On Dec. 16, I had a blast with my family at Cirquonscient’s latest event, CrakdNutz: A Holiday Circus Dream.
Image provided.
“We tend to be a little bit zany and a little bit cracked,” said Melissa Landry, spokesperson for Cirquonscient, when I met with her online before the first of two shows. “So that was how we came up with the name. It sort of follows the story of [The] Nutcracker—and we’re using the music—but it’s a circus take on it.”
There were no ballerinas, but dancers and an aerial hoop performer replaced them with delightful results. Harlequins in domino masks posed, rolled, and jumped in a flashy fight with acrobats garbed as rats. A magician showed off sleight-of-hand skills while fairies climbed aerial silks, diving and spinning with no respect for gravity. I was amazed at the strength of the performers.
The melodies sometimes fell short of the excitement of the vignettes or ended abruptly, which made the transitions a little awkward. But this was easily overlooked with the talent on display and the sense of merriment and fun that glowed on every smiling face. I definitely clapped along.
Cirquonscient performers. Photo provided.
Cirquonscient collaborated with several different artists on CrakdNutz. A local artist, Skye The Guy, rejoined the collective for this event after Cirquonscient’s summer Fairy Picnic Pop-ups. “He’s a really good fit for CrakdNutz,” said Landry.
Cirquonscient at one of their Fairy Pop Ups. Photo provided.
My kids loved the show. “There’s always something happening and things changing up. I think any age would be entertained,” Landry agreed. She also pointed out that there was no speaking in the show. “We did that on purpose because we wanted it to be entertaining for all ages, and everyone from everywhere. It’s meant to be universal.”
The two showings of CrakdNutz were held at the LabO theatre in the Ottawa Art Gallery. “We love the space,” Landry said. “There aren’t a lot of spaces that we can actually rig from the structure … They built it so that it will suspend humans safely. And there’s not a lot of theatres in Ottawa that do that, and are also affordable to small groups like ourselves.”
Cirquonscient had one big goal for CrakdNutz: “We’ve been really, really happy with the support we’ve had from the Ottawa community, like for our fairy pop-up picnics. We had such a great turnout, and people were just very engaged. We are trying to be there for the community, and the community is being there for us,” said Landry. “The goal here is to provide people with a fun escape. You know, like, take them to the circus—the land of circus dreams—and give them a chance to have fun.”
Cirquonscient’s next show is Cirque à la Carte on Jan. 20, 2024, a 19+ cabaret-style circus event with performers from across the Ottawa community. Find out more and get tickets here.
