Meet the daring locals who make up Baton Rouge’s Bayou Cirque
Over the past few decades, Cirque du Soleil has revolutionized the concept of circus with its emphasis on awe-inspiring acrobatics and experiential storytelling. Now, a local cirque troupe is following that blueprint, bringing the same pulse-pumping theatrics to Baton Rouge.
That group, Bayou Cirque, includes performers with a wide range of unique talents. At a typical performance, you might see one twirling a flaming baton while another walks precariously on a giant globe. Others might be breakdancing, juggling or jumping rope. Look up and you might see one swinging from a trapeze or twisting about on aerial straps.
Bayou Cirque is the brainchild of the owners and instructors of GymFit BR, a local gym specializing in circus arts, gymnastics and functional fitness. Its leaders—David Gabel, Stephanie Lee, Eric Otts, John Scott and Erin Warner—have assembled a team of roughly 25 local performers.
The troupe’s first official performance was in October 2017, and it’s performed at a wide variety of events since then, from large-scale conventions like New Orleans Comic Con in January to smaller gigs like corporate events and private parties.
“We like to keep everyone asking, ‘What’s going to happen next?’” Gabel says.
Bayou Cirque recently expanded its scope to incorporate storytelling into its performances, à la Cirque du Soleil. It performed its first such production, “Dark Circus,” at 10/31 Consortium’s Ghostly Gala fundraiser in October 2018. The show features 10 acts seamlessly transitioning between one another for a full hour and tells the story of two children who sneak off to see a circus. They find that the circus ringmaster has imprisoned the souls of his performers, and they must find a way to set the performers free.
That first foray into storytelling was such a success that the troupe now plans to bring “Dark Circus” to the wider public in the form of a full theatrical run. Keep an eye out for repeat performances later this year.
Between shows, Bayou Cirque’s performers are hard at work fine-tuning their crafts, no matter their age or occupation. One of the aspects of the troupe Gabel says he’s most proud of is its sheer diversity—he’s 43 and married with three kids, while other members of the crew are high school and college students.
“We’re really just a big circus community,” Scott says. “Community is one of the most important aspects of the circus arts, so bringing everyone together and watching our students grow has been one of my favorite parts of this whole experience.”
The circus comes to Mardi Gras
See Bayou Cirque performing in Mid City Gras, Feb. 24 at 1 p.m., and the Krewe of Southdowns Parade, March 1 at 7 p.m. Find out more about the group at bayoucirque.com.
This article was originally published in the February 2018 issue of 225 Magazine.
