Swedish Circus Troupe to Perform for Kids in Dupont Circle Tomorrow

An internationally known Swedish circus and dance troupe will bring their kid-focused program to Dupont Circle tomorrow.

The Claire Parsons Company will give two performances of “Marmalade,” a dance and circus show aimed at children aged 2-6. The performances will take place at 10 a.m. and noon in Dupont Circle.

The Swedish Embassy and Dupont Festival, a group that brings public events to the Dupont Circle area, teamed up to bring the troupe to D.C. The company is coming off of a string of performances earlier in the month at the International Contemporary Circus Festival in New York.

The performance will be the first Dupont Festival event geared specifically toward children.

“One of the things that we’ve been hearing from our Dupont Festival fans is that we have a lot of families that live in the area and we haven’t done something that 100 percent kids-oriented, and we wanted to fill that void,” Aaron DeNu, principal organizer for Dupont Festival said.

“Marmalade” incorporates music, dancing and juggling, with audience members encouraged to dance and move along with the performers. Families are encouraged to bring blankets and picnic baskets for the performance.

“This is the type of event that produces smiles, laughs and a generally good feeling, and that’s what we try to do with our festivals,” DeNu said.

Though it’s Dupont Festival’s first event geared specifically toward kids, it’s not the first time they’ve teamed up with the Swedish Embassy. In June, they co-hosted a viewing party for the Women’s World Cup and a free concert in the park as part of the Nordic Jazz Festival. DeNu, who says it’s his personal goal to work with every embassy in D.C., says that he thinks its important to use Dupont Festival events to share other cultures.

“It’s a win-win working with international communities,” he said. “It’s great to be able to use our public parks to showcase different cultures.”

Photo courtesy of Dupont Festival