A water balloon gladiator show is descending onto SummerStage. Dramatic opera music provides the epic soundtrack to a hysterical battle filled with flying water balloons and ridiculous comic antics. Head trouble-makers, Seth Bloom and Christina Gelsone, aka Acrobuffos, have no time for dialogue in this interactive extravaganza. See why it’s thrilled crowds in 18 countries. An audience and press favorite around the globe. Great for all ages.
Rob and Miss Jane met when they shared a stage at the World Expo in Yeosu, South Korea in 2012. They realized they could create a brand new show together by combining the grace and beauty of Jane’s dancing with Rob’s circus skills. Throw in a healthy dose of rapid-fire physical comedy and you have a winning combination that will excite audiences around the world. But there’s also a serious side to the slapstick shenanigans. Rob is dedicated to enhancing social awareness through his art and developing accessible engaging circus theatre. Some unforgettable moments include performing at a refugee camp in Kosovo and entertaining young children in Andkhoi, Afghanistan. Rob was also the first Chinese-American clown to perform in Russia at the 2013 Yekaterinburg International Clown Festival with his partner, now wife, Miss Jane! Jane is a citizen of the Ukraine and she is very excited to be in the United States of America for the first time working with her husband Rob. Having a dance background, she has always been comfortable in front of an audience but learning the tricks of the clown trade has been completely different. But as she puts it, “Making people smile and laugh is a skill that takes years of practice and I’m happy that I get to travel around the globe with someone I love putting that practice to the test!” Rob and Miss Jane are very excited to bring their unique brand of comic derring-do to SummerStage!
Sxip Shirey is a producer/composer based out of New York City. He began his relationship with the circus as the touring band and composer for the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus in the late 90s. He then became co-composer and music director for Anti-Gravity’s “Crash Test Dummies” at the New Victory Theater on Broadway. He is currently music director and composer for the international touring circus arts show LIMBO which was developed between Strut N Fret productions in Australia and Underbelly in London with South Bank Center as a co-producer. Sxip has been a feature performer at TED. He wrote the music for the short film “Statuesque” written and directed by Neil Gaiman and starring Bill Nighy and recently performed with Strut N Fret at Madonna’s Birthday Party.
It’s Showtime NYC celebrates and promotes New York City street culture, providing performance and professional development opportunities to street and subway dancers, many of whom have created a unique NYC art form—“Lite Feet”—mixing acrobatics, hat tricks, and Breakdance elements. The program includes opportunities to perform in NYC parks and personal development in choreography, teaching, production, and administration, enhancing the dancers’ inherent talents and skills in developing viable and sustainable career paths. Acclaimed Hip Hop artists Kwikstep and Rokafella serve as Artistic Advisors and mentors. It’s Showtime NYC was developed and managed by Dancing in the Streets and the Mark Morris Dance Group with support from the NYC Mayor’s Office and the Department of Cultural Affairs. As of July 1, 2016, It’s Showtime NYC is a program of Dancing in the Streets.