By Illinois Radio Network

NORMAL – For the 89th year, the Gamma Phi Circus is set for this weekend with performers comprised of Illinois State University students and staff.

Marcus Alouan, director of the circus, said students have been working on the circus since classes started in August.

“This year our theme will be ‘Once Upon a Time,’ so we are taking fairy tales and childhood stories and giving them a circus twist,” Alouan said.

Alouan gave credit to the student performers and said it is hard for many who see the show to believe that the students are not highly trained professionals.

“These students are amazing,” Alouan said. “Most leave the show having a hard time believing they are just college students that do this on the side and not professional performers.”

The Bloomington-Normal area is known for its circus background and was once known as the “Trapeze Capital of the World” because in the 19th century trapeze artists would come to work on the railroad in the circus offseason, Alouan said.

“In the winter, trapeze artists could come, and they could still train in the empty barn and have some work to do to sustain them in the offseason,” Alouan said.

Alouan said in the 1920s, a physical education teacher at the school looked for a way to keep students active while embracing the performing arts, which led to a smaller troupe doing stunts at halftime shows. Because of the city’s background with the circus, that act soon grew.

“There was a lot of overlap with the people in the community, and so in a very short while, we graduated from just gymnastics-type stunts into a full-blown circus,” Alouan said.

The shows are at 7 p.m. April 20 and 1 and 7 p.m. April 21 at Illinois State University’s Redbird Arena.