Australian Circus Troupe Visits Scottsdale as Part of New Discovery Series, 3/16-17

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts is showcasing the latest arts from Australia and New Zealand as part of its inaugural Discovery Series, which features three performances by the cutting-edge circus troupe Circa on Friday and Saturday, March 16–17.

Tickets are available for $29 and $39 online at www.ScottsdalePerformingArts.org or through the Patron Services Box Office at (480) 499-TKTS (8587). A special $19 matinee ticket is available by phone for children 12 and under for the 2 p.m. performance on Saturday, March 17. (The evening shows include adult content.)

Internationally recognized as one of Australia's most innovative 'new circus' companies, Circa blends bodies, light, sound and new media. Synchronized to stylish music, the troupe's seven members perform daredevil acrobatics and tumbling, thrilling dance moves, impossible contortions and more. Circa is directed by Yaron Lifschitz and presented in association with ArKtype.

Audience members are invited to learn about Circa's creative process at an informal pre-show talk and Q&A session on Saturday, March 17, at 6:30 p.m. in Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art's SMoCA Lounge. The talk is free to Circa ticket holders or with Museum admission.

The Center's new Discovery Series takes audiences on an artistic journey to a different part of the world each year, starting with an authentic and exhilarating exploration of Australia and New Zealand during the 2011–12 season. In addition to Circa, two other Australian arts organizations will make their Scottsdale debuts in the spring: the dance troupe Chunky Move on April 6–7 and the dance-theater company Marrugeku on April 13. In partnership with the Scottsdale International Film Festival, the Discovery Series will include screenings of the films Mrs. Carey's Concert on Feb. 26, Life In Movement on March 25 and Crooked Earth on April 13. The Discovery Series will culminate on April 14–15 with OrigiNation: A Festival of Native Cultures, a free weekend-long outdoor celebration of the indigenous arts of Arizona, Australia and New Zealand. OrigiNation is presented in conjunction with the 10^th anniversary of Native Trails and with support from Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. The Discovery Series is made possible in part by a grant from the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust.