ANGELINA DOHRE
Staff Writer
What if the circus traded laughs for frights instead? After scaring a full house last year, Crash/Mat is returning for a new show this Saturday, Nov. 2.
Hosted by the Adams, this Spooky Circus Cabaret will include dance trapeze, aerial contortion and other unique performances.
The Adams building in Dunkirk is located at 600 Central Ave., less than two miles away from campus. The event will take place from 7-9 p.m. with a suggested donation of $10.
Crash/Mat are bringing their performance to Dunkirk with a troupe of artists from Toronto and Chicago. Their troupe features acrobats, contortionists and circus performers. They’ve performed all over Canada and parts of the U.S.
Matei Denes is the treasurer and executive director for the Adams. According to him, Crash/Mat are trying to expand the boundaries of acrobats and the cabaret.
“They [Crash/Mat] blend different styles and techniques to create new forms of performance and challenge our expectations,” he said.
The event itself, the Spooky Circus Cabaret, consists of a series of short skits that have been developed specifically for the Adams.
“Expect the unexpected,” Denes said. “The Adams aims to provide a place where performers can push their craft, and we have given the performers complete creative control over their work. Within the theme of Halloween we will see the strange, the mystical and the amazing.”
Although the show is meant more for adults, children and families are also welcome. Last November, Crash/Mat performed with a full house of almost 100 people. Denes said they are looking to make the show even bigger this year.
“We are working with them [Crash/Mat] to produce a bigger show, which will incorporate the space of the Adams and other site specific installations, further expanding their approach to performance,” he said.
According to the Adams’s website, they are an organization who strives to be “a dynamic public space to allow people to participate in the arts.” It also states “we will be a collaborative place of making, not just showing art.” The Adams hopes this event will set an example of this.