We are back home from Scotiabank Buskerfest to benefit Epilepsy Toronto!

It was an amazing journey and a thrilling experience!  The Gantry Bike made a splash roaming the crowded festival streets.  We had a blast performing and interacting with the vibrant and generous audiences in Toronto!  Plus it was great fun working alongside the many dedicated and talented busker artists and festival staff, especially since it was all to benefit such a wonderful charity!

Our stick-on mustaches were a huge hit and could be seen on the upper lips of young and old throughout the festival.  Audiences felt part of the Cirque Mechanics family wearing their mustaches and free to become performers themselves and act silly with us!  We may just have to keep our real mustaches and make the give-away ones our signature!

The Gantry Bike showcased our amazing Cirque Mechanics artists, manipulation master and juggler Steve Ragatz, trapeze and hoop flyer Hannah Bobzien, Chinese pole performer Clint Bobzien and contortionist and aerialist, Sasha Pivaral.  Their enthusiasm and energy was contagious. But the Gantry Bike also served as a platform for guest artists, violinist Dr. Draw and performance artist Silver Elvis.  Our portable spin cycle featured fire artist Brant Matthews.  It was great to see the versatility of our portable machines in action!

We are excited to bring the Gantry Show to other wonderful outdoor events.  Keep in touch to find out where you can see us and join us in all the fun.

Photo credits:  Jona Stuart www.staticflux.com, Light Monkey Photography  www.lightmonkey.ca

The creative process is a journey with many twists and turns, embarked on with the promise of a unique outcome, a creation that will fill you with pride and satisfaction.

This most recent journey into the world of mechanical performance creations at Cirque Mechanics definitely has a twist, two actually, at each end of Chris’ handlebar mustache!  Much like the Gantry Bike that Chris recently designed and built, the stache he has grown, looks great, works like a charm and has filled him with much satisfaction and great pride.

But why the handlebar mustache?

The Gantry Bike was inspired by the machines created in the literary worlds of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, so in keeping with the Victorian/Wild West gentleman tradition of their era, Chris decided on the handlebar.  His fellow performers are growing them too! Plus the handlebar mustache resembles those of a bicycle (bicycle handlebars were the inspiration behind the name!), which is perfect given Chris’ long history with wheels!

He briefly considered building a mechanical one (would be easier for the nearly hairless, mechanically minded Chris) but the folks at TeamDroid, had beat him to it! Check out their creative journey: http://www.teamdroid.com/mechanical-mustache-project/

Never afraid of a challenge Chris set out to grow his own, not mechanical, but maniacal stache! It is a modest handle bar mustache, not one to enter in the World Beard Championships http://www.worldbeardchampionships.com/news/2012-nationals-set-for-vegas/ but a respectable one, symbolic of his dedication to all projects, whether an 18’ tall machine or a 4” mustache!

We are proud to champion the St. Paul, Minnesota youth performing arts circus and share in their mission of inspiring young people with artistry and self-confidence through the circus arts.  We wish them continued growth and success and look forward to more opportunities to work together in the future.  To find out more about Circus Juventas or purchase tickets to “Showdown” visit their website: http://www.circusjuventas.org/  To learn more about composer Michael Picton and listen to samples of his extraordinary work visit him at: http://www.michaelpicton.com/

The NASE Growth Grant allowed us to complete the build of a newly designed innovative performance apparatus, we call the Gantry Bike. Primarily designed  for outdoor use, the Gantry Bike will open the door to a whole new market for Cirque Mechanics in fairs and festivals.

We are grateful to the NASE for their commitment to entrepreneurship and their continued support of small businesses. To learn more about the NASE visit www.NASE.com.

Click here to watch a video of the Gantry Bike

Casino Rama Ontario

Some places just have their stuff dialed. This venue, built in the middle of a cornfield an hour and  a half north of Toronto puts many to shame.  Not only were the crowds phenomenal and responsive, their team was top shelf. The facility, kind of a multi-purpose arena/ theater venue is a bit intimidating at first. The large screens took some getting used to and they do alter how a show like ours is experienced. On the plus side the artists really got to see the show from a new perspective and this turned out to be a great growth opportunity. Thanks Rama!!!