Teo Spencer performes on the areal rope in Circque’s Songblazers (Courtesy Photo)
‘Songblazers’ performer found their tribe in the world of Cirque du Soleil
Rich Lopez | Staff Writer
Rich@DallasVoice.com
Cirque du Soleil, through its many productions, often takes its audiences into magical, make-believe worlds. The characters are built of pure imagination, and the music is often ethereal and dream-like.
But in Songblazers, Cirque presents its own style with a country music soundtrack.
“The show is a history of country music, but not a chronological story. The show touches on those moments in music that are most beloved — and then we have acrobatics that highlight those pieces,” explained Teo Spencer.
Spencer (they/he) is a multi-faceted performer who plays fiddle, serves as a vocalist and performs acrobatic rope in Cirque du Soleil’s Songblazers presented by Broadway Dallas. The show opens Wednesday, Sept. 25 at the Music Hall at Fair Park and runs through Oct. 20.
They play Dusty and describe their role as a connector that carries the storyline throughout the show. They also have their signature moment with the ropes display.
It all serves the bigger picture, Spencer said.
The cast and crew of Songblazers (Courtesy photo)
“It’s like this old world where we are in the show — like a past and present. And all the performances are in service of the music,” they said. “It’s really incredible to see the acrobats feel the music while doing their things.
“I was surprised by the marriage of country music and Cirque, but the people behind it know the country music world inside out, and there is a distinct through line and texture to the show,” they added.
Performing with Cirque is quite a stretch for the native Vermonter who studied political economics in Louisiana. After studying abroad in Argentina and discovering classes in dance and acrobatics, they were hooked. But being in the circus world also helped them find themselves.
“Growing up, I didn’t know what was going on in my head up through college,” the 36 year-old said. “It wasn’t until my late 20s and meeting people inside the circus world, who identified as nonbinary, and I thought ‘Oh, that makes sense to me.’”
Spencer credits the circus world and Cirque for accepting and embracing them into their spaces. Before, they said, people just assumed they were queer, and, with their own unawareness or language even, they knew people were locking them into some sort of binary.
“The people I’ve met and the communities I’ve been introduced to were comfortable to me in the circus. Cirque was the first place I felt comfortable coming out because I knew I was in an organization that was gonna respect that,” they said.
A particular Cirque moment for Spencer was a simple one that still resonates with the artist — a moment many folks probably take for granted.
“They passed around our info sheets and there was a space for pronouns. I kept thinking about how to answer that,” they said. “The contract was only for three months, so I thought, what could go wrong with writing in ‘they/them’?
“After doing so, it just felt safe in a way that I needed,” they continued. “I needed that space where I claimed it and where people weren’t going to be indelibly altered in their perception of me.”
But perhaps the biggest question around Spencer’s experience is: Have they totally become a huge country music fan now?
“Well, I would probably say ‘enthused,’” they clarified.
“You know, I’m someone who likes to learn and pull away from prejudice. I took this gig because I wanted to travel through the South and know country music in a way beyond what I knew,” they explained. “It wasn’t something I grew up with in the northeast, and sometimes it’s presented in a pejorative light. So I’m happy to see it up close, and, the truth is, I’m listening to country music outside the show now.” n
For tickets, visit BroadwayDallas.org.