by Mike Hoban
The tour of Cirque Dreams’ Holidaze will make a stop at the Boch Center the weekend of December 10-12. The Broadway-style musical, inspired by the ‘Nutcracker’ ballet, is infused with over 20 contemporary circus artists and features over 300 costumes as ballerinas, snowmen, penguins, reindeer, ethereal aerialists, gingerbread people, carolers and colossal ornaments fly, balance, and juggle around a Christmas-themed storyline. The show also features Broadway singers performing renditions of holiday classics as well as original music.
Theater Mirror had the chance to speak with aerialist Hana Bible, the lead in the show, who is making her debut with Cirque Dreams as Clara, the young girl from the story of the ‘Nutcracker’.
THEATER MIRROR: When did you first get involved in performing?
HANA: I’ve been a performer since I was very young, and the story is actually pretty ironic. I started as a dancer, and the reason I started dancing was because I wanted to play the role of Clara in the Nutcracker. I started dancing ballet when I was six, but when I was old enough to play the role (typically around age 12) I wasn’t cast because I tended to play the parts that usually went to boys because I was athletic and could tumble and leap. I was actually cast as the Nutcracker instead, because at my dance studio the role called for an athletic performer. So from the time I was 11 until the age of 18 I was the Nutcracker. Eventually I aged out of the opportunity, but I was in love with dancing by that point, so I just kept going. I moved to LA (from San Francisco) to go to college, and after I graduated, I went back to dancing because it was my first love. I was doing hip-hop and modern dance but it was for the love – it was mostly unpaid. Then I got a few professional dancing jobs, got an agent and began auditioning for TV shows and commercials and musical theater. A few years in, I realized I needed to expand my horizons as a performer, and I began to get into the circus arts, primarily the aerial silks.
THEATER MIRROR: How did you get interested in that? It looks really daunting.
HANA: I was working at Knotts Berry Farm doing stunt work and I went to see a really cool stunt show at a venue across the street that featured an aerial performer. I had seen a lot of circus shows before, but I thought ‘this is just amazing,’ and I thought it would be fun to do something completely different. As it turns out, the venue was not treating their performers very well, so I passed on the opportunity to work there, but I just continued to work on my training.
THEATER MIRROR: How old were you when you began doing aerial silks?
HANA: I was 29, so I’ve been doing it for about four years now.
THEATER MIRROR: How did you land the role of Clara in the show?
HANA: Most of the performers in the show were referral-based, and I had worked with the choreographer on a past project, and she emailed me out of the blue. She didn’t tell me what the project was, but only said they were looking for someone who could dance, do movement, and was an aerial performer, so she thought of me right away. This was during COVID, and I was anxious to start working again, and a month later Cirque Dreams sent me a contract to do Holidaze. It’s been a long journey, but this has been a great experience because the people involved are so professional and really know what they’re doing. The show has come together very quickly and it’s been a really great process. This is my first lead role and I’m very excited to be with the show.
THEATER MIRROR: How did COVID affect your career? As a live performer it must have wreaked havoc.
HANA: I was working at Knotts Berry Farm in a stunt show when COVID hit, but I had just booked a musical and we had gone into rehearsals, which started on a Tuesday. By Friday they had shut it all down. They let us know first thing in the morning, and told us that Broadway was also shutting down, but they were going to try and come back next month. At the beginning people were saying, ‘Oh, it will only be a couple of weeks’ and then later “by summer we’ll definitely be back to it.’ What we didn’t know was how big of a deal this was going to be. At that point, none of the theme parks had closed down, and I thought, ‘Okay, this musical is not going to happen, but at least I have a backup job.’ But the next day, Knotts Berry Farm called and told me they were also shutting down.
So I spent the whole year just continuing training, but I had to move my workouts to my house because everything was closed down. It was interesting to go from taking classes and training with friends to just being at home and trying to figure out how to do a proper workout to maintain all of my skills.
THEATER MIRROR: So is Holidaze your first performing gig since the pandemic began?
HANA: I had one right at the beginning of the year. It was a dance project, and I auditioned by video (laughs). This was right after the vaccines rolled out, so we were all really optimistic because we were going back to work. And we did put the show up. It was outdoors and we required masks for all of our guests, the cast and crew was entirely vaccinated and we had to be tested regularly so that everyone was safe. Shortly after, the Delta strain hit, and the show that was supposed to go on to further performances became TBD (to-be-determined). I was getting down because I thought it might be another year before I would perform again. Then this great opportunity with Holidaze came up. So I do feel very lucky in that I haven’t been out of work this whole time, and that I’ve been able to go back on stage and do what I really love. It’s been such a blessing.
THEATER MIRROR: Let’s talk about the show. What’s it about?
HANA: The show is based on the traditional ballet, The Nutcracker, but it’s more like a pop concert meets The Nutcracker meets the circus. It has the same themes and characters from the original ballet, but we’ve modified a few things and really upped the level of excitement. The entire second act is just (circus) act after act, so it’s very exciting. Everyone is so talented.
THEATER MIRROR: Tells us more about your role?
HANA: I’m playing Clara, who the story is centered around. She’s a young girl who goes to a Christmas party, and her uncle, who is a magician, is also there. He casts a spell that transports her into a magical world where she meets a host of characters and experiences the land of mystique. It’s really exciting to play this role because, as I said, this was the whole reason I started dancing in the first place. Once I got the contract offer, I called my Mom, and said, “You’ll never guess the part I’m playing. It’s Clara!” She said, “Oh my gosh! You’ve been waiting your entire life to play to play this role!” So my parents are very excited, I’m very excited, and this really is a full circle moment for me. It’s like a dream come true. The Boch Center will present Holidaze December 10-12. To see a promotional video of the show, go to: https://bit.ly/3DtXGs1. For more information and tickets, go to: https://www.bochcenter.org/events/detail/cirque-dreams-holidaze
