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Photographs by Elizabeth McBride
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“Make it beautiful, and have funny clowns.” Those were the famous Italian composer Gian-Carlo Menotti’s only requests when he asked Ivor David Balding to produce a new circus for the Spoleto Festival U.S.A., in Charleston, S.C. What Balding delivered—a story about a circus family’s journey to America and the uncertainty of pending citizenship—elicited standing ovations from audiences, and Balding decided to take Circus Flora on the road, eventually settling in St. Louis. More than 30 years later, the Big Top tent in Grand Center still brims with eager eyes and hungry imaginations each summer when Circus Flora returns with a new story to display. True to tradition, this year’s show, A Trip to the Moon, hasn’t failed to impress, combining all the dazzling acrobatics and comedy of traditional European circus with visual projections to capture what Balding considers the essence of George Méliès’ iconic 1902 film of the same name. With the show currently in mid-run, Balding opens up about Circus Flora, his admiration for Méliès, and the power of circus as a performance medium to transform human consciousness.
When you first started out on this project, what were you hoping to accomplish?
Well, I wanted to basically channel that movie by George Méliès. I thought it was an ideal story for us to tell because the costumes—the atmosphere—was very similar to our circus, and it was a wonderful story. I was excited about the idea of using projections, which has been very successful. So, it seemed like real natural for us. And love the idea of showing those days when no one had gone to the moon. Everyone assumed that they maybe could, and there was gravity, and there was oxygen and all those things on the moon. It just seemed to me to tell a great story for us. And I think I’ve been proven right. It is a good vehicle for us.
But, why that particular movie?
Well, I saw it, and it just seemed wonderful for us. It seemed ideally suited. It’s quite charming and wonderful, and I thought “age of innocence.” Now, everyone looks to film for whatever they want to see—or electronic stuff. And there, we were going to the moon. It just seemed wonderful.
And when you say, “it was a great vehicle for us,” how do you define the company you have here?
Well, Circus Flora is an ensemble of performers that often work together, or do continually. Like Cecil MacKinnon who’s our director, as well as playing Yo-Yo the Narrator, has been with me since the beginning—for over 30 years. Jack Marsh, who’s the general manager and is the associate artistic director, was born on the show as was Aurelia Wallenda. I mean, literally, they’ve been with me since they were two years old. So it’s this large family that puts in some extra, added people, but we all know each other, and it makes a wonderful way to work.
And how do you define the company in a way that’s distinct from another?
Well, because we tell a story. They don’t just go in there and do an act and come out like in Vegas or someplace. It is a story, and it allows them to be part of the family—the company. But part of the power of the circus is that we’ve all worked together for so long and enjoy it so much. No one’s doing it for the money, I promise you.
What is the environment of a circus—that family atmosphere—offering to audiences?
Well, it gives them an ability to understand the show and to see other performers, you know, helping each other, and [it gives them] a way into the story. It’s proven very effective. And it’s like any ensemble company—the stronger the ensemble feeling is, the better the production. There are no stars in Circus Flora. We’re all stars.
You started your career as a stage manager. How did those experiences shape who you are today?
Well, I thank the theater very much. I worked the theater off and on for many years, and I always wanted to tell a story. And we were the first company in this country to use that whole idea of a plot and a story as part of who we were, and I think it’s proven to be very successful—at least I have a lot of imitators. Now, if that’s the sincerest form of flattery, I don’t know. But it’s turned out to be very successful, and, you know, we continue to work at it. It’s slowly getting better, I think.
Is there a particular reason you chose this story today of all time periods?
It seemed to suit us, and I’m always looking for themes that work well for the company and for our aesthetic, which is usually backwards in time. You know, it’s not glitz. It’s not Cirque De Soleil. It’s a different feeling. But it was fun to also be able to use projections and use the film itself—channel the film, so to speak.
Can you define your aesthetic?
It’s very, very hard to define taste, and finally it’s about craft and inspiration and ideas. And I think that is what our aesthetic is. You know, we think a lot alike about what we want to do, and what it appropriate to do. And that is somehow our aesthetic.
So, what are some of the ideas that shape the core of what this production is?
Well, the idea of telling a story about a film when we in fact are a live entertainment appealed to me. It was sort of a conceit that amused me, that we could tell the story using some of their own techniques—film techniques—but basically is live entertainment. I mean [Méliès] invented it basically. And it was also homage to him. I mean, I love the character. He was a magician and all sorts of things before he was a filmmaker. Then he went broke, and he ended up selling cloths and things.
Do you think people today can relate to that innocence?
I hope so! I mean, I think so from the audience reaction. Now that we’re doing full shows, the audience is being very appreciative with standing ovations.
What do you think they’re reacting to?
I don’t know. I mean, I think it’s an overall experience, and hopefully it’s some magic place we took them to, and they’re grateful for having made the journey with us. That sounded a little pompous, I admit, but I think it’s true.
