((L-R) Soul Cirque team, 2025 Nationals backstage and National Champion Margot Tatum-Ling | Photos courtesy of Lava City Cirque)
Lava City Cirque (LCC) announces that the studio will perform in an upcoming movie, Soul Cirque, featuring athletes who recently medaled, and won a National Championship for their aerial arts performances. Opened just a year ago, this regional circus and aerial arts studio supports a nationally lauded competition team, one of many programs which teach Central Oregon youth and adults in the growing disciplines of circus and aerial arts.
Founder, owner and coach Kate Finley shares, “I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished this year, and especially proud of our young performers. Our team and students are talented, inspiring and hardworking — and fun to watch! We are thrilled to be part of the Soul Cirque Movie filming in Houston this September, and excited for our award-winning athletes to take on this year’s competition.”
Soul Cirque is an independent movie filming in Houston, Texas, and featuring Lava City Cirque along with eight other aerial arts teams (soulcirquemovie.com). To prepare for the film, a group of 12 performers, ages 9-16, have put in hours of training, choreography and practice over the summer. The group travels to a studio location on September 9 for two, 12-hour days of filming where they will perform a routine to a song written specifically for their performance in the film.
Lava City’s competition team includes 17 performers, with 15 invited to compete at Aerialympics Nationals in July, 2025. Seven aerialists flew to Kansas City, Missouri, for live performances where they were judged against competitors from across North America. Margot Tatum-Ling, 11, was named National Champion with the highest score of all athletes in the Intermediate 2 level; Kate Andrews, 12; Royal Gorham, 13; and Clara Wirtz, 14, won gold. Altogether, Lava City took home ten medals in nine categories, with solo routines on classic apparatus including aerial silks, sling/hammock, lyra and trapeze.
As Central Oregon’s fastest-growing circus arts studio, Lava City is proud to celebrate its one year anniversary this Saturday, September 6, from 1-3pm, with free performances and open studio at its 63075 Crusher Ave location. LCC athletes perform frequently for our community and have been featured at Bend’s SummerFest, Northwest Crossing Farmers’ Market, Kids Entrepreneur Markets and upcoming at Bend Moonlight Market and Open Arts Center.
Founded in 2024, Lava City Cirque is a Central Oregon aerial arts studio for kids, teens and adults offering aerial silks, sling, trapeze and lyra in a welcoming, fun, supportive space. Lava City programs include a national competition team, birthday parties, community performances and a wide range of classes, lessons and open gyms. We are located at 63075 Crusher Ave. #105 in Bend’s Boyd Acres neighborhood.
lavacitycirque.com • instagram.com/lavacitycirque
