Black and Gold Performing Arts Series: Cirque Mechanics
The Black and Gold series seeks to enlighten, educate, and entertain!

Escape into a world of wit and wonder where mechanical mastery outshines technology at the Cirque Mechanics’ “Pedal Punk” performance. This spectacle of American ingenuity takes place at 7:30 p.m. in Ramsey Theatre and is part of the WSC Black and Gold Performing Arts Series.
Tickets are required for the performance. Tickets are $10 each. WSC faculty, staff, and students attend free, but must obtain a ticket using their NUID number on the ticketing website.
“Pedal Punk” transforms the Ramsey stage into a spectacular playground where a wacky bike shop mechanic interacts with cyclists and bikes. A steampunk theme perfectly parodies the scene with Victorian hats, goggles, and sleeve garters.
The 11-member ensemble performs astounding feats amid a custom-made, movable scaffold called the Gantry Bike. With artists on board, the pedal-driven platform weighs 3,000 pounds, can be powered by only two people, and steers like a bulldozer. The cast includes dancers, unicyclists, trampolinists, aerialists, a BX rider, a juggler/clown, a rhythmic gymnast, a contortionist, and a stilt-walking stuntman. Many of the bikes are built from scrapyard parts with approximately 90 wheels on stage at once.
Founded in 2004 by Boston native and German Wheel artist, Chris Lashua, Cirque Mechanics is hailed as a premiere American circus with a unique approach to performance, inspiring storytelling, and innovative mechanical staging. The shows, rooted in realism, display a raw quality, rarely found in modern circus, making their message timeless and relevant. “The greatest contribution to the American circus since Cirque du Soleil,” according to Spectacle Magazine.