A Length of Rope Tour is a 501(c)(3) non-profit tour sponsored by Anchorage Community Works. This tour will circle the United States offering donation based performances and workshops across the country. A Length of Rope explores the significant choices we come to in life, with a rope and trapeze suspended on opposing sides of each intersection. These two circus apparatuses represent the struggle of choosing between different directions—be it a choice of place, identity, friendship, or love. There is no fourth wall in this show, spectators can see Schmidtke's hands tremble from physical exhaustion and some portions are performed among the audience members. The show’s relatability and vulnerability invite audience members to project their own choices on the performance and explore for themselves their lost possibilities. In this way, the work is innovative, it pushes beyond circus, beyond drama, to a place of intimate connection. Meet My Friends and Fellow Performers! Strangely & Esther de Monteflores Strangely, Esther, and Ariel formed the circus troupe Capistrano Circus in 2012. Together they wrote and produced the show Complicated Rhythm. They will be reuniting in Bellingham, Washington to perform at the Cirque Lab together, and then Strangely and Esther will be joining Ariel for various legs of the tour. 
Strangely
From emceeing to performing his own full-length show, Strangely will be joining the tour as a multifaceted performer. Strangely has trice circled the globe with his award winning, “rollicking, sing-along, one-man, cabaret riot” (Broadway Baby, Edinburgh) show Roaring Accordion. Never failing to impress, Strangely draws audiences into an epic world where anything can--and often does--happen. 
Esther de Monteflores
Esther de Monteflores is a circus artist, physical performer and choreographer based in Bellingham, Washington. Esther is one of a tiny handful of circus performers in the USA specializing in slack-rope walking. Esther developed and produced her first solo performance piece, Equilibrium, in 2014, which was funded in part by a Grants for Artists Projects award from Artist Trust (Seattle, WA). In collaboration with writer Meredith Hambrock, Esther created CLIMB, a 45 minute work of contemporary circus theater. In her work, Esther seeks a balance between technical skill and expressive movement. Circus arts allow her to create work that is both intimate and spectacular, using the inherent element of risk to focus attention and spark imagination. 
Sarah Muehlbauer
Sarah produces independently as "Lion or Fox", reaching audiences through the the use of spectacle, while focusing primarily on social issues including landscape, sustainability, health, and the re-construction of community in a de-territorialized environment. She is interested in the boundaries between live and recorded work, between text and movement, and the projects that inspire her most seek to activate their audience while showcasing human skill and mastery. 
Above and Beyond Dance
Chriselle Tidrick, the Brooklyn-based founder of Above and Beyond Dance will be presenting her most recent creation, Veiled Unveilings. This solo for aerial fabric incorporates Tidrick's signature blend of aerial artistry and dance theater choreography into an exploration of the internal conflict between concealing and revealing one's vulnerability. Tidrick retreats into the safety of moments hidden behind the fabric panel, wrapped within the fabric, or simply withdrawn into internal focus, communicating her urge to find security in the face of a potentially threatening environment. Yet, these moments are at odds with her desire to engage with the world. Suspended in the aerial fabric, body exposed, she seeks courage to unveil her vulnerability, connect with the audience, and move upward with strength, grace, and self assurance. |
A Length of Rope U.S. TourProp Box Studio
July 1, 2017 Oakland, CA Air Dance New Mexico June 16-18, 2017 Albuquerque, NM with Esther de Monteflores Wise Fool New Mexico June 10, 2017 Santa Fe, NM with Esther deMonteflores Caroline Calouche & Co. May 27, 2017 Charlotte, NC TheatreNOW May 18-21, 2017 Wilmington, NC with Gina Gambony & Strangely Tickets Philadelphia School of Circus Arts May 12, 2017 Philadelphia, PA with Strangely & Guests Tickets The Muse Brooklyn May 5, 2017 Brooklyn, NY with Above & Beyond Dance & Strangely Tickets Esh Circus Arts April 29, 2017 Boston, MA with Strangely & Guests Tickets Madison Circus Space April 21, 2017 Madison, WI with Sarah Muehlbauer & Strangely Tickets Methow Valley Community Center April 14, 2017 Twisp, WA with Strangely & Local Guests The Cirque Lab April 8-9, 2017 Bellingham, WA Tickets with Strangely & Esther de Monteflores Versatile Arts April 7, 2017 Seattle, WA Tickets with Strangely Anchorage Community Works March 25, 2017 Anchorage, AK with Medium Build and Guests Mariner Theatre New Dances Now Showcase February 4, 2017 Homer, AK UAA Recital Hall November 19, 2016 Anchorage, AK |