New Victory Arts Break: Yuletide Factory

New Victory Arts Break videos and activities are designed to have your family ready and raring for showtime before you even leave home. Here’s how to use them! All set? Then let’s get creative together and prep your kid for Cirque Mechanics’ Yuletide Factory with the activities below.

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New Victory Arts Break videos are filmed at the New Victory Theater. We acknowledge that New Victory resides on the seized homeland of the Lenape people and the intertribal territory of many First Nations. We celebrate and pay deep respect to all Indigenous peoples, past, present and future, and we encourage you to learn more about these vibrant communities.

Did You Know?

Cirque Mechanics is back at the New Victory with their first holiday spectacular, Yuletide Factory. The show is full of amazing circus feats and tells the story of a group of factory workers who get caught up in the holiday spirit. Here are a few fun facts to know ahead of time:

• Cirque Mechanics has been on the New Victory stage six times! You might remember their last show, Zephyr, which featured a 20-foot-tall windmill on stage.
• The show is inspired by the lives of 1930s factory workers and their depictions in the art of that era, from Charlie Chaplin’s comedy Modern Times to Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry Murals.
• Cirque Mechanics uses simple machines like gears and pulleys to add some industrial flair (and collaborative effort!) to their circus artistry. Look for how the aerialist’s hoop moves up and down or the contortionist’s turntable spins.

Try It Out!

From contact juggling to partner acrobatics, many circus acts require a strong sense of balance. Let’s join Siobhan from New Victory Education up in the Balcony level of the theater as she puts her balance skills to the test with a special delivery! 🎁

1. Do you have any empty boxes lying around? Gather them up! Siobhan used wrapped presents, but you can use tissue boxes, shoeboxes, cereal boxes—whatever you can find.
2. Between you and your kid, choose a balancer and a placer. Balancer, strike a pose that will help you balance a few empty boxes. You could outstretch a palm, bend an elbow, raise a knee, extend a foot or even tilt your head!
3. Placer, take the empty boxes and start stacking them on the balancer. Get creative with placement and work together to keep as many boxes balanced as you can.

Talk About It!

As you make your way to the theater, get your kid in the show mindset with some show-themed conversation starters! Ask them:

• What is the best gift you’ve ever received? What is the best gift you’ve ever given someone?
• How would you go about cheering up someone who is feeling sad?
• If you could make a circus inspired by your favorite holiday, what would it be called? What would some of the acts in your circus be?
• Cirque Mechanics uses science and engineering skills to create their circus machines. What is your favorite subject in school? How could you turn it into a circus?

The fun doesn’t have to stop here! Follow along with New Victory Teaching Artists in a few Arts Break videos and activities from the archive, highlighting acrobatics, circus tricks and pro tips for showing off your skills.

Hup! From safety basics to powerful poses, go on a partner acro adventure with Gyana Mella.

Voilà! Have some silly fun building a bag of circus tricks with Hassiem Muhammad.

Nailed it! Practice landing unique and wow-worthy trick shots with Peter Musante.

Ta-dah! Turn any special skill into a stage-worthy performance with Ben Johnson.