CirqOvation performing its annual Nutcracker Twist at the Landmark Theatre. Photographed by Rachel Coutant at Impassionedart.com. Courtesy of Sora J. Kasuga

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Nutcracker Twist: An Enchanted Journey will be performed Saturday at the Landmark Theatre at 3 p.m.

Sora J. Kasuga spent her childhood performing The Nutcracker in her rural, predominantly white Arizona hometown. 

During a performance of the play, Kasuga, who is Japanese-American, remembers her castmates being painted in yellow-face to make them appear more Asian for their roles in the play. 

What Kasuga saw then propelled her to reimagine a more inclusive version of the holiday classic to highlight underrepresented communities. 

“We told Symphoria we would keep the show recognizable as that was what the public was used to, but (we) would put our own ‘twist’ on it.” Kasuga said. “The most obvious being that our version is all circus, but also including far more comedy than Tchaikovsky bargained for.” 

On Saturday, Kasuga and other performers will put that family-friendly version of the show on display. The show, Nutcracker Twist: An Enchanted Journey, will be performed Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Landmark Theatre. It’s the third annual performance of the play. 

Kasuga and her husband Joshua “J. Superstar” Edelman co-founded CirqOvation, which worked with Symphoria, Central New York’s orchestra, to put on the show. 

Performers who work with CirqOvation have multidisciplinary talents and are dancers and artists, aeralists, comedians, jugglers, costume curators, and circus artists. 

The showcase includes a collaboration with Symphoria and writer Linda Lowen, who helped rewrite the narrative of the performance.

Rather than hold auditions, Kasuga and Edelman chose performers from the circus community with a focus on talent with marginalized identities. That includes people of color, people with disabilities, people who identify with the S2LGBTQIA+ community and those who are neurodivergent. About three quarters of the cast and crew are part of a marginalized community.

“We steadfastly believe that the most brilliant creation is born from diversity, from the minds and bodies that are traditionally shut out of productions like this,” Kasuga said. “For us, that means recognizing the power of our cast and crew, most of whom hold multiple marginalized identities.”

  • CirqOvation aerialist performs in the annual Nutcracker Twist: An Enchanted Twist. Photographed by Rachel Coutant at Impassionedart.com. Courtesy of Sora J. Kasuga
  • A CirqOvation aerialist performing at the Nutcracker Twist: Enchanted Journey at the Landmark Theatre. Photographed by Rachel Coutant at Impassionedart.com. Courtesy of Sora J. Kasuga
  • CirqOvation professional circus acts Joshua “J. Superstar” and Avi Pryntz-Nadworny perform a juggling routine at the Nutcracker Twist: An Enchanted Journey. Photographed by Rachel Coutant at Impassionedart.com. Courtesy of Sora J. Kasuga.
  • CirqOvation performers at the annual Nutcracker Twist at the Landmark Theatre. Photographed by Rachel Coutant at Impassionedart.com. Courtesy of Sora J. Kasuga

Kasuga and Edelman founded CirqOvation a decade ago, just after relocating to Central New York. Kasuga is a professional circus artist and Edelman is a juggler and comedian.

They hoped to cultivate a space where marginalized performers could thrive, Kasuga said. 

Kasuga has at times been discriminated against because she has a facial difference, something that also inspired her to create CirqOvation. 

She said the difference has at times made it more difficult to book work. When Kasuga auditioned for showcases and various entertainment companies, her physical appearance was judged and often the reason for rejection, Kasuga said. 

As a Japanese-American whose other marginalized identities as a queer person and as neurodivergent allowed her to connect and champion for others in the entertainment industry.

“Growing up, I rarely saw people of color in professional ballet companies. And I especially never saw disabled dancers or any variation in body type,” Kasuga said.

The troupe presented its first Nutcracker Twist in 2021 at the New York State Fairgrounds in collaboration with Symphoria. The two first collaborated in 2016 when the orchestra group invited CirqOvation to perform in its Motion Dynamics concert. 

Since then, CirqOvation and Smphoria have gone on to work together to present two additional full-length interpretations of the Nutcracker at the Landmark Theatre. 

“From the get-go, our values have always been to hire “good humans” — people with talent who genuinely care for the world and other humans around them,” Kasuga said. “Our team members are wonderfully quirky and have often been outcasts.”

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