Ford Amphitheatre (Hollywood, CA)
The Ford Amphitheatre plays host to FOCUSfish Flying Circus: Gush, the latest in a wildly successful series of annual shows combining traditional circus arts (trapeze, acrobatics, juggling, etc.) with live music, puppetry, comedy, animated projections and more. This year's all-new show tells the story of Mr. Robb, "the world's last happy clown." Other featured artists include trapeze artist Eric Newton and aerialist Christine Van Loo.
Event summary prepared by the Goldstar Editorial Team.
All dates for this event have expired.
The last event was Saturday September 22, 2007 / 8:00pm. (view all dates)
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This was a fun, entertaining show for the whole family... less polished and tight than Cirque du Soleil (alot less expensive too), but still great! loved the music too. Go see it!
The 1241-seat outdoor Ford Amphitheatre is set against a backdrop of cypresses and chaparral in the Hollywood Hills. It is relatively intimate: no patron is more than 96 feet away from the stage. Music, dance, film, theatre and family events are presented during the summer months. The Ford Amphitheatre Season is a program of the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.
Under the “big tent” of the FOCUSFish Flying Circus, traditional circus arts meet non-traditional performance arts to create a unique, dynamic performance experience. Add pulsepounding live music, animated projections, larger-than-life puppetry, flying children, and comedy, and you have GUSH!
This year’s all-new show is told through the eyes of Mr. Robb, “the last happy clown on earth.” This mythical journey takes the happy clown to unhappy places created by fire dancers, tawdry hand-balancers, careless jugglers and jaded, unitard-clad comedians. It’s not until fearless trapeze artist Eric Newton shows us how to “Rise Up the Love,” do we see the happy clown figure out how to survive in this delicate world we live in. With narration by TV and Film actress, Michelle Hurd, and fresh, inspired rock n' roll, by the live band Storytyme, FOCUSfish serves up an exciting night of entertainment “under the big top.”
FOCUSfish, Hollywood’s only community circus sports program, showcases its finest performance partners and instructors in “GUSH.” This eclectic ensemble meshes several performance disciplines together in an exciting evening of entertainment. The FOCUSFish Flying Circus is where traditional circus arts meet non-traditional performance arts and contemporary dance to combine and create a unique, organic performance experience. Add animated projections, larger-than-life puppetry, some aerial kids and you have the FOCUSfish Flying Circus world premiere of “GUSH.”
FOCUSfish is 4 years old and swimmin’ strong as a mobile program, located in multiple spaces. Programming now reaches multiple people with classes and workshops in Circus Sports, Teacher Training, Family Circus, & FOCUSfish Physical Education. FOCUSfish has been featured in many media outlets, and is spearheaded by fitness expert, Kristy Beauvais and her husband, Paul Beauvais. Kristy has starred in numerous fitness segments, including the Food Network’s TV show “Weighing In.” In their second season at the Ford, FOCUSfish will bring like-minded, compassionate, community building organizations into the FOCUSfish-at-the-Ford experience. Working in conjunction with Los Angeles Youth Network, community spaces, private family centers like Cool Baby, Home-schooled children as their physical education, and LAUSD student bodies and teachers, FOCUSfish will bring the performance fitness approach to at-risk and under-privileged youth in Los Angeles. By helping create healthy, vibrant communities we can only hope to change the ever-disheartening landscape of our delicate world, just as the “happy clown” learns in the Land of Lord GUSH.
Eric Newton is an accomplished performer with almost 20 years experience in theater, film and television. Based in Los Angeles, Eric currently performs solo, duo and group aerials, ground acrobatics and character driven comic acts as a freelance artist and with Eye of Newt Circus, which he founded in 2002. He has performed across America and internationally with Cirque du Soleil (Quidam); Cirque Eloize (Cirque Orchestre); Neil Goldberg's Cirque Dreams; and Teatro ZinZanni. In film, he had a principle role in Ron Howard's The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and he, along with the entire Eye of Newt Circus, did acrobatic stunts for The Polar Express. Recent television credits include the Taurus World Stunt Awards, choreographed by Jacques Heim (Diavolo, KA). He trained in trapeze, rope and hand balancing with Chinese master Lu Yi at the San Francisco Circus Center, Cirque du Soleil and with Jacinthe Trembley and Kristof Sorojenski in Montreal. In acting, clowning and dance, Eric trained with ACT, SF Mime Troupe, Ringling Bros. Clown College and SFSU. His innovative shows in Los Angeles and beyond have earned him acclaim (Dramalogue Award) and recent profiles in the LA Weekly, on news shows on KNBC in Los Angeles and KOMO in Seattle.
Christine Van Loo is a seven-time National Champion, Female Olympic Athlete of the Year, and Athlete of the Decade in acro-gymnastics. As a professional aerialist and acrobat she has performed in two Grammy Award events, the American Music Awards, the Olympics and toured with Paul McCartney. She choreographed the aerial portion of Britney Spears World Tour and the Stars on Ice National Tour. She is producer of “Secrets of the Circus".
Storytyme
With the authentic rock n' roll energy of the 70's and the optimistic drive of being in your 20's, three brothers bound together are breaking the bonds of today's music status quo – as Storytyme. Storytyme is original, hard-driving rock n' roll, inspired from decades past to bring a fresh and stimulating sound to today's performance stage. Uninhibited by rules and limitation, every Storytyme song is a deliberate package of high-energy intensity. Unjaded and free from contemporary cynicism, Storytyme's music and lyrics deliver life's cup half full, challenging and inspiring the audience to embrace their dreams. With their home base in Boulder, Colo., Storytyme is actively headlining many of their own shows and opening for national touring acts at some of Colorado's highest profile venues including, The Boulder Theater, The Fox Theater, The Belly Up (Aspen), The Soiled Dove and the infamous, Red Rocks Amphitheater.
In addition to successfully building a loyal Colorado following, Storytyme tours extensively throughout the United States targeting several regional markets, including Chicago, Madison, San Francisco and Los Angeles – adding enthusiastic new supporters, one fan at a time. To support their new April 2007 release, “Patchwork Quilt,” which was recorded at Boulder's Immersive Studios, Storytyme continues to play shows throughout Colorado while working to expand their regional touring success to a national level. Storytyme has supported nationally touring acts including Tea Leaf Green and Hell's Belles.
Fire Groove™ is the fusion of siblings Kamala, Hannah and Lester. The three were raised in a small supportive community of friends and family, who encouraged them to follow their hearts and make a difference in the world. As they grew, their interests, dreams, and goals began to interweave leading them to yoga and fire dancing.
Mr. Robb, GUSH’s “happy clown,” has been an international touring professional for 20 years. FOCUSfish is flying Mr. Robb from Guam so that he may share that one thing that unites all of humanity, LAUGHTER! Everyone in every culture in the world, regardless of what language they speak, loves a good laugh. Laughter is universal and sounds the same wherever you go. It’s the powerful universal language of Mr. Robb!
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