M I M I K E A E R I A L
The Circus of Tensegrity
A Circus Attuned to Landscape:
Where Movement and Connection Shape Space, Evolving with the Land.
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Your donation is immensely appreciated.
The Circus of Tensegrity is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization.
Fractured Atlas will receive grants for the purposes of The Circus of Tensegrity, provide oversight to ensure that grant funds are used in accordance with grant agreements, and provide reports as required by the grantor. Contributions for the purposes of The Circus of Tensegrity must be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
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CURRECT COLLABORATORS:
Tanis Sotelo
Elaine Mc Cague / Loosysmokes
Jessica Kettler & Windy Goat Acres
Kate Gylten
We extend our sincere appreciation to the following individuals and organizations for their patronage:
Lora Daily
Casey Reyner
Mike Kelly
Angie Chaplin
Kellie Conner
Sue Protheroe
Darcy LeFevre
Misha Matchette
Kristin Lee
Scott Monroe
Susan Radke
Scott Cochran
Loreen Curley
Jessica Kettler, Windy Goat Acres
Cara Viner, Hothouse Yoga
Overview
Mimi Ke, alongside collaborating artists, will spend a week in residency at Windy Goat Acres in Chelsea, Iowa. This residency will support artistic research and development while fostering community engagement through a free public masterclass and performance of The Circus of Tensegrity, a site-responsive aerial show accompanied by live music.
The project seeks to cultivate public interest in new forms of live performance, helping to elevate and enrich Iowa’s arts and culture.
Event Details
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Date: May 31, 2025
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Location: Windy Goat Acres, Chelsea, Iowa
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Program:
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Work-in-Progress Show
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Moderated Q&A with Artists
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Public Masterclass
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The artists will lead participants through an an embodied experience of improvised systems, combining somatic movement with sensory play with guided imagery.
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Invite movers into their own somatic and sensorial landscape, cultivating a deeper awareness and personal movement language as they connect with their senses, body, and surroundings.
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Project Inspiration
The Circus of Tensegrity is inspired by the architectural term tensegrity, an elision of ‘tension + integrity’ and the internal sensation of tension and compression:
islands of compression floating in a balanced sea of tension.
The show’s theme is driven by the concept of tensegrity—structures held together by a balance of tension and compression. Aerialists move through a suspended network of ropes, where each shift in weight impacts the entire system. As they climb, knot, and unravel, the show looks at how pressure shapes us—and how we depend on each other within shared systems. The ropes act as both constraint and support, reflecting the delicate balance that holds us together.
Pushing the boundaries of traditional circus performance, the project moves beyond the proscenium and tent, evolving dynamically with its landscape. Artists will utilize multi-ropes, corde lisse, counterweight rigging, and installation to create an immersive, tapestry-like performance set to a live soundscape while audiences traverse the landscape.
By designing an experience conceived to the landscape, the show encourages audiences to engage with their surroundings in new and meaningful ways, forging deeper connections between body, space, and community.
