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Conceived by Monique Martin, Minty Fresh Circus is a US-based circus show performed by an all-Black cast, with a majority-Black creative team celebrating the healing power of Black music & movement, infused with the joy & resilience of those who traversed the transatlantic slave trade. Structured in nine rituals via spectacular circus and dance skills, this all-ages show will be 70 minutes in length, touring with 7 acrobats and 2 staff/crew. Minty Fresh Circus will preview at the Apollo Theatre in NYC in fall of 2024. It will receive its world premiere in spring, 2025, at a venue to-be-announced.
The central question in Minty Fresh Circus is: what does freedom feel & sound like if your only access to it is through your imagination? The journey explores liberation spaces, oasis spaces, and joy spaces where black & brown bodies have found sovereignty. The show celebrates the power of Black music as a healing, alchemical, transformative force; a ritual, a portal to joy and an invitation to tap into your imagination.
To-date, Minty Fresh Circus has been supported with fiscal sponsorship, fees, and residencies by:
Lake Placid Center for the Arts, James Lemon
The Apollo Theater, Kamilah Forbes
Samuels Foundation, Mikki Shepard
The MICC, Ruth Wikler, Montreal, CAN
Factory International, John McGrath (formerly known as the Manchester Festival), Manchester, UK
La Grainerie, Jean-Marc Broqua, Toulouse, France
Minty Fresh Circus will be presented as one of the curated pitches at The MICC, the annual convening for new circus held at Tohu in Montreal, July 10-13, 2023. Minty Fresh Circus will have its next development residency at Jacob’s Pillow, Nov 29 – Dec 10, 2023.
Following its premiere in spring, 2025, Minty Fresh Circus will be available for touring. (Presenting theaters will need a height clearance of 22 feet). The first year of touring is reserved for its commissioning partners.
Monique Martin, Creator & Co-Director
Vicki Amedume, Co-Creator & Co-Director
Adesola Osakalumi, Movement Director
Traci Bartlow, Dance Consultant
Soul Science Lab, Composer
Dr. Fredara Hadley, Music Consultant
Kim Cook, Dramaturge and Creative Consultant
Downloads & Links
Company’s website
Minty Fresh Circus marketing doc
