The circus is coming to town: CONTRArily

Chalk Gremlins Circus comes to Millerton Sept. 6.
Provided
Chalk Gremlins Circus comes to Millerton Sept. 6.
The circus is coming back to town, but not as one might expect. On Sept. 6 and 7, Sovereign Hilltop Farm in Millerton, New York, will host “CONTRArily,” a daring fusion of circus artistry and contra dance presented by The Chalk Gremlin Circus Company. Directed by Margaret Hopkins, this performance will reimagine the rhythms and structures of contra dance through the thrilling, unpredictable lens of contemporary circus.
Hopkins grew up on Local Farm in Cornwall, Conn., and found circus performing “by happy accident,” she explained. In 2017, she took a beginning circus class at Berkcirque in Great Barrington, Mass. “I had none of the relevant backgrounds that you would expect,” said Hopkins. “I wasn’t a dancer or a gymnast, I was just a farm girl…but it turns out that milking cows and throwing hay translates shockingly well.”
The group’s first show was just last June, hosted in the hay loft of Hopkins’s family farm. “That was a really amazing thing to do but it is a very limited space for what we could do,” Hopkins explained. “We had a firm 60-person audience cap, we had to fit it in the time frame of when we’d used all of our hay from last winter and before our hay for this winter came in, because we did it up in the hay loft. That wasn’t going to work for this year, so we went looking for another space and got a very generous offer from Sovereign Hilltop to host us in their indoor riding arena.”
The idea for “CONTRArily” was born out of Hopkins’s own experience as a lifelong contra dancer and her relatively recent discovery of circus arts. The two disciplines, though seemingly worlds apart, share a common spirit of inclusivity and community. For Hopkins, contra dance has always been a welcoming space, a place where strangers become partners, and intricate dances learned and performed in a matter of moments. In circus, she has found a similar ethos of mutual support and creative exploration. “There is a real feeling of taking care of each other, looking after your people. This is a community.”
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“CONTRArily” is structured like a contra dance itself, with each section of the performance corresponding to a different part of the dance. It begins with the familiar call to “find a partner,” before transitioning through a series of aerial acts and acrobatic feats that push the boundaries of what contra dance can be. “There is such a cool identified set of rules, and shapes, and patterns and parameters,” said Hopkins of contra dance, “so it becomes really fun to mess with that.”
Spectators are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets, as seating will be limited. “It’s more like being outside than being in a theater,” Hopkins noted, describing the sand floor and the casual, communal atmosphere she hopes to create.
With this show serving as the sole performance planned for the year, Hopkins shared the ease and stress-free approach she and her partners in Chalk Gremlins are going about finding their way. “I’ve started to do my own projects and some of that just comes from the fact that there’s not a big circus school around here that I can go and be with a group of people who are interested and passionate about the same things that I am,” Hopkins said. “So, I kind of have to do it myself if I want it to exist.”
The show is being hosted this year by Sovereign Hilltop Farm (41 Barney Drive) in Millerton on Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. and Sept. 7 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
No reservation required, but a suggested $15-20 cash donation at the door is much appreciated. Some seating provided but bring your own lawn chairs or blankets.
On Saturday, Sept. 6, from 12 to 5 p.m., Rock Steady Farm in Millerton opens its fields once again for the third annual Farm Fall Block Party, a vibrant, heart-forward gathering of queer and BIPOC farmers, neighbors, families, artists, and allies from across the Hudson Valley and beyond.
Co-hosted with Catalyst Collaborative Farm, The Watershed Center, WILDSEED Community Farm & Healing Village, and Seasoned Delicious Foods, this year’s party promises its biggest celebration yet. Part harvest festival, part community reunion, the gathering is a reflection of the region’s rich agricultural and cultural ecosystem.
Rooted in justice and joy, the event will feature over 25 local vendors and organizations, live performances, healing workshops, family-friendly activities (yes, there’s a bouncy castle), and abundant local food. And while the festivities are certainly reason enough to show up, organizers remind us the purpose runs deeper.
“This isn’t just a party. It’s a place to build the kind of relationships that keep our food system alive,” said Maggie Cheney, Rock Steady’s co-founder and worker-owner. “We’re creating space where farmers, growers, families, and community organizers can connect, celebrate, and support one another.”
Proceeds from the event support Rock Steady’s POLLINATE program for queer and trans BIPOC beginning farmers, as well as Catalyst Collaborative Farm’s food justice initiatives. With sliding-scale tickets from $5 to $250, the organizers aim to make the event accessible to all, including free entry for children under 12 and volunteer options for those who want to pitch in.
