The circus is in town!
We’re talking about Triton College’s 52nd annual Triton Troupers Circus, featuring a cast of performers who have been learning circus arts at the school.
There are at least a half-dozen places in the Chicago area where one can learn circus arts, but only Triton in River Grove has a circus that showcases every circus arts student who wants to perform.
Circus director Hannah Jeselski, of Bolingbrook, reported that there are over 100 performers in this year’s circus. “This is the biggest cast that we have had in a very long time,” she said.
They will be demonstrating their talents from April 10-13, with performances at 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, and 1 p.m. Saturday-Sunday at the R Building Gymnasium, 2000 5th Ave., River Grove. Tickets can be purchased online at tritontrouperscircus.com or at the door for $10 cash.
“Las Vegas” is the theme of this year’s show, Jeselski said. The cast will evoke that location through a wide variety of feats, including clowning, juggling, trapeze, unicycling, wheel gymnastics, acrobatics, aerial acts, magic illusions and more.
Jeselski joined the circus in 2011 as a performer and has been the director since 2019. She said this is the first time that magic illusions have been part of the show.
Jeselski said Triton’s circus is great for all ages because “it’s put on by community members, your regular everyday neighbors that are there to perform all these different feats of strength and dexterity, and death-defying feats on aerial apparatus. And it’s all done right in front of you. You’re right in the middle of the action.”
Although she has a lot of responsibility as director of the circus, Jeselski continues to perform in the shows. “This year, I am planning to perform an act in stacking chairs, as well as tightrope and group acrobatics,” she said.
Westmont resident Jeffrey Dixon performed with the Triton Troupers Circus from 1993-1998 and rejoined the show this year, “because it’s cool.”
“I just wanted to get up off the couch and do something and get back to the camaraderie of it,” he said. “It’s cool to be 44 and out there doing tricks.”
Dixon will be doing unicycling, juggling and tightwire. “This year, I’m learning to set the Spanish web,” Dixon said. “It has a loop at the top where the performer will climb up and put their hand into the loop or their foot into the loop and the setter at the bottom will spin the rope around.”
Dixon said he enjoys being a Triton Trouper again because “everyone there is really interesting. It brings together people of all ages from all walks of life and everybody is passionate about what they do.”
Lynn Zumstein, of Plainfield, has performed in the Triton Troupers Circus for over 20 years. “I started my circus career at Illinois State University where I first learned how to do some stuff,” she said. “And when I moved back into this area, a friend of ours told us about Triton and I ended up joining the Triton Troupers.”
Zumstein juggles, unicycles, walks the tightwire and is one of the ringmasters.
She said she enjoys “seeing the people come in who don’t know how to do anything and we teach them, they develop their skills and eventually perform them.”
This is the first year being a Triton Trouper for Cheryl Rotundo, of Forest Park. “I have a couple of friends that are in the circus and performed last year,” Rotundo said. “I’m part of a book group with a couple of people in Oak Park and Forest Park. Two of them are in the circus and two of us joined this year.”
Rotundo has been preparing for the circus since January, and will be doing tightwire.
She said she enjoys being a Triton Trouper because of the people “and learning new things.”
“Everybody has been so welcoming for those of us that have no experience with circus arts or acrobatics or gymnastics,” Rotundo said.
Information is at tritontrouperscircus.com or 708-227-6068.
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
