Allison Hadley Photos
Kate Gonzales sat tranquilly in her lyra, a large acrobatic hoop elevated several feet above the ground, gesturing elegantly to the pavement below. Decked out in a rich royal purple unitard that matched the material wrapping the lyra, she contorted and posed around the hoop, demonstrating mighty core strength and flexibility as she bent around to strike another pose. The tones of Liszt’s Liebestraum No. 3 in A‑flat major conjured a dance of courtly love. After a particularly elegant pose, fellow performers shouted, “Yeah Kate!” and the tiniest hint of a smile broke through her composed concentration of performance.
Dress rehearsal — for Air Temple Arts’ next production, Time After Time — was going well. Gonzales, who is also co-directing the show, described the concept as a “journey through time, starting from the first discovery of beats and music all the way through to present day — the youth and the future and the music they like, using a variety of formats. There’s juggling, there’s aerials, tap dancing, roller skating, literally something for everybody.”
In previous years Air Temple Arts has mounted its productions at the theater at ECA on Audubon Street. This year, in response to the social distancing rules imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the company is doing its production outside at its studio in Woodbridge. There will be two performances on Oct. 10, at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Watching the dress rehearsal, it was easy to see what Gonzales meant by “something for everyone.” Masked (surgical, masquerade this was not) performers flitted in and out of changing tents, grabbing plates, juggling pins, hoverboards, inflatable guitars, and white jackets to assemble their various outfits for the show. The rehearsal featured everything from body percussion to a TikTok dance to the tune of Doja Cat’s “Say So,” punctuated with flappers and sock hop, grunge and boy bands.
Dani Lee, the other half of the directing duo, pointed out the precautions everyone was taking to rehearse and eventually perform safely during a pandemic.
“We were really careful planning the show…. We did make a lot of changes to ensure we were being safe,” she said, pointing out that lack of physical contact was one of the hardest adjustments. “As circus performers we’re used to a lot of contact, but we rehearsed without that, which was harder,” Lee said. Rehearsing masked also proved a challenge. “It’s definitely not a cute feeling,” Lee said. But it was a necessary one.
Gonzales also noted that Time After Time is Art Temple Arts’ second outdoor variety show. The pandemic may have required an outdoor venue to ensure social distancing and airflow for performers and audiences, but it also makes for a stunning outdoor setting to see performers defy gravity on a variety of long and/or flowing apparati, or stage more gravity-obedient feats of flexibility on the ground.
“It allowed some of our acts to be bigger, and let us do something like roller skating, which we wouldn’t be able to do indoors,” Gonzales said.
The cul-de-sac at the studio functions as an amphitheater, focusing attention well. Acrobats and jugglers dance, fling various objects into the air and use one another as springboards. Flag dances juxtaposed with “House of the Rising Sun,” as played by a live band, capture the notion of the ‘60s while flappers tap to bring out the ‘20s. It all makes for a compelling journey.
Air Temple Arts has been at reduced capacity in the studio since its reopening in mid-June. It has preserved three classes a night by stretching hours until 9:30 p.m. Offering classes to every level is important to their mission of making circus arts an inclusive space, and fun. Air Temple is one of the larger circus studios in Connecticut and boasts students from across the state, from children to older participants. Lee pointed out that inclusivity is paramount to the mission.
“Coming to a circus studio is intimidating already, but our goal is to make people think, ‘OK, I’ve found my other freaks, I’ll stay here.’” While the studio offers a variety of aerials, it boasts a deep deck of talent beyond that, which was the impetus for a variety show as opposed to pure showcase.
Time After Time employs a variety of circus arts, from the aforementioned lyra to rope (a far cry from gym class), silks, tap dancing, acrobatics, juggling, roller skates, and, yes, hoverboards. Lee describes Air Temple Arts as a “movement sanctuary in the New Haven area,” and it certainly lives up to that. Each act musically pushes the audience a bit further through the ages, from Lee’s amazingly juxtaposed rope — or corde de lisse — routine to Radiohead’s “Creep,” to an all-out dance party to the Backstreet Boys’ seminal karaoke hit “I Want It That Way.”
Goofy and joyous, the ensemble brought huge energy to their audience of two at the dress rehearsal, pantomiming reactions and grinning visibly from half a block away, as would befit an ensemble that includes clowning performance. The joy was infectious, and inspiring to see such human feats in a time where we are profoundly aware of human frailty. Air Temple Arts gives a new perspective on the power of collective effort to infuse even a cul-de-sac with effusive joy for an hour.
Time After Time will run at Air Temple Arts, 11 Research Dr., Woodbridge, on Oct. 10, at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Visit Air Temple Arts’ virtual ticket booth for tickets and more information.