By Daniel Mendoza
“Circolombia will make you want to run away with the circus.”
As the final show opening as part of CLATA’s Destinos: the 2nd annual Chicago International Latinx Theater Festival, direct from the Chicago Sister City of Bogotá, Colombia, Circolombia is no ordinary circus troupe. Having just arrived at Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s The Yard, at Navy Pier, Circolombia’s Acéléré may be no Cirque du Soleil, however that is not its intention. The performance plays as part of #DestinosFest through November 4th.
Circolombia’s Acéléré doesn’t aim to be a flawless, cookie-cutter, perfectly polished show, but it lands just as high. It takes you on a journey projecting the human condition, by embracing the corrections, the spotting, the family. This circus is not afraid of showing how much they help and need each other. Each vignette takes you somewhere entirely new but it stays connected. For example, even though the audience isn’t tumbling and swinging up in the air with them, the performers make each audience member feel like everyone is all together in life and we should all do our best to enjoy it and be free.
Watching Acéléré will make you feel young at heart. With their relaxed cheer, and photo policy, as long as you keep the flash off, you will laugh, cheer, gasp, and smile as this surprisingly human hour-long spectacle flies by.