Can you talk briefly about the many animal performances in the show?
Well, we’ve always had animals. I believe in performing animals. The circus was started by me and an elephant over 30 years ago, and animals have always been part of our circus. You know, [there are] arguments with Cirque De Soleil about whether animals should be in the circus or not, but I think the humor of the flying goats and ponies as lions and stuff—hopefully people get and find it funny. It’s not to be taken seriously!
How do you respond to those who oppose inclusion of animals in a circus performance?
Well, why shouldn’t there be animals in the circus? They have a right to work just like people do, and there is no cruelty involved—at least not in our circus. So, the only basis you’re objecting to animals in the circus is either that they smell bad or somehow they believe that there’s cruelty involved. Well, there is no cruelty, and everything has its own smell. And I think sawdust and horses and ballerinas all have a specific smell that’s wonderful, and I love that part of it.
It seems like that’s one aspect of circus performance that has stayed relatively constant. How is circus evolving?
Well, there are different schools on how it’s evolving. A lot of modern circus isn’t in a ring with animals. It’s a lot of stylized acrobatics. And then some really do great work with animals and in a ring that’s 42 feet like the original ring was in London. It’s evolving in many different ways, and it’s very healthy right now. There’s quite a lot of circus going on all over, and they’re not necessarily people who were born into it. It used to be a father-son kind of deal. Nowadays, there are lots of young gymnasts and people who love to fly, and they go to school and they’re wonderful. So, we’ve always been able to mix the Flying Wallendas of seven generations with kids who are young hippies coming off the streets. So, I think that it’s that mixture of all sorts of people—exclude no one—that makes real family entertainment.
What has stayed the same over the course of several centuries?
Well, I think the circus I believe in and support—and I’m not alone in this—is in a tent. And it makes a big difference. You’re intimate, and it’s a wandering circus. The idea of the three-rings was very American, and it was to get more money. It wasn’t at all for the art. Three-ring circuses are used as a derogatory expression in politics today. And, you know, the circus is hardly that. I mean, it’s very organized and very specific. It’s not crazed. But I think in a sports arena, you’re not close enough to feel the energy coming back in you from a performance, and you’re not giving any energy to the performers. So, that real circus experience takes place when that happens.
What is the art of circus?
Well, the art is doing your best work possible. And the three-ring circus is about spectacle, and that doesn’t necessarily mean doing your best work. It just means, “Let’s see if you get it out.” So, we try very hard to provide opportunity for the performers to do their work as well as possible.
What, then, differentiates circus from theater?
Well, I don’t think anything, really, except maybe the tent. I think it’s the same. There were circuses in this country before there were theaters. They were in buildings, and then they all merged. There was a time when a circus act and then a Shakespeare sonnet would take place all at the same time. But I think the history of how circus evolved into a three-ring spectacle is interesting and sort of sad.
It’s a little bit of a stereotype, right? When people think of circus, it’s always the three ring circus.
Now, in fairness to Cirque De Soleil, they’ve changed that. There is now an aesthetic that sees circuses another way. I mean, some of it is bordering on the burlesque. There’s a whole sense of youth and sexiness. I approve. I mean I like it, but, you know, it’s still family entertainment that we do and want to do.
Do you see yourself as a traditionalist?
I don’t know. I never thought of it that way. I mean, I don’t like to think of myself that way. I want to be an adventurer, but I think that using the circus to motivate people to be happy and better is an old idea, and I like that part—what we do. And the tent is important. And there’s a whole history of circus touring and art—clown shamans. You know, it’s a very interesting subject. I think that there is a moment when circus can do extraordinary things that even the theatre can’t do. Now how many goats do you see flying?
So, have you ever experienced a moment like that in your career?
I sure have. I remember realizing very early that I had a responsibility. If I was taking ideas out of the library, I had to put some back. And my venue for that was the circus. You can’t just take. You’ve got to give back, and I believed that by giving great circuses, I was returning something to whatever master plan there is for us.
So, in other words, you’re reinventing ideas?
Well, not only that. If you listen to a Beatles song and are moved by it, can you just keep listening or do you have to try and put something back into the universe—to make your contribution? You have to do really good work and work hard. You can’t just fake it. It’s got to be real, and it’s got to fill some special need, I think. And we are unique in the sense of being a family that performs. But it’s a family that is put together with many different types and beliefs. And that’s very appealing to me.
How does the audience know if a performance is sincere or not?
I think you’ve just got to know. You’re close enough that you can see the flying trapeze guy’s sweat. You know, it’s not like it’s an illusion. It’s real. If Tino fell off the wire, he’d kill himself. It’s not an illusion, and I think that’s important—the reality of it.
For more information about Circus Flora or to reserve tickets through June 23, call 314-289-4040 or visit circusflora.org.
