- Our 12th annual dead-of-winter festival of contact improvisation, known as Mazopalooza, was a particularly satisfying one; somehow simpler than most, and working with guest artist Melecio Estrella was a joy.
- With the help of some excellent co-producers, we pulled off another over-the-top Winter Circus, complete with a cast of over 50, online reservations, and a time travel machine….and replenished our scholarship fund!
- We got to travel to Yelapa, on the Pacific coast of Mexico, for a retreat from all things winter, but not from all things circus…. While there, Jacob performed for the local primary school, which led to some plate spinning lessons, which led to more smiles around the village.
- Mars got to work with Laura Anderson Barbata, the University of Wisconsin, Madison Arts Institute and the Madison Children’s Museum to produce a semester of weekly “Community Conversations,” and to help coordinate “Strut!,” the art-procession that was the culmination of Laura’s UW residency. It was a wonderful collaboration all around, and the sight of 50 stilt dancers in Laura’s costumes was unforgettable!
- The Brooklyn Jumbies came to Madison, and together we gave a presentation at the Overture Center for the Arts, about our respective work empowering youth and creating community through the medium of stilts and circus. It felt like quite a milestone, to have this kind of recognition and platform to talk about our work.
- The Jumbies visit also inspired a fierce enthusiasm for stilt walking among a group of youth from the Lussier Community Education Center. Jacob and I provided them with the equipment and the instruction, and after a spring of training by walking ever longer distances from the center on their stilts, the Lussier Center group also participated in “Strut!”
- Our spring (break) crop of circus campers was sweet and the weather was warm enough to play outdoors!
- Our summer crops of circus campers were equally sweet, and the weather was generally cool enough to keep playing outdoors!
- The Isthmus’ 2015-2016 Annual Manual named Wild Rumpus Circus Camp the #2 “Kid Friendly Event” in the region! We are second only to Brat Fest….?!?!
- We were asked to return and perform, teach or do both at some of our favorite festivals, such as the Gandy Dancer, the Sugar Maple, Baraboo’s Celebrate the Circus, and the UW-Madison World Music Festival. We also got invited for the first time to a number of equally delightful, smaller events and locales, such Muscoda Elementary school’s fine arts week, Blessed Sacrament Schools’ Circus Fundraiser, Dousman Derby Days, and the Cookesville Fall Festival.
- We got to take a ROAD TRIP to the eastern wilds of New England, and Canada, and the Island of Miquelon, where we met the mayor and dreamed up a Wild Rumpus Circus return!
- Then, Mars got to take YET ANOTHER ROAD TRIP to the Arizona desert to attend the Global Stilt Congress.
- Jacob’s rich voice remains popular with commercial clients and music fans alike, and he has recently returned to his early performing roots, as a comic performer at a small and highly regarded Renaissance Faire.
- Our Wild Rumpus junior clowns got to appear on the Capitol Theater stage in October to massive applause! They deserved it, as they are getting quite skilled!
