In months leading up to the Gamma Phi Circus home shows, April 19-20, seniors Emma Rauschenbach and Sylvia Raquel, and sophomore Jillian Riley have been perfecting the troupe’s choreography inspired by popular musicals.
High wire, German Wheel, juggling, stilts, and aerial acts are a few favorites that the audience can still expect. Setting this year’s show apart is its theme: The Magic of Musicals.
Rauschenbach, Raquel, and Riley have spent months creating and teaching choreography to the 131-member Gamma Phi Circus troupe.
“It takes a village, and we have a great village. We have a very supportive community and just great people,” said Riley.
Though Raquel, Rauschenbach, and Riley all have backgrounds in dance and gymnastics, and all joined as freshmen, they said patience and trust are two keys to teaching choreography to those without experience.
“You’re more capable than you think,” said Riley. “We’re just trying to help everybody, and I think they had to trust us a lot this year because some of the stuff we give them is visually difficult choreography. These are things people are capable of, but you don’t know unless you try.”
The dance trio takes it day by day and enjoys watching the troupe’s progress.
“We definitely ask them to play a role in their learning process. We give them a lot of resources like videos and counts, and we make sure that all the dancers in the dance know the choreography and can also develop leadership by helping each other as well,” said Raquel.
The trio is expecting to take this year’s show to new heights by using a combination of hip-hop, Latin, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, pointe, and swing dance from popular musicals including High School Musical, Mamma Mia, La La Land, and Singin’ in the Rain.
“We’ve incorporated these characters from musicals and took inspiration from the choreography using a similar feeling, moves, pace, and vibe,” said Riley. “Within each act, the troupe embodies the musical.”
Aside from the musical numbers, costumes will also play a big role in the show and will help the audience identify their favorite musical characters.
“I think the show will give people a rush of different emotions based on the act. Some acts genuinely make me cry watching them because they’re just so beautiful, and other acts make me want to stand up and bust out a move because it’s just so hype. I’m hoping that the audience will experience that rush of emotions with us,” said Raquel.
Having choreographed seven different dance routines with different styles of dance and influence from popular musicals, Raquel said it’s been challenging to work against the clock in a small practice area in South Horton Gym.
“We get a very limited amount of time and a space on certain days of practice, so our big, ambitious ideas and choreography we’re trying to teach gets put out very slowly. It’s hard to see the vision and explain to the dancers what the end goal is going to look like, but with their hard work and resilience it will end up looking beautiful in the arena,” she said.
“The very beginning of the show is going to really surprise people this year,” said Rauschenbach. “It’s full of choreography with a caliber of difficulty the audience has never seen before.”
For graduating Redbirds like Raquel and Rauschenbach, joining the circus was their deciding factor to attend Illinois State. Now in their fourth year with the troupe, Gamma Phi Circus is their home away from home.
“It’s the people that make the experience and getting to experience it with them. Nobody except the people who have ever been in Gamma Phi understand the process of putting together an entire show for two semesters and performing it in front of thousands of people. When you hit your finale pose next to your closest friends, it’s simply breathtaking,” said Raquel.
Because the musicals featured in this year’s show are from different eras, the troupe hopes both children and adults will be drawn into the performances.
“You’re going to want to watch the circus,” said Riley. “I just feel like circus is something anyone can enjoy.”
Illinois State University’s Gamma Phi Circus will present the Magic of Musicals at 7 p.m. Friday, April 19, and at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, April 20, at CEFCU Arena. Tickets are available online at GoRedbirds.com/GammaPhi, over the phone at (309) 438-8000, or at the door the days of the performance.
