For immediate release: June 30, 2017
CONTACT:
Rebecca Bailey, Publicity Coordinator/Writer
Hopkins Center for the Arts, Dartmouth College
603.646.3991
Acrobatic Clowning Meets Aerial Spectacle in Air Play
HANOVER, NH—Air has never seemed less ordinary than in Air Play, a jaw-dropping spectacle of wind, currents and the objects they can move.Featuring husband-and-wife clown acrobats, the show traverses a fantastical landscape of flying umbrellas, larger-than-life balloons, ginormous kites—and the biggest snow globe you’ve ever seen! Ordinary objects are transformed as fabrics billow, plastic bags hover and gravity is gloriously suspended when Air Playis performedon Saturday, December 2,3 and 7 pm, in The Moore Theater of the Hopkins Center for the Arts.
The creation of husband-and-wife team Seth Bloom and Christina Gelsone,Air Playmerges the couple’s circus skills and street theater performance with the sculptural artistry of Daniel Wurtzel. The show is directed by West Hyler. London’s British Theatre Guide writes that Air Play “holds the whole audience in the palm of its outstretched hand. A winning combination of visually stunning sculptures and cheeky but heartfelt storytelling that keeps both adults and children enthralled.”
A recent review in The Age(Australia) enthuses, “‘Fun for all ages’ is a common puff in the arts, but with Air Play it's strictly true. From the minute the curtain goes up on this buoyant fusion of wordless clowning and aerial spectacle, you feel as if you've stepped into an enchanted world somewhere between childhood and what comes afterwards, where normal rules (gravity included) have been temporarily held at bay.”
Air Play’s circus-style adventurepresents the story of two siblings journeying through a surreal land of air, transforming the ordinary into objects of uncommon beauty. Fabrics dance in the wind, balloons have a mind of their own, confetti turns into the night sky, and an enormous canopy of hovering silk forever alters their future.With visual images seemingly sewn from the sky, this poetic ode to childhood will enchant and electrify the young and young at heart.The 60-minute production is for all ages.
American clowns Bloom and Gelsone met in 2003 while performing at a circus in Afghanistan,were engaged while street performing in Scotland, and got married in China. (Gelsone wore a dress made of little white balloons.) Since becoming clown partners in 2006, they have created five shows, competed in international circus festivals and performed in over 20 countries together.
Bloom is a former professional juggler who graduated from three clown schools and makes each clown mask by hand. A graduate of Wesleyan University ('00), Ringling Brothers Clown College ('93), Dell'Arte ('97) and the London International School of Performing Arts (MFA '05), he has performed in 22 countries.Gelsone is a former professional ballerina who graduated from Princeton (’96) to become a clown. Also a graduate of Dell'Arte ('98), she is a former faculty member of Adelphi University. She has performed in 28 countries. The couple lives in New York City.
MORE ABOUT…
Seth Bloom
Bloom grew up around the world, and his frequent travels slowly etch their way into the masks he builds. As a teen, he was an avid juggler. In 2003, his mother was working in Afghanistan and met the founders of a children's circus who were looking for a circus coach. A few months later, Bloom was on his way, beginning an adventure that continues to this day, creating performances with visual theater that carry social messages to Afghan rural areas that are often illiterate. To date, that circus organization (Mobile Mini Circus for Children) has performed for over 1 million people in Afghanistan.
A graduate of Ringling Brothers Clown College, Bloomwent on to study Lecoq theater technique in London. With fellow grads, he co-founded Split Knuckle Theater, and the five-star company continues to create visually arresting and original physical theater. He has performed in 22 countries.
Christina Gelsone
Gelsone is a former professional ballet dancer from Texas who discovered rock-climbing in college, which led to her learning physical stunts. In 2001, she perfected the Human Tightrope, allowing her to hold men of 300 pounds (136 kilos) on her stomach, or one jump-roping woman.
While performing with Bond Street Theater (a company that works in refugee camps and war-torn zones), and traveling to interesting corners of the globe like Albania, Kosovo and Afghanistan, Gelsone found her other passion, history. Her bookshelves continue to grow with non-fiction at each new country. Often compelled to share factoids on any subject, she co-founded Fool's Academy, activating school curriculum through clowning. She has performed in 28 countries.
Daniel Wurtzel
Wutzel works in multiple disciplines. His air flow piece Magic Carpet went viral with over 2 million views. His work has been seen around the world, including pieces on Broadway and with Cirque du Soleil, Julie Taymor, Robert Lepageand Diane Paulus.
West Hyler
Hyler is a theater director equally at home in the circus or on Broadway.He is working on a new Broadway show for Cirque du Soleil and has twice directed Big Apple Circus. As associate director of Jersey Boys, he staged productions of the show on five continents.
The Hopkins Center for the Arts
Founded in 1962, the Hopkins Center for the Arts is a multi-disciplinary academic, visual and performing arts center dedicated to uncovering insights, igniting passions, and nurturing talents to help Dartmouth and the surrounding Upper Valley community engage imaginatively and contribute creatively to our world. Each year the Hop presents more than 300 live events and films by visiting artists as well as Dartmouth students and the Dartmouth community, and reaches more than 22,000 Upper Valley residents and students with outreach and arts education programs. After a celebratory 50th-anniversary season in 2012-13, the Hop enters its second half-century with renewed passion for mentoring young artists, supporting the development of new work, and providing a laboratory for participation and experimentation in the arts.
RELEVANT LINKS
danielwurtzel.com
westhyler.com
CALENDAR LISTING
Air Play
Air has never seemed less ordinary than in this jaw-dropping spectacle of wind, currents and the objects they can move. Featuring husband-and-wife clown acrobats with a commedia dell’arte flair, the show traverses a fantastical landscape of flying umbrellas, larger-than-life balloons, ginormous kites—and the biggest snow globe you’ve ever seen! Ordinary objects are transformed as fabrics billow, plastic bags hover and gravity is gloriously suspended.
Saturday & Sunday, December 2- 3, 2017, 8 pm
The Moore Theater, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hanover NH
$18-40 for adults, $10 for Dartmouth students, $13-18 for youth
Information: hop.dartmouth.edu or 603.646.2422
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