Learn more about
the performance group at http://standup8show.com.
