Circus EVO

We create custom performances ranging in duration from 5 minutes to full length shows. We work with local and National/International performing artists as well as composers, choreographers, designers, directors, etc to bring you a well-rounded, professional production.

We aren't your typical circus performance company. We believe in telling stories, emotions, and expressing through our work. We have shifted the model away from 'roving' performance and began to reinvent what a street performance is!

Circus EVO is a performance company that combines circus, dance, theatre, music, and more into a meaningful, live experience that is accessible to the public. Their unique creative process empowers and brings together artists of all backgrounds and disciplines. They value making high-quality performance accessible, creating collectively, and inspiring audiences through inclusivity.

Founded by juggler and Jamestown, NC native, Houston Odum, the Circus EVO was created during the COVID-19 Pandemic as a way to present high-quality contemporary circus during a time when large gatherings were not permitted. After 7-weeks of research and development with Dr. Joseph Culpepper, a creator for Cirque Du Soleil, Houston premiered the first iteration of the project across Winston-Salem in October of 2020. Since then, Activate has created five original performances reaching over 4,000 people through 27 presentations and supporting 23 artists.
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Circus EVO's vision is to become a game changer in the live entertainment industry by offering world-class performances to the public and elevating diverse, local artists in an imaginative and empowering process of creation. Their work is intended to activate environments in the community. They strive to reach audiences who may not be regular theatre-goers or have access to the arts. In this way, they engage and connect with the community directly, leaving no barrier between the artist and audience. In the year since the founding of Circus EVO, their work has reflected a range of performing arts, of which many have never been combined before. Classical Violin, Bboy Dance, Contortion, Modern Accordion, Roue Cyr, Handbalancing on Canes, and Contemporary Dance are just some of the disciplines Activate has utilized to create a cohesive storytelling performance.