BY EMILY DAVENPORT
A high-fl ying creative residency
is setting up shop in
Downtown Brooklyn.
“Aerialists & Acrobats”
made its debut at City Point’s
BKLYN STUDIOS on Jan.
8. The showcase highlights
some of New York’s top circus
performers — who have been
furloughed since March when
ticketed performances were
canceled and rehearsal spaces
closed due to the pandemic —
and marks the fi rst time that
these artists are able to show
off their acts while adhering
to COVID-19 guidelines.
“The performing arts sector
is a vital element of NYC’s economy,
and extends far beyond
Broadway and Lincoln Center.
Our government is past capacity,
so it is up to our private sector
to support the performing
arts,” said Kyla Ernst-Alper,
who conceived the creative residency
and is a producer, aerialist
and founder of Änver Entertainment.
“City Point has
stepped in as a leader in that
effort by offering over 30 of
NYC’s top professional aerialists
and acrobats a two-month
residency in a space that seems
to have been designed for this
purpose! We are all so thrilled
to invite the public to watch us
as we showcase our talents, and
workshop new ideas.”
EXHIBIT
The showcase features performers
COURIER L 18 IFE, JANUARY 15-21, 2021
of Broadway, movie
and television fame, such as
Ernst-Alper and Kris Olness
(co-owner of Aerial Arts), Lani
Corson (of Broadway’s Chicago
national tour and co-owner of
2 Ring Circus), Rebecca Fey
(aerial director of the soonto
launch recreational aerial
program at VITAL Climbing
Gym and producer of Cat’s Eye
Cabaret), Crista Marie Jackson
(Zendaya’s stunt double
on “The Greatest Showman”),
and Ivory Fox (“The Marvelous
Mrs. Maisel”).
As part of the exhibit,
Ernst-Alper and photographer
Giles Clement collaborated on
an installation of images spotlighting
leading New York aerialists,
burlesque personalities,
clowns, and dancers. The
portraits will be on display in
the Atrium at City Point and
each image is sold as a limited
edition print and as a part of
a set of 10 postcards. Proceeds
from sales will be shared with
the performing artists to help
them through the pandemic.
Strict COVID-19 regulations
will be enforced for everyone
who comes to the showcase.
Masks will be mandatory
for all observers, and those
who come can watch indoors
through public windows into
the performance space. Attendance
numbers and traffi c fl ow
will be monitored at all times.
“Since we opened, City
Point has embraced creativity
through our ongoing cultural
programming, and we
are well aware of the plight of
New York City’s performing
artists due to the pandemic,”
said Paul Travis, managing
partner of Washington Square
Partners. “Providing a venue
for the ‘Aerialists & Acrobats’
circus performers is our way
of giving back to the arts and
our community. We are excited
to see their gravity-defying
acts come to life at City
Point, and to bring COVIDsafe
culture back to Downtown
Brooklyn.”
BY BEN VERDE
The storming of the US
Capitol by supporters of President
Donald Trump on Jan.
6 prompted fear and confusion
among Americans, who
wondered how such a shocking
event could take place on
American soil.
To help understand the political
environment that lead to
the insurrection of the the nation’s
most pominent building
by a violent mob, the Brooklyn
Public Library has created a
reading list covering topics
such as the Trump years, the
Alt-Right, historic conspiracy
theories, and treason.
The list includes (but is not
limited to):
• “Impeachment: A Citizen’s
Guide,” by Cass Sunsetein
• “Fault lines in the Constitution:
the framers, their
fi ghts, and the fl aws that affect
us today,” by Cynthia Levinson
and Sanford Levinson
• “Playing with fi re: The
1968 election and the transformation
of American politics,”
by Lawrence O’Donnell
• “The oath and the offi ce:
a guide to the Constitution for
future presidents,” by Corey
Lang Brettschneider
• “Unmaking the Presidency:
Donald Trump’s war
on the world’s most powerful
offi ce,” by Benjamin Wittes
and Susan Hennessey
• “Alt-America: the rise of
the radical right in the age of
Trump,” by David Neiwert,
among other relevant reads.
The library has made the
list available both for physical
check-out and digital download
at borrow.bklynlibrary.
org/booklist/january-6-2021.
Super fl y!
Brooklyn Public Library collection
attempts to add context to Capitol riot
Showcase highlighting aerial
performers coming to Downtown
BROOKLYN
A riot reading list
“Aerialists & Acrobats” is on
display through Feb. 28, with
showcases taking place Thursdays
at 7 pm and Sundays at
12 pm. Rehearsals will take
place from 9 am to 1 pm and 6
pm to 9 pm on weekdays and
Sundays from 10 am to 7 pm.
City Point’s BKLYN STUDIOS
is located at 445 Albee Square
W. For more information, visit
www.anverentertainment.
com/citypoint.
Supporters of President Donald Trump climb the walls of the Capitol
Building in Washington. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart
FLYING HIGH: Portrait sales at a new City Point exhibit will fund aerial and acrobatic performers . City Point
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