Tonight's Program:
ACT I
Music: Andy Isham, performing live
Music: "Do It Like a Girl" by Morgan St Jean
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"Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did... backwards and in high heels"
(Friday only)
Music: "The Chain" by Blakwall
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A group of four established Wisconsin based burlesque performers, producers, and visionaries on their own, come together to tell a story of bravery, activism and hope amidst resistance. United by the values of community and female empowerment, they hope to inspire you to ignite your own flame to fight.
Music: "Khodahafez"
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This act represents the mandatory dress code imposed on Iranian women and stands as an act of defiance against it.
Music: "Shameless" by Camila Cabello
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Dance is freedom. It is an act of trust. It is an act of rebellion—to cast aside the rules others have placed upon us and move our bodies as we choose. When we dance, we reveal our hearts to ourselves and to others. The courage it takes to dance is the same courage it takes to love: to allow ourselves to be seen, to allow ourselves to be loved, and, most importantly, to freedom to love ourselves.
ACT II
Music: "Shoes"
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Though Alex first started wearing heels to shut down conversations with people who whined about how painful they are and how hard they are to wear, upon further reflection Alex realized that he'd been fascinated by them since he was a little kid. But when his mom caught him trying on her shoes when he was 11 or 12, she panicked and shut him down and told him never to wear her shoes. Though she was trying to protect him in a homophobic world, it shut down an avenue of exploration and empathy. Though he still hates the consumerism of fast fashion. Alex LOVES a bad-ass thrifted or borrowed pair of heels. Not only because they increase the challenge of skills, but also because they make his ass look great! This act is now about rediscovering the joy of trying on mom's heels, and then taking it one step further.
Music: "Yoga" by Janelle Monae ft Jidenna
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Luella originally choreographed this act for a Circus After Dark performance in 2022. 'Is this Yoga?' is about rediscovering yourself as a sexual being. Especially after the transition into parenthood (among this cast we have a collective 9 children) sexuality can feel like a lost cause as you navigate dirty diapers and sleep deprivation. This song brings that sexy feeling and these dancers bring the fire to stage as they figure out who they are now.
Music: "I Am the Night"
Music: "Mad Queen Mantra"
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"This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it." - Ta-Nehisi Coates
Music: "Sway"
CREW
Madison Aerial Alliance thanks the following volunteers for making this show a reality:
- Producers: Luella Shapiro, Stephanie Richards
- Tech: Jim Vogel; Travis Volmer
- Rigging: Emily Shelton; Jocelyn Jackson, Madeline Motley
- Stage Manager: Percy Hill
- Stage Kittens: Jocelyn Jackson, Jack Racca
- Setup/Stike: Steven Clipson; and many volunteers
- Lobby Decor: Shannon Anderson
- Front of House: Amy H.; Cassy Smithies, Nicole Margenau, Jen Costillo, Kelly Bix, Leeah Stickelmaier, William Rapisand, Gillian Wyman, Walker Shapiro, Becky Devaux, Kate Woodford, Elise Swenson, Glenn Poole, Ben Ziemann, Sarah Louise Raillard
- Photography: BOLD Photography
- Videography: Paddy Cassidy
- Design & Promotion: Stephanie Richards, Aerial Niforatos, Mick McKiernan (photo)
- Program: Sara Woolery
Madison Aerial Alliance is a collaborative trio of aerial instructors and performers with more than 20 years of combined experience.
William Rapisand specializes in teaching beginning silks classes; Stephanie Richards, Air Craft Madison, loves working with youth on both sling and silks; and Luella Shapiro is passionate about dynamic work on rope and silks. All three of them teach and perform regularly at the Madison Circus Space.
To learn more, visit Madison Aerial Alliance.
(X)Posed is co-hosted by the Madison Circus Space, a home for circus arts in Madison with a mission to engage people interested in circus and movement arts to learn, share, and grow as a community. MCS provides a practice space for dedicated performers and hobbyists of disciplines such as juggling, German wheel, stilt-walking, aerial arts, flying trapeze, and hoop dancing. MCS also holds workshops and events that are open to the community and meant to foster appreciation for the variety of circus-related talent and creativity in Madison.