A one-of-a-kind circus acrobatics performance exploring anger’s transformative power is coming to San Francisco at the end of October.
While the show will surely be impressive, it is the BIPOC-based community these artists have created that deserves a round of applause.
“This is uniquely partner acrobatics, which to me is a special type of circus because you are not working with an apparatus—you are working with another person, another human,” explains co-creator and administrator Ariel Mihic. “There is a huge need for communication and trust. You are literally holding people up, and they are depending on you to keep them safe and make art while doing this. I don’t know of any other BIPOC performance that is done in this discipline.”
(Nouveau Sud)
Triggered is the culmination of the BIPOC Acro Collective Care Ecosystem’s (BACCES) Take Power, Make Power artist residency pilot program, during which a cohort of 10 BIPOC acrobats underwent a seven-month mentorship from acclaimed BIPOC artists in disciplines such as immersive theatre, narrative circus, cultural devising, and modern dance.
“A program like this is long overdue,” says co-creator and producer Azrael Máel Eóin. “American circus has a history rooted in the exploitation of artists of color, and racism is still prevalent in the arts to this day. Take Power, Make Power puts resources back into the hands of incredible artists who are best positioned to use their skills for social change and empowers them to create without the fear of censorship.”
“Having a place where [Black and brown artists] can create together, find joy in camaraderie, and process our experiences through the creative process has been the dream,” confirms resident artist Serena Tang.
While the themes of this performance are heavy, they are meant to encourage healthy conversations about anger, rage, and isolation, fearlessly exploring these emotions in a way that is unapologetic and cathartic while also being transformative and poetic.
“As a trans person of color, a lot of my safety in public revolves around being perceived as palatable to white people. I think that emotions like grief and anger and all these kinds of things can be threatening to white people, and so there’s a societal pressure to keep that private,” says resident artist Landyn Endo.
Artist Rosemary Le(Emil Alex)
“It is my hope that other BIPOC folks who come to the show will feel empowered to express their frustration and their rage—all these things against the system—and see it as not something that we have to internalize as shame, but rather something that we can kind of transform into action,” Endo continues.
Máel Eóin, the only white individual involved with the production, feels strongly about the importance of a BIPOC presence both on and off the stage.
“I am just bringing my skills from production to this,” they say. “When I consider Triggered, what feels really special about the piece to me is it’s exceptionally—and unfortunately—very unique that there is an all-BIPOC, predominantly queer and trans cast creating a piece that is specifically about rage. It will be very powerful to witness a project that isn’t only created and devised by people who can connect to racialized anger, but also directed and supported by administrative, choreographic, and creative staff who also share that experience.”
But while the program and residency are presented through a BIPOC lens, this show is for anyone who has felt unseen or disenfranchised.
Artist Jordan Garcia(Courtesy of BACCES)
“For anyone who has been feeling powerless, regardless of their identity or experience, this is a space for you to come and feel what it’s like to regain that power through community. I love that, and that’s our hope,” says Máel Eóin.
That Triggered is doing it through an exciting visual medium like circus acrobatics, with astonishing “tricks and feats,” helps to reframe the conversation, says Mihic.
“There is joy in this creation, and there’s joy for BIPOC to be together and make this.”
// ‘Triggered’ will be at ODC Theater for two performances on October 25th at 6pm and 8pm; a free BIPOC-only performance followed by a Q&A panel with the artists is October 26th at 12pm; 3153 17th St. (Mission), get tickets (or reserve seats for Sunday’s performance) at odc.dance