A few weekends ago, I had the nostalgic pleasure of visiting the Universoul Circus. Traversing back to my childhood, me, my mom, and my grandmother headed on down to Compton, California to watch the circus that went platinum in the hood.

3 generations at the circus.

I first visited the Universoul circus in my early days in Inglewood. My camp group walked to The Great Western Forum, where we watched elephants, tight rope balancers, horse back riders, and stilt walkers alike execute amazing feats right there in the hood. As a child, it was awe-inspiring, but the best part of attending the circus, is in the name; the SOUL. Seeing acts comparable to Cirque Du Soleil executed by people who look like me, set to music I grew up on, was priceless. Representation is just as important under the big top, as it is on the big screen, and keeping this space alive for present and future generations is imperative.

Over the years, the Universoul circus has become a lot more inclusive, some might even raise an eyebrow at just how inclusive it’s become. My family and I were a little shocked to see none of the BMX performers were people of color. All shades of the rainbow now play in the ring that once was pre-dominantly Black. Though the charismatic ringmaster did an excellent job of acknowledging the diversity of the show. and how it reflects the world we live in today, it was a bit disheartening to see the beloved circus become a bit diluted from my vision of it. I attended the last week of the show’s LA run, but to my surprise, it wasn’t a full house. The theater was littered with open seats, and the gaps reminded me of how precious this space is. Institutions like the Universoul circus are so important to the culture; but they can suffer without the proper resources and talent pipeline.

One of my favorite moments of the show was the way it ended. Performers did a praise dance to the gospel song “I Need You to Survive.” Having grown up to that song in church I was immediately captivated by the performers swinging from the ceilings dressed in all white. The lyrics ring, “ I need you/You Need Me/ We’re all a part of God’s body/Stand with me/Agree with me/We’re all a part of God’s body/It is his will, that every need be supplied/ You are important to me, I need you to survive.” While it might of been a clever way for the circus to affirm it’s more diverse cast, it really reminded me of the golden rules of life. We are different, we’re all important, and we all need each other survive. Performers need audiences, just as much as audiences need art. Support what you want to see, because nothing is guaranteed, and we need each other to survive.

Until Next Time,

Love, Peace, & Soul

- XoXo Dotcom

Why We Must Protect the Universoul Circus at All Costs