Aerial hoop artist spins her way to Sarasota’s Summer Circus Spectacular at The Ringling

When she was a little girl growing up in Kazakhstan, Olga Coronas was captivated by the large shiny hoop that would be her entree into the world of the circus.

It was the aerial hoop, or lyra, and she was about 8 when she started learning how to move on it with the help of an aunt who ran a circus and arts studio similar to what the Circus Arts Conservatory runs with the Sailor Circus. It was one of several circus disciplines for which she trained, but the lyra was her favorite.

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Coronas, who has been living in Sarasota for about 15 years, is a professional lyra artist who has performed across Europe, on cruise ships and around the United States for two decades. She will be home for at least the next few months as one of the featured artists in the 2022 Summer Circus Spectacular, the annual joint venture between the Circus Arts Conservatory and The Ringling.

The 2020 show was canceled because of COVID and last year’s production was limited to just two weeks “because we didn’t know if people would turn out. Every performance was sold out,” said CAC director and co-founder Pedro Reis.

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This year, the two organizations have extended the production to nine weeks, the longest run for a summer tradition that dates back to 2007. (In 2017, the museum partnered with Feld Entertainment while Reis and his crew presented Circus Sarasota shows in Washington, D.C. at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.)

Reis said the success of last year’s limited run was “amazing. It’s a small intimate space and people can really get an up-close feeling of the circus.”

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The production also serves as an entrée to The Ringling’s circus exhibitions. Ticket buyers can then visit the Tibbals Learning Center and Circus Museum for just $5. “It has become very popular,” Reis said.

Coronas performs her Duo Lyra act with Holly Legare in an act that blends aerial artistry, strength, and choreography.

Legare has a dance background and competed in jazz, modern and other styles, Coronas said. “She used to come to my silk recreational classes for years and I could see how beautiful she is. Having a dance background is a huge plus, and we wanted to explore how we could do it together, and it turned out really good.”

They are one of five acts featured in the one-hour, family-friendly show. Heidi Herriott, a third-generation American circus artist, serves as the master of ceremonies, introducing a lineup that includes the returning comedy act of Chris Allison. Seida Maite Ramirez Lobaina and Julio Fajardo Arjona, who were featured in a recent New York Times article about artist auditioning for the rebirth of the Ringling Bros. circus, present a hand-to-hand balancing and adagio act. Abrehem Mola brings his Rolla Bolla act to the show, and Ricardo Sosa, who comes from Havana, performs a hand balance contortion act.

Coronas said it’s a different kind of challenge performing in an intimate theater as opposed to the arenas and tents where she usually appears.

But the Historic Asolo Theater “is so special. The theater is so intimate. It just feels very special to be an audience member in there because you can see everything so close.”

Summer Circus Spectacular

Presented by Circus Arts Conservatory at The Ringling’s Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota through Aug. 13. Shows are at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesda through Friday and 2 and 5 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $18, $12 for children 12 and younger. 941-360-3799; ringling.org

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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Ringling and Circus Arts Conservatory partner for annual summer show