The Nimble Arts Circus flipped into Shippensburg University Tuesday evening and wowed the crowd in the CUB MPR through its skilled, awe-inspiring circus routines.

The five-person act is composed of a bow-tie juggler, a fabric-flipping princess, a twisting-pixie acrobat, a canister-rolling businessman and a weightless trapeze goddess.

There were three acts, each lasting 20-30 minutes.

Each was slightly different, incorporating an alternative talent from the five performers.

It felt much like being at a circus with bright colors and silly costumes for each act.

The final show began with Alyssa Morar, a New England performer who amazed the crowd with her aerial fabric stunts.

During her performance, she did dramatic drops where she would roll out of the fabric and effortlessly catch herself before hitting the ground.

The stunts produced loud gasps from the audience members who watched her flip and fly through the air like it was simple.

Following a flawless performance by Morar, the goofy and charming Tony Duncan came out to juggle and roll a red ball on some boxes.

He was a bit clumsy and dropped the ball (literally and figuratively), but he was still funny and a good addition to the group.

After the clown-like act of Duncan, trapeze artist Aimee Hancock climbed a hula hoop suspended in the air.

She flipped upside down and caught the hands of Melissa Knowles; a tiny, pixie-like performer who flipped and flew much like a fairy would.

It was a stunning and shocking performance as Hancock held onto Knowles while she bent and contorted herself in the air.

At one point Knowles slid down the entire length of Hancock’s body, landing on Hancock’s feet.
She then rolled off of her feet and twisted toward the ground. The crowd lit up with gasps and applause.

The final act was a comedic performance by Keith Kaplin, who began the act dressed up in a business suit and tapping a pencil against a desk looking stressed.

He resembled the entire campus during finals week. Kaplin’s act involved placing a board on top of a very small cylinder and balancing/rocking on top.

Tension built as the crowd watched eagerly to see if he was going to fall or accomplish standing on top of them all.

But with a cool demeanor, he stood up on five cylinders, at least six feet off the ground, and did not break a sweat.

The Nimble Arts Circus Performance was a variety of acrobatic, aerial, trapeze and balancing acts that made the crowd laugh, gasp and cheer.

Although it was a small crowd, the five members of Nimble Arts Circus performed to their best ability with energy and charisma, making SU feel like Cirque du Soleil.

It was an unexpected performance that was surprising and entertaining.

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