Dinosaur Circus

This is Amy, and this is Katie, and together we are StoryUp! Aerial Theater! Based out of Durham, NC, we are a former children's librarian and a current school teacher who also happen to be circus artists.

We love and respect the intelligence of children. We also have a passion for making weird art that speaks specifically to them. Smoosh those things together and add 10+ years of professional experience, and you’ve got high quality circus shows that promote literacy, social emotional development, and lots of laughter!

We've been performing in schools, libraries, and community centers all over NC and up and down the East Coast. But, Jurassic times call for Jurassic measures. We are ready to level up.

Picture it:

Two best friends meet at the playground after school. They decide to play their favorite game, "Paleontologist". Donning vests and fancy hats, shovels over their shoulders, they begin to hunt for fossils. But what's this?! Oh my! Dinosaur foot prints?! Well, they know what they are looking for now!

Through the use of found objects and the power of imagination, a slide becomes a dinosaur tail. An old hammock is a rib. A puppet head is a fully intact skull. We attach all of these things as we find them to a metal frame, making a climbable dinosaur in front of audience members’ eyes.

We are interested in this project because dinosaurs are awesome, and almost every person we know has been obsessed with them sometime in their life. It’s a way for whole families to connect. The foundation of our art is connection. We create connection through interaction. Everything we do is a vehicle for connection. What we make is not meant to be passively observed but is a (sometimes) literal conversation with our audience - community is essential for everything we do.

So- How can you, our beloved community, help?

We dino how else to say it, but StoryUp! Aerial Theater needs money. Moolah. Clams. Dollars. Bucks. Them Benjamins. This show requires a whole new rig, and employing artists we know and love to create bespoke pieces for us like a giant puppet dinosaur skull.

We're pulling out our "Draw Four" card, our Ace, our Tricera-top idea. You got it- We're launching a GoFundMe to make this art happen.

Crowdfunding is hard. We see them all of the time. We get asked constantly to donate, give, support. How are we any different? Because what we're doing is T-Rexcellent!

To make this aerial dinosaur show a go, we are looking to raise $10,000.

Want to help this idea not go extinct?