Had it with virtual concerts? Airbound Arts will bring something fresh to your screen
Nearly three months after restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus closed theaters and music venues, you’re probably used to getting your entertainment online.
You’ve likely watched — or at least read about — concerts, talks, storytelling events, comedy shows and plays.
What’s left?
Find out Saturday night, when Olympia’s Airbound Arts takes to the air at its online Second Saturday Spectacular.
The hourlong event, streaming on Twitch, will feature not only aerialists but also acrobats, jugglers, singers and more.
“We love the variety,” said Dani Murphy, who produces the program with fellow aerialist Lindsay Middleton. “It’s a circus variety show.”
Though Murphy will be hosting the show live, the acts were filmed in advance in performers’ homes and yards or in parks — wherever they could perform while maintaining a social distance.
At Airbound’s first online show, in May, there were quite a few aerial performances even though the collective’s studio, at 312 Columbia St. NW in Olympia, was closed, Murphy said. (The studio has now reopened for members, who can use the equipment to practice on their own.)
“People were very creative,” she told The Olympian. “More people than I realized had equipment at home and rigged it in their living rooms and their backyards.”
One performer suspended fabric from monkey bars at a playground. “It was really cute and really creative,” Murphy said.
Earlier in the week, the lineup for Saturday was still in flux.
“There’s one person who is working on chair balancing,” she said. “And we might have a fire spinner.”
Another possibility, weather permitting, is bottle walking, which Airbound board member Naomi Wheeler started trying out while sheltering in place.
“It was totally just like, ‘I’m bored at home — what can I do?’ ” Wheeler told The Olympian. “I didn’t have access to the studio … so I decided to do another circus thing that I’d seen people do.”
She did her first performance, involving a 30-second walk across nine bottles, for the May show.
“It’s cool that we’re doing the show on video, because I don’t think I could perform this live right now,” she said, admitting that she still loses her balance pretty often.
She might have another walk in Saturday’s show, but you’ll have to tune in to find out.
“I have to do it outside,” she said Tuesday, “and I don’t want to do it in the rain. I’m hoping it lightens up and then I can film something.”
Airbound Arts Second Saturday Spectacular
- What: Airbound Arts aerial collective’s monthly variety show is livestreaming online.
- When: 9 p.m. Saturday and the second Saturday of each month
- Where: On Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/airboundarts)
- Cost: Free, with donations appreciated (venmo @Airbound-Arts)
- More information: http://www.airboundarts.com, http://www.instagram.com/airboundarts/, http://www.facebook.com/airboundarts
- Also: The show is suggested for audiences age 13 and older.