Plenty of time for clowning around
Winnipeg Circus Club to hold annual showcase March 8
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Roll up, roll up…
Members of the Winnipeg Circus Club are preparing for the organization’s annual showcase of skills and talent.
The club’s flagship fundraising event will be held on Sunday, March 8 between 2 and 5 p.m. at Jubilee Place in Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute (173 Talbot Ave.). Doors open at 2 p.m. and the show starts at 3 p.m.
Supplied photo by Zac The Freeman
Karrie Blackburn, founder of Kurrent Motion Hoops, said she first got involved in hooping for its fitness benefits, and it quickly became her favourite pastime. Asked how to perfect the craft, Blackburn said it’s about putting in a lot of time, effort and hard work.
Club members will demonstrate their different skills and entertain the audience with performances and routines honed during the club’s weekly Sunday afternoon meet-ups at Broadway Neighbourhood Centre (185 Young St.) during the winter months.
Club member and key organizer Charles Lauder, who has been performing as a professional clown for more than 30 years, said the 11th annual showcase is a chance for performers — professional and amateur, young and old, children to seniors — to show off their respective skills.
“It helps us pay for the club’s activities, and there will be all sorts of things for everybody to enjoy,” said Lauder, who performs as Sleepy the Clown.
The West End resident the club continues to grow in attendance and membership and likened the upcoming event to a legendary television mainstay.
“It’s like The Muppet Show and I get to be Kermit,” Lauder said. “This showcase is a lovely chance for us to show off and have fun.”
Lauder said interested people, of any age and skill level, are welcome to attend a Sunday meet-up, and “the first session is free.”
Osborne Village resident Karrie Blackburn will be performing her hula hoop act, but that’s not the only string to her bow.
“I specialize in single-, double- and triple-hooping,” said Blackburn, a past co-ordinator of the event. “I’m also really getting into stilt-walking, and I do a bit of juggling.”
Blackburn, the founder of Kurrent Motion Hoops, said she first got involved in hooping for its fitness benefits, and it quickly became her favourite pastime. Asked how to perfect the craft, Blackburn said it’s about putting in a lot of time, effort and hard work.
Supplied photo
Charles Lauder — a.k.a. Sleepy the Clown — is a key member of the Winnipeg Circus Club. Lauder, who has been performing as a professional clown for more than 30 years, said the club’s 11th annual showcase on March 8 is a chance for performers — professional and amateur, young and old, children to seniors — to show off their respective skills.
“I started hula-hooping in 2009, and have been doing it for 17 years, so I’ve put in a lot of hours,” Blackburn said, noting hula-hooping is popular in many different nations.
The southwest Winnipeg resident said the circus club show will be a chance for guests, in this burgeoning age of streaming and artificial intelligence, to come out and watch folks doing physical and tangible things.
“Come and see things that are remarkable and amazing,” Blackburn said, adding the show is a great way to support local talent.
The family friendly showcase will also include a bake sale, a raffle, and a 50/50 draw.
Tickets are $15. Visit www.winnipegcircusclub.ca for more information.
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