Summer Circus Spectacular returns with thrills and comedy at The Ringling

Jay Handelman, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
·4 min read

It says a lot about the Sarasota area’s long history with circus artists that within hours of one hand-balancing pair of brothers being injured before the opening of the 2023 edition of the Summer Circus Spectacular that another pair was ready to get on stage as a temporary replacement.

The lineup of acts featured in this annual hour-long, family friendly summer treat put on by The Ringling and the Circus Arts Conservatory was to include the Alexis Brothers, who spent 23 years performing in the Cirque du Soleil hit “Mystere.” But after an injury, they have been replaced, at least for the first two weeks, by the Zorilla Brothers. They are a young act featuring twin brothers from the Dominican Republic who happened to be in Sarasota training for upcoming performances with the UniverSoul Circus, according to circus director Pedro Reis.

Feats of pure strength as the Zorilla Brothers from the Dominican Republic perform. Yulquide Bernar Minier, top, and Jose David Zorilla Parreno below, as they both astound the audience with their incredible balance and beauty.
Feats of pure strength as the Zorilla Brothers from the Dominican Republic perform. Yulquide Bernar Minier, top, and Jose David Zorilla Parreno below, as they both astound the audience with their incredible balance and beauty.

And they put on quite a display of strength, skill and grace in a show presented Tuesday morning. They first appear shoulder to shoulder, but not the way most of the rest of us would do it. One brother stands upright facing the audience supporting the other who hangs upside down with his back to the crowd. Only their shoulders are touching. It is one of many moves they achieve that seem nearly impossible and are for most people. In another sequence, one brother places a hand on the other’s head to hoist himself into the air, while the bottom brother moves into a squat and then rises into a standing position. At other moments, they suspend one another in a near vertical position with just one leg on the ground to support both of them.

Their act drew gasps from the adults and squeals of delight from the many children in the audience, whose cheers add to the pleasure of the show. Those kids, many of them from local summer camps, help you see the child-like wonder of the different routines.

Comedy shenanigans by Dick Monday and Slappy providing comic interludes during the Summer Circus Spectacular show.
Comedy shenanigans by Dick Monday and Slappy providing comic interludes during the Summer Circus Spectacular show.

The kids giggled loudly at the comical antics of the clowns Slappy and Monday (Tiffany Riley and Dick Monday), who keep it simple but engaging in three different routines. In one they bring children onstage to form a hand bell-ringing orchestra, and in another they blow bubbles in a variety of ways, including through their open fingers.

This year’s show is overseen by ringmaster Heidi Herriott who carries circus tradition in the way she introduces each act. Among them is an amazing bouncing juggling display by Ethiopian artist Tersit Asefa Dersu. She starts with just three balls bouncing off a platform, but they move so fast it looks like there are more balls. Later, she uses six or more balls that bounce off a v-shaped panel and sends them flying at a rapid-fire pace that makes it look like they're interconnected or part of a large chain being pulled.

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Tersit Asefa Dersu's Bounce Juggler act. Dersu grew up in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and currently resides in Seattle, Wash. She has been involved in professional circus since early childhood and was trained and certified by the Ethio Selam circus school in Ethiopia. She has been performing her unique solo form of bounce juggling professionally for over 12 years.

Garrett Allen performs a graceful and occasionally thrilling aerial rope act, which leads him to curl into himself while spinning like a large ball, before dangling with the rope suspending him from the neck. And he twists himself around the rope to allow for some dramatic drops.

Serge Sergeev and Aurika Annaeva perform a crystal balance act that I’ve not experienced before. He places the handle of a short dagger in his mouth to balance a large wine glass, before moving on to ever more elaborate glass objects, including globes and tubes. At one point, he shifts from balancing items on the flat edge of the dagger to the tip, all while looking calm and collected as the audience cheers.

This is an intimate, fast-paced production that is a perfect introduction for young audiences to circus traditions and a reminder for the rest of us of the rich history of the circus arts.

‘Summer Circus Spectacular’

11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 2 and 5 p.m. Saturday through Aug. 12. Reviewed June 14. In the Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota. Tickets are $20, .$13 for children 12 and younger. 941-360-7399; ringling.org

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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Thrill acts and comedy keep Summer Circus Spectacular lively.