Phelelani Ndakrokra Photo by Glen Stubbe Photography

One means of generating funds to support these programs is through performances by their adult teachers, coaches, and performing artists, both at home in South Africa and around the world. Children's Theatre Company is currently hosting Zip Zap Circus for a six-week run of their production titled Moya.

Moya means "spirit" in Bantu, and the show is absolutely alive with the spirit of endeavor, the spirit of exuberance for life, and the spirit of people from different paths working together. Moya first came to life in 2020 as an artful filmed performance piece, before being adapted into a live stage show. The results are an extraordinary array of music, dance, and circus arts, performed with breathtaking style and skill. The show delivers a full package of entertainment into its hour-long running time.

As Moya opens, we see company member Jacobus Claassen, known as "Trompie," a poor boy (his costume establishes this) huddled on the ground and reaching out to passersby for something–money, food, a kind word? They are all too much in a hurry, or preoccupied, or disturbed by him to hear his appeal, let alone respond to it. Trompie's movements, and those of the passersby, are deftly choreographed, as if there is an overarching master plan to this matrix of human neglect. At times, as Trompie extends himself into others' space, he is raised aloft and sent back to the ground, gracefully tumbling into a new position. It looks pretty hopeless until one man–company member Jason Barnard–approaches Trompie and teaches him some performance tricks. With those skills, Trompie is now seen as possessing value, and is welcomed into the community.

That community is unveiled in a series of remarkable demonstrations of circus arts, performed by the ten-member ensemble. There are fantastic acrobatics, astonishing paired single and paired jugglers with what appears to be 20 balls (I lost count) at a time, a unicyclist who demonstrates remarkable balance and timing, including double-jump rope jumping while staying seated on the unicycle. Masizakhe Kovi displays extraordinary strength and balance presenting a set of exercises holding his body aloft with his hands – and sometimes only one hand – resting on palm-sized platforms protruding up from the ground.

Aerialist Bridgette Berning gracefully performs, first on a trapeze and later on a pair of silks lowered from the rafters, making her lissome ascendence and breath-taking descents appear effortless. Phelelani Ndakrokra performs another amazing set of aerial feats merely holding on to a strap. Ndakrokra later shows unbelievable mastery of a Cyr wheel, a device that has joined the repertoire of the circus arts in the past thirty years. This is a huge hoop large enough for an adult to stand within, arms and legs spread-eagled, while executing spins, rolls, spirals, and other extraordinary movements, all with the artist riding within the wheel.

Of course, none of this can properly be described in words. You really must see it to appreciate the artistry and physical gifts on display. When I refer to "gifts" I do not mean to underestimate the massive amount of training, practice, and discipline that goes into performances such as these.

For all the unbelievable feats of strength, balance, and pure guts, what really stands out in Moya, in line with the mission of Zip Zap Circus, is the support and comradery shown by all of the performers throughout the show. During all of the acts, other ensemble members provide footholds, help one of their colleagues return to the ground from aloft, and often, link arms to form a human safety net that catches a performer's body hurling through the air, or assist in other ways. Always this assistance is melded into the act itself so that it appears as a collaborative performance.

Each of the acts is linked by dance (choreographed by Adele Bank) drawn from varieties of movement and tempos to be found in South Africa, and music, issuing an array of genres, from traditional to hip-hop heard on the streets of Capetown. The highlight is a gumboots dance sequence, (special choreography by Sbonakaliso Ndaba), with the entire ensemble exhibiting movements and sound that go back to the days workers in the mines, who wore tall rubber boots as protection from flood water. The percussive sounds made by stomping and smacking the boots became a means of communication among the miners, and evolved into a unique performance style. Music director Josh Hawks presides over a ten-member musical ensemble that provides the evocative score throughout the show.

Lighting (designed by Kieran McGregor) is used to create dramatic images during the performance of circus acts, as well as during transitions. Beaura Jacob's costumes represent a range of what you might expect to see on the streets of the bustling, modern, yet undeniably African city of Capetown. The setting is established by a projection of Capetown's skyline that occupies the entire rear of the stage, with the iconic flat-topped summit of Table Mountain flanked by the craggy apex of Devil's Peak.

Minnesota is the only stop Zip Zap Circus is making on this visit to the United States. When their run here concludes, they return briefly to South Africa, then on to France where they will tour in November and December. The ensemble returns to the United States in the spring to perform at the New Victory Theater in New York City. We are indeed fortunate that Children's Theatre Company sees the value in bringing international theatre appropriate for children and youth to its stages. Moya, and the entire presence of Zip Zap Circus, is a wonderful gift to our audiences and should not be missed.

Moya, a Zip Zap Circus production, runs through October 20, 2024, at at the Children's Theatre Company, 2400 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis MN. For tickets and information, please call 612-874-0400 or visit childrenstheatre.org. Best enjoyed by all ages.

Artistic Director: Brent Van Rensburg; Artistic Coach and Artistic Director: Brin Schoellkopf; Virtual Coach and Creative Director: Sabine van Rensburg; Artistic Coach and Creative Director: Nikolas Pulka; Musical Director: Josh Hawkes; Choreographer: Adele Bank; Gumboots Choreographer: Sbonakaliso Ndaba; Lighting Designer: Kieran McGregor; Costume Designer: Beaura Jacobs.

Cast: Jason Barnard, Luqmaan Benjamin, Bridgette Berning, Jacobus Claassen, Masizakhe Kovi, Vuyani Lottering, Akho Narwele, Phelelani Ndakrokra, Matthew Risk, Lukhanyo Samson.