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Meet Jena Carpenter of Dream World Cirque

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Jena Carpenter.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I grew up in Vermont as a part of a vibrant art influenced community & participated in many different pursuits including ballet & gymnastics as a young child, a capella music, theater, and youth circus.

Even after I stopped doing gymnastics seriously I used to help edit the music and choreograph my younger sister’s floor and beam routines, and in high school explored new forms of dance including modern dance & contact improvisation, while continuing to sing and tour with several youth choral groups. Some of my early love for all aspects of the performing arts come from all the artistic pursuits of childhood.

I went to Oberlin College with the plan to pursue academics, but gradually was pulled back into the Theater and Dance department and graduated in 2001 with a degree in Dance, Choreography, and concentration in Circus Arts. I moved out to Los Angeles the summer after I graduated to start experiencing what life would bring as a professional performer in a town with lots of different opportunities for entertainers.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I wouldn’t say it’s been a smooth road, but I do believe that if you’re following your true path and pursuing dreams and goals that you believe in then the right opportunities end up opening up in front of you. For example, I never would have started my company, Dream World Cirque, if I wouldn’t have unexpectedly gotten pregnant right before some important shows & couldn’t perform myself…

As I worked on booking other artists and directing and choreographing rather than being the performer inside that process, I found a lot of satisfaction in the production side of things and have continued pursuing both paths over the years.

Sometimes when I feel like my path has gotten really rough and I feel like obstacles are piling up, it seems like a perfect opportunity to take a step back and reevaluate if this particular goal is exactly what I should be pursuing and if I still feel strongly drawn to it.

Sometimes what felt like a detour turns into just the perfect opportunity, or conversely, a missed opportunity sometimes turns out to be fortuitous. So I’ve gotten better now after many years of being an artist and freelancer, at trying to de-stress or let go of anxiety when things get difficult and instead look at it as a chance to problem solve or find a new way to look at things.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Dream World Cirque – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Dream World Cirque is a Boutique Cirque Arts company with locations in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. We specialize in having multi-talented artists with strong skills in acting & character work so that the experience that we bring to our audiences will draw them in, make them feel a part of the world they see onstage and leave them feeling some kind of transformation.

As well as individual Cirque Acts we often produce full-length shows and are known for our edgy, artsy vibe and amazing couture Costumes. We’ve been featured on many different films & TV shows including ‘The Polar Express,’ ‘Water for Elephants’ ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ ‘Beverly Hills 90210’ and ‘Vegas,’ and at too many live shows to mention.

Within the event entertainment industry we have many repeat clients and planners that we work with year after year, so we have to stay creative and active in brainstorming new acts, apparatuses, storylines, and costume designs, and that’s part of what we love about our job, is the fact that we get to dream up new ideas all the time and then make them become a reality.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We are working on some super fun large group Aerial acts right now to pitch for bigger events, and we’re also very interested in getting some running shows going where we could be performing more consistently and have public shows we can actually invite our fans to.

I think LA is totally ready for a fun, Avante Garde, Dinner Cirque Experience, and one of my dreams would be to get pulled in to choreograph and create a show like that in an amazing one of a kind venue where someone else is running the business side of things, and I would have the freedom to work with a great cast and create a show that could run continuously for a few years.

A lot of the shows I’ve seen recently are aesthetically pleasing, but leave me wanting more as far as substance. I’d like to weave more of a narrative journey with the amazing Cirque acts & skills that are physically incredible to see, but you also relate to the humanity of the characters and the fact that they are experiencing similar challenges and obstacles as any of the rest of us.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Thomas Rihs, Dashiell King

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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