Go ahead and flip out, that’s what they want
Has your child ever threatened to run away and join the circus? You can test that resolve -- and aptitude -- when the Scarlet Sisters perform at the Bowers Museum this Sunday. Formed by the real-life Dempsey sisters, the Scarlet Sisters choose kids out of the audience to join them onstage during their colorful, interactive performance.
Parents be warned: Your child might wind up becoming a circus performer. Both Jennifer and Jessica Dempsey caught the circus bug as kids (at 8 and 3, respectively), learning acrobatics, juggling, unicycling and plate spinning from circus-loving gym teacher Jim Moyer in their native Fairfax, Va. Jennifer later dropped out of college to join the Belfast Community Circus in Northern Ireland. She asserts, however, that her parents, unlike most, “weren’t freaked out” by her decision. Calling from Colorado on her way to a gig, Jennifer revealed her parents were happy that she found her passion, adding with a chuckle, “One of these days, I’ll have to pay my dad back for my college tuition.”
After years performing in British circuses, Jennifer found herself stranded in Orange County with her younger sister (and onetime handstand champion) Jessica after the events of Sept. 11, 2001. The two decided to form a circus act and thus the Scarlet Sisters were born. Jennifer laughingly said that she returned to America “with nothing but the stilts on my back.”
And while the Scarlet Sisters’ line-up has varied, the core has always been the Dempsey sisters. Speaking from her Costa Mesa home, Jessica noted the two share an intuitive sense. “We could do the show with our eyes closed. We move the same way. It’s an emotionally nice thing to do with your sister.”
To create their Scarlet Sister act, the two draw inspiration from classic female comic characters, including “I Love Lucy” slapstick and “Mary Poppins” sweetness. Their shows, however, aren’t just about doing their zany antics. Jennifer believes deeply in involving the audience. “Performing, for me, is about including everyone, so we can all be part of the fun.”
Although ringleader Jennifer can always find eager volunteers in the audience, Jessica sometimes has “to beg a performance out of a kid” while getting them into costume. But when a child winds up over-the-moon happy about being in the show, she knows that she’s made his day.
After spending several years barnstorming throughout Southern California -- including performances at the Rose Bowl’s Fanfest and Laguna Beach’s Sawdust Festival -- the Scarlet Sisters’ Bowers show is one of the few that the Dempseys are doing together this year because Jennifer has started a circus school in Colorado. But as newlywed Jessica noted, “We’ll always be performing something together, because we’re family.”
-- Michael Berick
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THE SCARLET SISTERS
WHERE: Bowers Museum, 2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana
WHEN: 2 p.m. Sunday
PRICE: $10 for a family of four, $5 each additional member; $7 for a single ticket
INFO: (714) 567-3600; www.bowers.org
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