Circus for all

Mar. 15—Lisa B. Lewis has spent a lifetime in the circus arts, and she knew the joy they could bring to people of all ages and abilities.

After 30 years as a performer, she had a revelation. What if she could form her own circus and focus not just on incredible performances but also on making the acts inclusive?

And that's how the Omnium Circus was born. Lewis, a graduate of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, brought her traveling troupe to life in 2020, and it takes the stage at Popejoy Hall on Sunday, March 17.

"They're going to see a fantastic circus show," she says of the Albuquerque audience. "They're going to see thrills, chills, excitement, and beautiful artistry. It's going to be such a beautiful mosaic of cultures and heritages and abilities that they won't even notice. They're going to have a fabulous time."

Lewis — who also holds a master's degree in circus history from New York University — worked for a long time in publicity for Ringling Bros. and the Big Apple Circus, and in that capacity, she was accustomed to making school visits and PR appearances before the circus would arrive.

details

* 3 p.m. Sunday, March 17

* Popejoy Hall

* 203 Cornell Drive, Albuquerque

* $25-$69

* 505-277-9771; popejoypresents.com, omniumcircus.org

She later worked in hospitals for a number of years, and she served as program coordinator for Circus of the Senses, an annual Big Apple Circus initiative to expand the reach of its audience to blind and deaf and neurodivergent kids.

That's where she realized that the circus can bring joy to more people when accommodations are expanded, and it impacted her soul.

"Circus is my life. It's my passion, and I feel everybody should be able to enjoy it," she says. "I worked with so many people who weren't able to enjoy it because they didn't have access or they could only come on a certain day because one kid had autism and another kid had something else going on. There were so many barriers. Then they got there and looked in the ring, and there was no representation. They didn't feel like they belonged."

Lewis took all those perceptions into account when she created Omnium.

Some of her performers are in wheelchairs, and every performance has audio description and integrated American Sign Language. Every performance is a relaxed performance, which means that all forms of self-expression are welcome, and the lobby includes a calming area.

Lewis conceived of her circus as a way to level the playing field and make circus accessible, and now, as she travels the country, she gets to see its impact.

"It's been amazing. We get standing ovations," she says of Omnium's touring audiences. "People just love it. There are tears. One kid who was a wheelchair user looked up at his mom and said, 'See Mom, I told you I could do that.' Even people who are neurotypical, their eyes are opened too, because they realize the world is broader than they had imagined and that's a wonderful gift." — S.F.