Hurray! The company you work for hit its quarterly goals, and upper management wants to say thank you with a pay bump.
Unfortunately, the economic downfall has made it incredibly difficult for boss man to raise anyone's salary. He can, however, expense a corporate party with an open bar, finger food, and one of the finest performance groups around, Circ X.
Blending corporeal mime, street theater, European clowning, burlesque, and commedia dell'arte, Circ X has grown to become one of the entertainment industry's most recognizable performance troupes. It has appeared at events everywhere from Los Angeles to New Orleans, but Circ X calls Miami home.
Founded in 2002 by Diana Lozano, the company is known for its whimsical, borderline-bizarre metaphysical performances.
"As interactive performers," Lozano says, "all of our inspiration comes from whatever is happening in that moment. It is both a physical and metaphysical exchange between the spectator and the artist. We feed off the energy each person gives us when we are in character."
The mood Mondays at Score Nightclub, for example, is wild and colorful for Circ X's weekly Madame Monsters show. "Lavish choreographies, outrageous theatrics, video interruptions, and avant-garde burlesque are injected throughout the evening," Lozano says. "With new characters and productions, we change the show each week — guests can come over and over and never experience the same show twice."
In addition to fulfilling the role of founder and artistic director, Lozano is a performance veteran in her own right. She studied musical theater at New World School of the Arts and received an MFA in performance art, design, and technology from CalArts.
"I guess I prefer the less traditional 9-to-5 option," she jokes, "although I do teach in the theater department at the New World School of the Arts."
Circ X is different from other companies, Lozano says. "Unlike other companies, who simply hire interchangeable pretty faces to dance in costumes, I am proud to say that we function more as a collective of incredible artists."
There's no end in sight for Lozano. After all, her company is at the top of its game. Plus being a clown never gets old.
"I know people say there is a shelf life for this type of work. But the wonderful thing about being a clown is that I can be fat and 80 and still rock it. In fact, it only keeps getting better."
<< Vanessa Brito | Orietta de Luque >>
