A p&ck Of Peppy

By ELIZABETH SCHILLING .

STAFF WRITER If you want to run away with the circus it will take more than clown. make-up to find a place in the

‘New Pickle Circus which performs _ this weekend in Santa Cruz.

In the case of this circus, di- rected by Tandy Beal of interna- tional dancing fame,. you'd ideally need the grace of a ballerina, the strength of George Foreman, the agility of a contortionist, and the energy of nearly all of Santa’s elves,

These attributes would place you: among peers in the troupe that will perform “Jump Cuts,” a romp through classic film genres.

This is a circus with a. theme, — rather than a collection of acts; it includes no animals and relies on

artistry instead. .

— “My circus is a human size,” said Beal. “Everyone watching the -actors might say to themselves, ‘I could be one of those people.’ ” _“Jump Cuts’ promise of. out- ‘standing staging: will. be tested as the Pickle clowns, Razz and Pino, unravel a mystery set in Hol- lywood. In one act that pokes fun at detective movies, sets that skew perspective are painted in comic- _ book colors. In another set that parodies westerns, cowboy scenes _ will be completely black and white.

Formerly. known’as the ‘Pickle’ “Family Circus,” the organization began 19 years ago.in San Fran-. cisco. ‘Their modest finances fi- nally brought them to bankruptcy in 1993. So last year, after two | years of directing the circus, Beal acquired the circus and took it under her Santa Cruz based non-

- profit umbrella, The Friends of Olympia Station, also home of her modern dance company. Some of Beal’s recent efforts in- clude choreographing the ani- mated figures in “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” American Film Institute projects, a rare three- _year fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, clown classes in Santa Cruz and teaching at local elementary schools.

_ Beal was attracted to circus work as a way of expanding the range of emotions her perform- - ance art could evoke... oe

‘Dance is more rarefied. A cir- cus lets out the spirits of joy and’ wonder,” said Beal. Just as her circus performers reflect dance in- | fluence in such ways.as pointing their toes, her dancers have been — cross-fertilized with circus in-— fluences, such as juggling fire and swinging on a trapeze. - Are circus people different from dancers? Beal answered this ques- tion in an interview in the October

issue of-“Dance .Teacher Now,” by

“comparing them this way: =~

. “They're gutsy..In dance, you gradually learn your. skill and. gradually watch your improve- ment. You may not quite get the combination in dance class, but you get some of it. When circus people are learning a trick, ‘they don’t get it for days on end. But they keep trying, for two of three weeks. Then one day they. get it.” Those attending this weekend's shows ‘will be impressed to see just how much this circus troupe has gotten. “Jump Cuts” boasts a

slack wire act, more difficult than - ‘a highwire, said Beal, because it’s always in motion; Chinese acrobat techniques; and a four-piece band playing more than a dozen instru- ments, including” keyboard and flute. a |

_ “We have something for every- one from ‘the child to the grand- parent,” Beal said about her new-

est creation, “We offer two hours when everyone in the family can

_ come together and enjoy the same The New FPickle..Circus can be _ seen tomorrow at 8 p.m., and Sat- urday and Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m.

Advance tickets are $8 for children and seniors, $12 general, and $1 _ more if purchased at the door). All seats are $8 at the Sunday 7 p.m. show. Tickets are available ; at ‘BASS outlets and the.Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium Box’. Office, _ phone charges, 429-3444.