By Biba Adams, Staff Writer and Report for America corps member
UniverSoul Circus kicks off its first week in Detroit with a packed lineup of school sneak peeks, special guests, local dance groups and themed performances leading up to opening night Thursday, Oct. 1. Featuring world-class circus artistry, dance, comedy, hip hop and plenty of audience participation, the all-new WE ALL BELONG production runs through Sunday, Oct. 25, under the iconic purple-and-yellow big top across from The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, 2600 E. Atwater St., Detroit, MI 48207.
Now in its 32nd year, UniverSoul Circus was created in Atlanta in 1994 by Cedric Walker, a former production manager for The Commodores who later became a rap music entrepreneur and live show producer. For more than three decades, the show has redefined family entertainment while creating an enduring tradition enjoyed by generations – from toddlers and teens to parents and grandparents.
This year’s show theme, WE ALL BELONG, explores the values and experiences that unite people from all walks of life. The show draws on the spirit of the Harlem Renaissance and global influences of Motown, Soul Train and hip hop culture, while highlighting the ways music, dance and storytelling resonate across generations and borders.
“The goal is simple. In a world where people often focus on differences, WE ALL BELONG reminds us that music, movement, laughter, culture and human connection blur the lines between us and explore the point where cultures meet and ultimately unite through joy, rhythm and shared experience,” says Walker.
Detroit’s opening week gets rolling with sneak peek performances at four Detroit-area schools. Thursday’s opening night includes a tribute to Michael Jackson and a welcome from the Oak Park High School Marching Legion\. Other highlights include a tribute to Detroit’s young entrepreneurs, local dance groups, Flint Night, International Day featuring African dance and drumming, and Detroit Skaters Night.
Detroit’s own Fresh the Clownsss also bring a hometown connection to the big top. Founded in Detroit in 2013 by Ira Smith, known as Fresh the Clown, the popular act blends Detroit Jit and other street-dance styles with high-energy hip-hop clowning. Now a crowd favorite on the UniverSoul tour, Fresh the Clownsss perform for audiences across the country while keeping their Detroit roots at the heart of their signature style.
Other UniverSoul Circus highlights include an Ethiopian Pole Act featuring dizzying spins and poses on a towering vertical pole; Power of Love, a graceful ballerina act; the Morning Doves, an aerial lyra duo from Mongolia and Ethiopia; the Soul Skaters, an acrobatic roller-skating troupe from Cuba and the U.S.; Double Vision, a strong-man hand-balance duo from the Dominican Republic; and a high-flying Zhukau Swing acrobatic act from Russia.
Audience favorites include the Caribbean Street Carnival, featuring 20-foot dancing puppets, fire-breathing stilt dancers and vibrant folklore characters, along with Fresh the Clownsss and daring motorcycle stunt artists performing flips and dives 60 feet in the air.
Tickets start at $25 at Ticketmaster.com. Performance times are 7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; noon, 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays; noon, 3 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays; plus, special shows on Wednesday, Oct. 14, and Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. For tickets, show times and additional information, visit universoulcircus.com.
You can reach Biba at Biba.Adams@MIChronicle.com