Some people simply show up for a parade or event. Others make a grand and memorable entrance, sometimes year after year. These eight Madison-based performers are examples of people who add a unique, circus spirit to local events. Most also are eager to teach others their tricks and trade.

The Bubblemobile

Bubbles come out of tubas attached to an old Cadillac convertible that has been a part of the September Willy Street Parade since 1979. The contraption’s operator, Jim Wildeman, adds more bubbles by waving a soapy wand.More »

Cycropia

Madison’s aerial dance troupe was formed in 1991 and most reliably seen swinging from trapeze ropes in trees at the annual Orton Park Festival. They don’t let go in mid air while swinging and swooping from one tree to another. This show is more about graceful artistic expression that happens above ground.More »

Jolly Giants Stiltwalkers

Stilt walkers in costume show up at some of the most unlikely places, like the annual Food for Thought Festival downtown in September, where the lumbering giants cover their stilts with huge bunches of fruit overalls and carry just the right props – like an enormous pitch fork.More »

Madison Unicyclists

This group uses public demos to inspire children to learn the art of unicycling. The skill is presented as a work of balance and sensory awareness that improves with practice and persistence. Lessons for elementary and middle school students happen during the school year. The North American Unicycling Convention and Championships were held in Madison in s 2011.More »

Truly Remarkable Loon

Madison’s most beloved juggler loves the color purple and began his work as a traveling street performer in 1978. Since 1986, he has preferred performance contracts at festivals and other events. What does he juggle? Spinning plates to fiery torches. And, yes, Truly Remarkable Loon is his legal name.More »

The Wacky Wheeler

Rob Summerbell, aka Melvin while performing, rolls a 10-foot-tall wheel while doing balancing acts and handstands within it on parade routes. He bills himself as a clownish daredevil who defies gravity with the iron wheel that he has taken to parades throughout the Midwest. That includes the Indy 500 Parade in Indianapolis and Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day parade.More »