Aerialist troupe flips for Pan Ams
Hamilton artists group to perform July 25 during two-day cultural showcase at Pier 4
Members of the Hamilton Aerial Group will perform mid-air feats, bringing the magic of acrobatics — à la Cirque du Soleil — to the masses at the Pan Am Cultural Showcase July 25.
The showcase, organized by Supercrawl Productions at Pier 4, will present local talent including A Tribe Called Red and Grand Analog in between live televised broadcasts of the Games.
Lori Le Mare, who founded the aerial group in 2011, says the performance will be largely improvised, which will allow group members to be more creative with their tricks and rest up when they need to.
The group recently added stiltwalking to its repertoire, which Le Mare says she plans on incorporating into the Pan Am event.
She says she’s happy to participate in an event related to the Pan Am Games.
“The Pan Am Games is about community,” she says. “It’s important not to be apathetic about these things.”
For Le Mare, one of the most important things is community.
She became an aerialist when she was going through a divorce more than a decade ago. The women she was in a troupe with provided a support network for her.
Since moving to Hamilton and starting the aerial group here, she’s created a new community. The troupe has about seven core members who offer support to one another while being both creative and physical.
The group doesn’t only perform at events — they also hold open practices where people are welcome to drop in, Le Mare says. That’s part of how she hopes to foster community. She says she wants to make watching and participating in aerial performances accessible to the masses.
The free Pan Am Cultural Showcase takes place July 25 and 26. More scheduling details will be available in the coming weeks.