Lava City Cirque celebrates National Championship and being featured in Soul Cirque Movie
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) Lava City Cirque (LCC) has announced that the studio will perform in an upcoming movie, Soul Cirque, featuring athletes who recently medaled and won a National Championship for their aerial arts performances. Opened just a year ago, this regional circus and aerial arts studio supports a nationally lauded competition team, one of many programs that teach Central Oregon youth and adults in the growing disciplines of circus and aerial arts.
Founder, owner and coach Kate Finley shares, “I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished this year, and especially proud of our young performers. Our team and students are talented, inspiring, and hardworking- and fun to watch! We are thrilled to be part of the Soul Cirque Movie filming in Houston this September, and excited for our award-winning athletes to take on this year’s competition.”
Soul Cirque is an independent movie filming in Houston, Texas, and featuring Lava City Cirque along with 8 other aerial arts teams (https://soulcirquemovie.com). To prepare for the film, a group of 12 performers, ages 9-16, have put in hours of training, choreography, and practice over the summer. The group travels to a studio location on September 9 for two 12-hour days of filming ,where they will perform a routine to a song written specifically for their performance in the film.
Lava City’s competition team includes 17 performers, with 15 invited to compete at Aerialympics Nationals in July 2025. Seven aerialists flew to Kansas City, MO, for live performances where they were judged against competitors from across North America. Margot Tatum-Ling, 11, was named National Champion with the highest score of all athletes in the Intermediate 2 level; Kate Andrews, 12, Royal Gorham, 13, and Clara Wirtz, 14, won gold. Altogether, Lava City took home 10 medals in 9 categories, with solo routines on classic apparatus including aerial silks, sling/hammock, lyra, and trapeze.
As Central Oregon’s fastest-growing circus arts studio, Lava City is proud to celebrate its 1-year anniversary this Saturday, September 6, from 1-3 pm, with free performances and open studio at its 63075 Crusher Ave location. LCC athletes perform frequently for our community and have been featured at Bend’s SummerFest, Northwest Crossing Farmers’ Market, Kids Entrepreneur Markets, and upcoming, at Bend Moonlight Market and Open Arts Center.
For more information about Lava City Cirque and to learn to fly, visit www.lavacitycirque.com.
