UniverSoul Circus Returns with Hip-Hop under the Big Top
By Edith Billups
WI Staff Writer
Thursday, June 8, 2006

 

Last weekend, four-year-old Annysia Lane stood outside the entrance of the UniverSoul Circus eagerly awaiting the show for the second time that day. The greatest show on earth was in Landover, Maryland representing the world’s only African American owned circus.

Lane had seen a morning show with her pre-school class, and she was preparing for a second viewing with her parents in the afternoon. “I love the part where the boy was skating,” said the tiny youngster, referring to Soul on Ice, an ice skating act from Chicago, Illinois.

Nearby, Vivian Cole of Landover waited with her son DeWayne, 3, noting that she has seen the circus “several times” over the years. “It is just an awesome show. It’s so rewarding to see so many African Americans with this kind of talent,” said Cole as she entered the tent.

Founded in 1994 by Cedric Walker, an African American entrepreneur, UniverSoul Circus lost money when it initially went on the road, but it has grown successful over the years. Last year, the circus traveled to 32 cities and has drawn families back for repeat visits. Audience members, like Cole and Lane, are eager to see predominantly African American entertainers in a show that has a soulful and hip-hop theme.

This year’s tour features Memphis, Tennessee native Anthony Luewellyn, a.k.a. “Tony Tone,” as the ringmaster who kept last weekend’s audience laughing with comical impressions that included a dead-on impression of soul singer James Brown.

It’s the combination of soulful music and talented performers that work to keep the audience on its feet through the nearly three-hour show which includes an African American female lion tamer, an acrobatic troupe from Gabon in West Africa that performs breathtaking stunts, Chinese jugglers who juggle ceramic pots and glass vases, stilt walkers and limbo dancers from Trinidad and Tobago.

While there are numerous circuses that travel to the Washington area each year, UniverSoul is different because of the positive messages it imparts. Onstage, Tone and his sidekick, Zeke, include messages about youngsters doing well in school and dreaming big. “With hard work and determination and putting God first in your life, you can be whatever you want to be,” said Tone during the show.

For African Americans, seeing The Ethiopian Dream Team performing foot juggling stunts demonstrates the versatility of people of color. LaTonya Peoples, a dynamic violinist from Topeka, Kansas, wowed the audience with a soulful version of “My Funny Valentine.” Peoples, a Howard University graduate, also proved to be a superb vocalist as she accompanied aeralist Veronica Williams, who performed a visually stunning ballet high above the floor.

Walker has packed this year’s show with a number of entertaining moments that includes a Soul Train dance line with members of the audience participating; songs from old television shows like “Good Times” and “Sanford and Son;” and more audience participation as fans join in with shouts of “Ain’t No Party like a Big Top Party.”

UniverSoul Circus is at the Capital Plaza Mall through June 18. Visit www.universoulcircus.com for more information about times and ticket prices.