Fern Street Circus may be in your San Diego neighborhood in 2024

EleonApril 6, 2024

42 3 minutes read

SAN DIEGO –

Clowns, jugglers, contortionists and other circus performers bring their talents to San Diego this Saturday as the annual Fern Street Circus neighborhood tour kicks off in City Heights.

The free 10-day tour of bilingual shows brings together professional circus performers from around the world alongside young students from San Diego who have been training in circus acts for the past few months. Public performances will take place in San Diego parks and recreation centers and will include live music as well as a community health resource fair from Live Well San Diego.

For three decades, the Fern Street Circus – an initiative of the nonprofit Fern Street Community Arts – has introduced circus art to communities with more limited access to the performing arts. This involves working with schools and after-school programs in City Heights and Imperial Beach. Considered a “social circus,” the circus aims to explore social issues – from immigration to access to healthcare – through performances.

Spring tour performances take place every Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m., starting this weekend and running through May 5.

The Fern Street Circus brings together professional circus performers and young San Diego students recently trained in circus acts.

(Courtesy of Gary Payne Photography)

This year’s circus theme is “Home,” largely inspired by Fern Street Circus’ move to its first-ever dedicated indoor space, in the former City Heights Central Elementary School. Until now, the group has rehearsed in an outdoor circus pavilion or in shared spaces in gyms around the city.

“Home” is the feeling of being “accepted, where we can be as big or small as we can be, and it’s a place we definitely want to return to,” said designer Catalina Paz and show director and teaching artist. with the circus. Paz, also a show clown, has been training a group of a dozen students at the circus for three months.

Paz also said many new students in Fern Street Circus’ programs have recently emigrated to the United States, such as two Haitian students who learned English last year and are currently performing on the spring tour.

“(Students) have found this circus where they can … learn about the culture, make new friends and learn something new,” Paz said.

She says she has seen many students transform and open up through the after-school program. Even if students don’t want to pursue performance art, the training prepares them for real-world scenarios, like public speaking.

Clown practice is about amplifying one’s personality, Paz explained, and using physical expression, whether through facial expression or body movements.

It’s less of a verbal art form – the performers don’t say much during the show – so even though Paz and the students don’t always speak the same language, they are still able to connect and share. ‘to learn together.

Circus acts can also be – quite simply – a joyful activity, Paz added, especially for migrant children who have potentially already encountered difficulties and challenges from a young age.

“This is essential because not only do we learn to be clear with our bodies, but we also learn to take things with humor,” Paz said.

In addition to student acts, the Fern Street Circus will offer a variety of circus performances, such as tightrope, puppetry, juggling and more. Professional circus performers come from all over the world, including Ethiopia, Chile and Mexico.

Before the circus shows begin at 2 p.m., attendees can attend Live Well San Diego’s free community health fair starting at 1 p.m., where there will be health screenings, vaccinations and other community resources .

Pre-show concerts San Diego Mariachi Victoria will also start at 1:15 p.m.