Zephyr

Cirque Mechanics was founded in 2004 by Boston native and German Wheel artist, Chris Lashua, after the success of a collaborative project with the Circus Center of San Francisco entitled Birdhouse Factory. Cirque Mechanics quickly established itself as a premiere American circus, with its unique approach to performance, inspiring storytelling, and innovative mechanical staging. Spectacle Magazine hailed it as “the greatest contribution to the American circus since Cirque du Soleil.” 

Cirque Mechanics, although inspired by modern circus, finds its roots in the mechanical and its heart in the stories of American ingenuity. The shows, rooted in realism, display a raw quality, rarely found in modern circus, that makes their message timeless and relevant.  The stories are wrapped in circus acrobatics, mechanical wonders, and a bit of clowning around. The troupe has created five extraordinary productions; Birdhouse Factory, Boomtown, Pedal Punk, 42FT- A Menagerie of Mechanical Marvels, and, most recently, the wind-inspired Zephyr. 

Did you know?

A family trip to a working grist mill in central England, a place where the mills grind cereal grain into flour and middlings, and a tour of the inside of the windmill inspired the circus Zephyr. A windmill is a type of working engine. It converts wind power into energy.

Windmills may be powerful, but a zephyr is a gentle breeze! The word comes from the name of the Greek god Zephyrus, who ruled the west wind and heralded spring.

Cirque Mechanics has produced four other shows - Birdhouse Factory, Boom Town, Pedal Punk, and 42FT - and Zephyr includes several new acts for them, including foot juggling and group bicycle! 

In case you need more spinning, Zephyr's 20-foot-tall windmill will be mounted on a giant turntable, enabling the performers to change the scenery in real-time.

The largest wind turbine in the world is in Hawaii. It is 20 stories high and has rotors that have the length of an entire football field.

Modern wind turbines are complicated machines. One wind turbine can have as many as 8,000 different components.

Most wind turbines have 3 blades that can reach up to a speed of 200 miles per hour.