You, too, can join the circus
Jun. 8, 2011Written by Sherry Lucas
Send in the clowns and round up the hams.
UniverSoul Circus, which sets up the big top at Metrocenter for nine shows starting tonight, has cemented a reputation for audience participation.Old school, new school and "Whoa" school appeal go to work, as activities enticing all ages of volunteers are scattered between the world-class acts."We're the most interactive circus in the world. It's high energy, non-stop audience participation," said Zanda Zeke Charles, who just goes by his show name Zeke.
UniverSoul Circus, which sets up the big top at Metrocenter for nine shows starting tonight, has cemented a reputation for audience participation.Old school, new school and "Whoa" school appeal go to work, as activities enticing all ages of volunteers are scattered between the world-class acts."We're the most interactive circus in the world. It's high energy, non-stop audience participation," said Zanda Zeke Charles, who just goes by his show name Zeke.
The ringmaster's sidekick, with UniverSoul since its start 18 years ago, watched the show grow from a four-city tour to 30 cities a year with an increasingly multicultural draw.Audience interaction brings the circus to a personal level. "We have the classic Soul Train line, where we have the old school 30 or so men and women come into the center ring and they get their dance on," Zeke said."We have a thing called the Battle of the Couples, where we have the old school couple battling a new school couple (ages 18-25) - they lip sync" to songs from their respective eras.For such fun spots, "we have more people than we actually need. Sometimes we feel bad because we have to turn people away," Zeke said. "They bum-rush the stage and everybody wants to be a part of it."A kids' dance contest and singalongs to TV themes also keep the audience engaged.
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