Six Asian American Circus artists perform an acrobatic family dinner in Rice on Repeat: An AAPI Circus.

There are 3 bowls of rice served throughout our lives: one served to us, one served to ourselves, and one served to others. For many, dinner with family is about connecting and sharing experiences. A bowl of rice is a simple dish that we each flavor to our own tastes. Still, that bowl of rice is also the foundation of a meal and our cultures.

Acrobats will set the table, serve the rice, and share their life stories through dance and circus arts. It’s an ordinary routine full of extraordinary acts: handstands on the lazy susan, bowls of rice served from a flying pole, and a chosen family celebrating their shared experiences through movement. The relatable moment when you forget to set the rice, is suddenly a game of partner acrobatics as we wait for dinner to be ready.

Circus arts has its place in theater as a medium for storytelling. Oroki Productions was established to give voices to our artists through this medium that gives us freedom, community, and a way to bring representation into performance art spaces.

This production was made with support from the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.