West Texas A&M University hosted The Dreamer’s World, a cirque show, in the First United Bank Center on Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m.
The cirque theatrical performance celebrated the closing of WTAMU’s Share Your Pride fund-raising campaign that raised more than $50 million. The Dreamer’s World performance was a free event and open to the public.
“The campaign has been five years in the making and we have been planning this event more than a year ago,” Darcy Lively, WTAMU Office of Communications and Marketing, said. “We are really proud of the job we did and are excited about the money raised that will go to different places here at WT such as scholarships, capital projects and professorships.”
More than 9,100 donors contributed to the Share Your Pride capital campaign, surpassing the original goal of $35 million in funds.
“This is the final event celebrating the closure of our capital campaign to thank our donors and community for raising $50 million dollars,” Ann Underwood, Director of Communication and Marketing and overseer of special events, said.
The performance, by Aerial Artistry, consisted of aerial and cirque stunts, body contortion, spinning, hooping and acrobatics.
“ I really liked it, it’s different and not a lot of colleges do this,” Carly Hurley, freshman sports and exercise science major, said. “I thought that it was very interesting that a cirque show was coming here.”
Hurley said that she looked forward to the silks act, where two ribbons hang from the ceiling and the performer has to wrap themselves in the ribbon and balance between them.
“I always like that because I would never be able to do that in my lifetime, so I think that it’s cool,” Hurley said.
The show was performed on a stage in the FUBC. Donors and contributors to the Share Your Pride campaign were seated at tables on the floor, with the general public seated around the arena. Cirque artists incorporated the FUBC’s ceiling into their performance.
“I thought it was a very well done show,” Miranda Ithaca, sophomore technical theatre production major, said. “The aspects overall were great. Incredible things were performed that I cannot do.”
Ithaca said the silks performance was her favorite act of the evening.
“They amaze me and are really neat. I could never be able to do that in my lifetime,” Ithaca said.
