Milton gM inccushow By Julie Slack CANADIAN CHAMPION STAFF Sophia Frigo is only il years old, but she may have found her life's calting. The Milton youngster 15 one of the amateur performers in Saturday's Circus Revolution at the Milton, Centre for the Arts' Matta.my The- atre at 7:30 p.m. Produced by Zacada Entertainiment, a Niaga- ra-based company that brings cutting-edge circus acts to the stage, the show feàtures acrobats, trapeze artists, contortionists and clowns. Sophia is thrilled to b. a part of It. "It feels great to b. in the circus" Sophia said, noting she sees herseif being part of it for the long haul. "The circus makes me feel happy and it's an amazing feeling when you're in the circusr« This is her second year performing with the circus, and Circus Revolution is the first show she's toured with. She practises with Zacada Circus School at its Stoney Creek facility four nights a week. And Sophia is quick to point out that shes not next to elephants in her performances. *It's not that kind of circus, it's more like Cirque du Soleil,"she said.«I perform doing silk, hoop, hammock, trapeze, canes and tumbling"» Sophia was 18 months old when she started gymnastics. When she was nine, she came third at an international competition in Mon- treal. On the last day of competitions, the Grade 6 HoIy Rosary Elementary School stu- dent was immediately engaged by the circus after she saw a performance by the National Circus School at a gymnastics competition. bopnia l-rigo or Milton 15 one ot thie amateur pertormers with Circus Revolution, which wiII be at the Mattamy Theatre on Saturday. Photo by K> n Tran «She told me on the long drive home that she was finished with gymnastics and wanted to join the National Circus School,» said her mom Jody Frigo. 1 came across Zacada Cir- cus School and she's been there every sincef For ail intents and purposes, Sophia 'ran away andjoined the circus,' Frigo laughed, although Sophia stili lives at home. Circus Revolution tells the story of a group of circus performers, including one played by Sophia, who have been imprisoned by an op- pressive dictator. The outlook looks grim for the prisoners, until they're freed by a heroic young clown and her trapeze artist compan- ions. The story unfolds through a series of cir- cus acts that fll the prisoners - and the au- off 90 878 YI à,7 3 Dm~ 905 691 9m2 a 1e o dience - with a sense of hope and freedom. *This is our first circus-style show at the cen- E tre for thie arts,»' said Rob Mackay, manager, cultural services for the Town of Milton. 'We z always aim to bring unique and exciting productions to the stage, and 1 think CircusZ Revolution is exactly thatf Zacada Entertainiment is a creative collabora- à tion between three visiona ries: Kosta Zakha- < renko and Christine Cadeau, former Cirque > du Soleil performers and owners of Zacada c Circus School, and David Fancy, professor at 0O Brock University, playwright, producer and- co-artistic director of neXt CompanlyTheatre. They have drawn on their connections in the :3 Canadian and international circus communi- L- ty to create performances that have wowed ~ audiences across the cou ntry. Circus Revolution features a number of pro- 5 fessional circus artists who perform daring 00 ground stunts and high-flying aerial acts. Sharing the stage with the professional performers are students of the Zacada Cir- cus School, like Frigo. Performing alongside experienced artists is a rare opportunity for amateurs - including Sophia - who un- dergo a rigorous, nine-month audition and training process before taking part in the production. "t'm going on my second year and 1 love it," Sophia added. She's going to try out for the chance to attend a week-Iong training camp at the groups Montreal school in the coming weeks. And for the next several weeks, she'l tour with the show. Tickets for Circus Revolution, which cost $29 for adults, $27 for students and seniors and $15 for children, are available at the Chudle- igh's Box Office or go to www.miltoncentre- forthearts.ca. High school students can take advantage of the eyeGo to the Arts program, which provides a limited number of dis- counted tickets at $5. Julie Slack can be reached atjsack@miltonca- nadianchampion.com or on Twitter @mllton- musing.