Welcome, friends
It's been a rough pandemic year. And in a certain way, moving things online has been a life-saver this year -- because it has allowed us to connect with people we love, despite being stuck in our own individual boxes. But the online tools that have allowed us to limp along come with their own ecosystem of bizarre quirks. And as we consider coming out of our pandemic isolation, it's worth taking a moment to laugh, lovingly, about the tools that let us stay connected during the pandemic.
For me, this show has been like that -- a blessing to do a show with this absolute dream team, and also completely unpredictable how we'll and overcome the technical glitches that life throws at us. And I have loved every crazy, silly, glorious moment.
​
In that spirit, welcome to The Zoom Circus Show That Goes Wrong.
The Cast (In Order of Appearance)
Elizabeth Finn (Writer/Director, MC, Straps)
Elizabeth is an aerialist experimenting with how a nylon fiber can fold and knot to hold up a human body. She has performed throughout Washington, D.C. at venues including The Kennedy Center and the White House. She co-wrote and co-directed Smoky Mirrors by Sweet Spot Aerial Productions, and is the creative director behind Quark Circus. But mostly, she’s a molecular biologist studying how a DNA fiber folds in the nucleus to grow a human body.
Gwynne Flanagan (Mini-hoop)
​
Gwynne believes the key to transformative storytelling demands evocative and visceral physical engagement. She is passionate about creating performances that bridge the gap between contemporary theater and circus. Gwynne is a founding member of Girls on Trapeze and Infinite Stage Theater. She has routinely performed with: In the Dark Circus Arts, Sweet Spot Aerial Productions, Skylark Creative Group Events and Entertainment, East Coast Entertainment, Nimble Arts, Show Circus, e2k Productions, Arachne Aerial Arts, Artisan Athletics, New York Circus Arts Academy, The Skybox, AirBorne DC, Zip Zap Circus, Deviated Theatre, and In-Flight Theater Company. You can see her weekly at Sax Restaurant and Lounge in downtown DC. Flanagan also performs regularly with her duos, Ciel Aerial and Forever Marzipan.
Janelle Dinosaurs (Contortion)​
​
Janelle is a contortionist and aerialist with an extensive dance background and strong stage presence. She grew up as a dancer in Silicon Valley, performing and competing with Dance Effects and Shine Youth Dance Troupes. She continued to study dance at Goucher College, and upon her return to the San Francisco Bay Area, dove headfirst into the region’s vibrant circus scene. She is a featured performer with Oakland’s Vespertine Circus, performs regularly with Denver’s MOTH Poetic Circus, and is available for bookings nationwide.
Sea Griffin (Music)
​
Sea Griffin, total Gemini and perpetual aspirant, is ½ of musical duo Boy Meets Pearl which is 2/7 of the nation’s capitol’s only Diane Rehm-themed Talking Heads Tribute Band, the Diane Scream Show. They/he wrote and co-directed A Circus Carol for Sweet Spot Aerial Productions and is a member of AstroPop, a performance art collective that’s known for Elvis Birthday Fight Club. Sea is a contributing songwriter to the Bushwick Book Club. The words “Voy a ver si puedo” are tattooed over their heart.
Sommer Panage (Rope)​
​
Sommer Panage logs into this Zoom call with 13 years of aerial expereince, primarily focused on vertical rope and tissu. Her background combines years of training as a marital artist and classical musician, creating powerful yet fluid movement in the air. By day, Sommer works as a software engineer and manager at Apple, specializing in accessibilitiy, spefically for those with cognitive or motor impairments. She spends her free time training and coaching aerial, learning languages and attempting to play Zombie by the Cranberries on her Ukulele.
Montana Debor (Aerial Moon, Violin)​
​
Montana DeBor is an aerialist and violinist. Originally from Washington, DC she’s performed internationally, at the White House, Smithsonian Folklife Festival & toured with Natural Movement Bermuda, Clowns Without Borders and Super American Circus. She is thrilled to be a part of Quark Circus.
Alex Ansari (Dance Trapeze)​
​
Alex has been creating and performing since 2015 from Charleston, SC, to Osaka, Japan. Alex’s movement style is uncanny, and they’ve been described as easily ignoring the tired showgirl aesthetic in favor of a more visceral performance. For as long as they can remember having dreams, Alex has dreamed of becoming inhuman. Their ultimate goal in performance is to create doubt in the minds of the audience, the doubt that maybe the world isn’t as mundane as imagined, and maybe a human just like them is not at all what they seem.
Christian Kloc (Juggling) ​
​
Christian Kloc is a juggler, circus educator and writer currently based in Boulder, Colorado. Christian learned to juggle as a child, and decided to make it a career at 29, after years of working as a professional chef. Juggling has enabled Christian to perform at the Kennedy Center, produce a show at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, and appear with Gandini Juggling in Akhnaten at the Metropolitan Opera. In 2017, Christian co-founded The Circus District, an online bulletin board and news source for circus folks in the D.C. region. He is currently focused on creating accessible circus education for youth through Circus Squared.
Thank You (To Our Sponsors)
These people paid more for tickets so that we could pay our artists more -- and we are super grateful for them!
Hilary aka She-Ra
​
Tammy & Ascend Aerial Arts
​
David James Havener
​