Empire of the World

An international circus debuts in PDX

'Tis the season for spectacles, and Spiegelworld's adult circus is nothing if not a visual feast. Pitching tent in Portland for the first time this December, the Cirque du Soleil competitor brings a Ukrainian acrobat duo called Lime Green Lady and Carrot Man, a Russian rollerskater and Japan's Yasu Yoshikawa—aka "Half Naked Asian Dude Wearing Pigtails." Lucia Carbines is one of many Aussies on the team. As Miss A in a Bubble, the 21-year-old contortionist—whose widely spaced vertebrae let her fold like rubber—performs in a floating orb made of two submarine windows.

Miss A in a Bubble Miss A in a Bubble

WW: Doctors had to teach you how to not bend as a child?

Lucia Carbines: With my bendy spine, my "lazy" stance was a completely arched back so exaggerated that it was comical. My family physiologist had to teach me to engage my core so that I could stand up straight.

Has your unusual spine been useful in other ways?

It's come in handy with pranks and on Halloween, when I can freak people out by pretending I'm broken.

You said that diet affects your flexibility?

I inherited my parents' sensitivity to dairy, gluten and sugar. When I eat those foods, it gives me inflammation and reduces the mobility in my spine, so I cut them out. I like to still eat out from time to time, so I do the 80-20 ratio of avoiding those foods and then letting myself have a treat.

What made you want to perform in this bubble?

I've always been an aerialist and a contortionist on the ground, so when I first saw the bubble act, I thought it was a wonderful way to combine the two. And loved the apparatus.

Any malfunctions?

At a previous show, we had a lightning machine, and during one of the performances something went wrong, so it sounded like the entire tent was being blown up by electricity. All of us performers scattered offstage thinking we were about to be blown up. It was definitely an unexpected finale.

Which act is your favorite to watch in Empire?

The Adole brothers—I could watch them flip all day long. I still can't comprehend how it's possible.

see it: Spiegelworld's Empire is at the Rose Quarter Benton Lot, 542 N Broadway, 800-745-3000. 7 pm Tuesday-Sunday and 9 pm Friday-Saturday, through Dec. 27. $25-$99.

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