Fringe Festival 2016: "Circus McGurkus"

Day: 7

Show: 32

Title: Circus McGurkus

Category: Dance

By: Mike's Brass

Choreographed by: Erinn Liebhard

Location: U of M Barker Center for Dance

Summary: Dr. Seuss' If I Ran the Circus, told through music, clowning, acrobatics, and dance.

Highlights: Circus McGurkus is a delight for children of all ages, even us grown-up children. Andrew Chambers reads excepts from the book about a fantastical circus, while the dancers and musicians interpret the words through movement and music. The brass quintet Mike's Brass plays a variety of circus-sounding songs (with a little Lady Gaga thrown in as an encore). Dancers Lori Ledoux, Derek Meyer, Rachael Schlee, and Sydney Swanson perform playful and charming dances with wonder and joy (choreographed by Erinn Liebhard), and acrobats Michelle de Joya and Brandon Wharton perform some thrilling Circque du Soleil-style acrobatics. It's great fun to watch Dr. Seuss' silly words and creations come to life before your eyes in such imaginative and joyful ways.

Fringe Festival 2015: "High Flight"

Day: 4

Show: 18

Title: High Flight

Category: Dance

By: Mike's Brass

Choreographed by: Windy Bowlsby

Location: Illusion Theater

Summary: A moving exploration of loss through music and dance.

Highlights: In 2012, Mike Bratlie flew his plane to Duluth and disappeared. This piece, produced by Mike's daughter Carin Bratlie Wethern, written by Ben Tallen, and choreographed by Windy Bowlsby, explores the different stages one goes through upon receiving such news - shock, confusion, accepting help, dealing with the media, wondering what might have happened, and acceptance. The brass quintet Mike's Brass plays music from Bach to the Beatles to "Into the West" from Lord of the Rings. Windy's choreography is so evocative of the varying feelings, beautifully realized by dancers Danielle Ricci, Joshua Engebretson, Rachael Schlee, Derek Meyer, and Noë Tallen, with the latter two also providing thoughts and observations between dances. A particularly moving piece is danced to no music, just the recitation of Mike's favorite poem - "High Flight" by John Gillespie Magee Jr. What this family went through, literally losing a loved one, is unimaginable. This piece is a beautiful expression of the experience which much be cathartic for the family, and is definitely moving, emotional, and poignant for the viewer.