Brave Space

“Daring and intimate…unlike any circus show I’ve ever seen.” Aloft Circus Arts’ newest show, Brave Space, is the building of a blanket fort, sneaking under a hoopskirt, an impulsive congregation in the tiniest of tents. Intimate and low tech, this hour-long work of contemporary circus invites the audience to sit nose-to-nose with bold aerialists and acrobats to build the world we want to live in, even for only a few shared moments. An antidote to the horrors of daily news cycle, this hypermobile show can pop up in fields, intersections, theaters, and warehouses — wherever people need beauty, hope, and comfort. Conceived of and directed by Aloft artistic director Shayna Swanson, Brave Space is designed not as a safe space, but as a space that will bring audiences up close and personal with their humanity and their fears, to encourage them to better care for themselves and for those around them. Inspired by the idea of creating community in trying times, Brave Space starts as a puddle of fabric on the floor, and grows to encompass a world of wonders that includes juggling, cyr wheel, and duo trapeze, a rope act like no other, and awe-inspiring feats of balance and strength. The audience is limited to 100 people per show, and audience members must be able to sit on the floor, stand up, walk around for the duration of the performance. Audience members requesting assistance, or a chair to sit in, should note so when purchasing tickets. In addition, Brave Space may make persons suffering from claustrophobia feel uncomfortable at times.