For those who’ve attended before, it’s a welcome return. For newcomers, it may just feel like coming home.
More info and tickets: rocksteadyfarm.com/farm-block-party
Waterlily (8”x12”) made by Marilyn Hock
It takes a lot of courage to share your art for the first time and Marilyn Hock is taking that leap with her debut exhibition at Sharon Town Hall on Sept. 12. A realist painter with a deep love for wildlife, florals, and landscapes, Hock has spent the past few years immersed in watercolor, teaching herself, failing forward, and returning again and again to the page. This 18-piece collection is a testament to courage, practice and a genuine love for the craft.
“I always start with the eyes,” said Hock of her animal portraits. “That’s where the soul lives.” This attentiveness runs through her work, each piece rendered with care, clarity, and a respect for the subtle variations of color and light in the natural world.
After painting in oils earlier in life, Hock returned to art when she retired from working as a paralegal with a goal: to learn watercolor. It wasn’t easy.
“Oils and watercolor are opposites,” she explained. “With oils, you build your darks first. In watercolor, if you do that, you’re in trouble.” She studied online, finding instructors whose approach clicked, and adapted to the delicacy of the medium.
“When I’m working, everything else falls away,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what’s going on in life. While I’m painting, time disappears.”
Her studio, formerly a home office, is now her sanctuary and the pieces in this exhibition are the result of three years of that devoted studio work. While this is her first full public show, Hock previously tested the waters at a small fundraiser at Noble Horizons, where one of her pieces sold. That experience — and the consistent encouragement from her family, especially her husband — pushed her to pursue a full exhibition. With gentle encouragement from her husband and family, Hock reached out to the Town Hall’s curator, Zelina Blagden. “My husband kept saying, ‘You’re as good as all those other people out there, why not show your work?’” And so, here it is.
All paintings in the show are for sale, though Hock admits a few are priced high — not because of their size or complexity — but because she’s not quite ready to let them go. “There are a couple I’ve priced high because I’m not sure I want to part with them. But we’ll see,” she laughed. “It would be nice to support the habit a little bit.”
As for aspiring artists or anyone hesitating to begin something creative, Hock’s advice is simple: “Go for it. If it fails, toss it in the basket and start over.”
The exhibit will be on view at Sharon Town Hall through Oct. 31 with an opening reception on Sept. 12 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
Carissa Unite, general manager of Oblong Books in Millerton.
Carissa Unite of Millerton, began working at Oblong Books 16 years ago as a high schooler. She recently celebrated her eight-year anniversary as the general manager.
Unite’s journey at Oblong began even before she applied for her first position.An avid reader from a young age, she was a frequent customer at the store. During those years, Unite bonded with a former employee who encouraged her to apply for a position after connecting over their shared love of reading.
As a teenager, Unite enjoyed reading Ellen Hopkins, John Green and Ann Brashares. With the busyness of adulthood, she now favors the convenience of audio books. In the past year, however, she has made it a point to read more physical books.
With a preference for contemporary fiction, she raved about “Atmosphere” by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The story, set in the 1980s, follows two women who become astronauts at a time when women were not widely accepted in the field. A beautiful love story emerges between the two characters. Unite described the writing as sensational and commended Reid’s ability to tackle complex themes without them being muddied.
Unite has developed a deep appreciated for classic literature. Her two favorites are “Giovanni’s Room” by James Baldwin and “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde. She was amazed by the philosophical nature of both words and the way their dialogue challenged her perspective.
In an effort to read beyond her preferred genre, she recommends the following:
“Some Desperate Glory,” by Emily Tesh, “Midnight Rooms,” by Donyae Coles and “Clear” by Carys Davies.
For Unite, the beauty of reading lies in its power to develop perspective, empathy, and compassion. Through books, readers learn that everyone is fighting different battles and no two stories are the same. She encourages people to choose kindness because you never know what someone else is facing.
Above all, reading brings Unite peace. If offers transcendence to another world, a pause from outside noise, and for Unite, it is where she feels most at home.
For anyone hesitant to being reading, Unite suggests: just do it! Read 10 pages a day and find the book that speaks to you. Any Oblong staff member would be happy to offer recommendations.
Oblong is located at 26 Main St., in Millerton and 6422 Montgomery St. in Rhinebeck.