www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, April 10, 2013 | 24 Artscene "Connected to your Community" Performers roll with the circus by Dominik Kurek Oakville Beaver Staff Oakville's Cory Marsh (above) and Gus McMillan are performing in Zacada Circus School's upcoming Circus Show, which opens on Friday, April 26 in Stoney Creek. Marsh performs on the Cyr Wheel, while McMillan is part of an aerial rope act. Submitted photos The circus is a place where the unreal is made real, where the unimaginable is possible, a place to witness a spectacle and be captivated by its performers and their terrifying stunts. For Oakville's 19-year-old Cory Marsh, and 12-year-old Gus McMillan, it's all in a day's work and fun. The two are students at Stoney Creek's Zacada Circus School and performers at its upcoming circus show called Metropolis, which runs from April 26-May 5. Marsh, a former gymnast who represented Canada in international acrobatic gymnastics, performs on the Cyr Wheel, best described as a large aluminum hula-hoop, which he uses to roll around in. The younger McMillan, a Grade 7 student at Appleby College who has done gymnastics, is getting into high places with his performance in an aerial rope act, also known as Spanish Webs. Both love the circus. For one it's a favourite hobby, while for the other it's a career path. "Even as a gymnast, from day one, my goal was to go to a circus," said Marsh, a St. Ignatius of Loyola Secondary School graduate. As a gymnast, he did power tumbling and acrobatics. He left that behind about a year ago and joined Zacada, where he now does hand balancing, trampoline, power track (long trampoline, and more. His favourite and specialty is the Cyr wheel. "When I started at Zacada, I was told to try it and I just picked it up really fast and I've been training myself on it," he said. He said it takes time to learn the Cyr wheel, as the user has to get a feel for the spins, but once he or she does, the movements come naturally to the performer. McMillan has done gymnastics and when he heard about the work being done at Zacada, he was quick to try it. He attended a summer camp and now has been training at the circus school for the past three years. He has been doing aerial silks, but switched to aerial rope a few months ago for the show. The two are similar with many of the same tricks, with some differences. He said there is much more spinning involved on the ropes. "It's so cool being in the air and just knowing that you are in charge of your own safety because you're up in the air, sometimes 20 feet, so I think it makes you feel like you're in control," he said. In training, the performers use large mats for safety until they become confident, and then they are removed. Both performers feel comfortable in the circus. "Ever since I was really little, I just couldn't stand still," said McMillan, who loves watching Cirque du Solei and has seen it live and re-watched it numerous times on his DVDs. "It's really the only thing that is a mixture of gymnastics, dance, sport, acting and theatre," he said. An exciting and lively musical performance featuring: CHORUS AND QUARTETS with special Guest Performers SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2013 1:30 and 7:30 pm St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School, 124 Dorval Drive, Oakville GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS $20 · CHILD/STUDENT $15 FOR TICKETS AND INFORMATION: see Performance on p.25 Oakville/Burlington: 905.336.5195 Brampton/Mississauga: 416.855.4040 www.entertainers-harmony.org