Episode #41: Circus As Entertainment vs Circus As Fine Art with Rain Anya

The Artist Athlete Podcast goes out of its way to introduce y’all to individual artists and small circus companies making work that is outside of the norm, and today is no exception! Rain Anya, half of the company Paper Doll Militia, has been making theater in some form or another for over 20 years. We talked about her newest creation, Warped, as well as the difference between being an artist in the US versus in Scotland, where her aerial life partner, Sarah Bebe Holms lives. If you’re in the Atlanta area, go see Warped this weekend at 7 Stages! Get your tickets here: https://www.7stages.org/shows/warped/             Visit Paper Doll Militia online: http://www.paperdollmilitia.com On Instagram: @paperdollmilitia AND check out the website of one of Rain’s aerial inspirations James Thierree: http://www.compagnieduhanneton.com/   Please won’t you be a Patreon?: http://www.patreon.com/theartistathlete This podcast is dedicated to CIRCUS. Aerialist, Shannon McKenna interviews guests from acrobats in Cirque du Soleil to circus therapists and everyone in between. Learn the backstage lives of those who flip, twist, sparkle, and shine under the big top. Shannon McKenna is an internationally recognized circus performer and coach. For the past decade, she has been a freelance artist: giving workshops and classes across 7 countries and working on and back stage for both traditional and contemporary circus shows in the US, Portugal, Germany, and Australia. She holds a BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with a concentration on post-modern physical theater (how’s that for a mouthful?). She founded The Artist Athlete in 2018 as a means to produce educational materials for aerial artists and a podcast in which she interviews experts in the circus industry about their careers. If you’re reading this, you’re probably listening to it. Thank you! She currently lives in Atlanta, GA USA, but gravitates towards whichever circus community is the warmest. Find her online: www.theartistathlete.com Facebook: The Artist Athlete Instagram: @the_artist_athlete