“What Can I Offer You Today?”: a One-Woman Show for One
A brand-new show with an unusual twist provides advice and inspiration to circus artists with a dream of flying solo.
People rush through a crowded coffee shop’s door, move from table to table, smile at a friend, and look for their favorite seat by the window. Claire stops by each patron, making full use of her memory and little pad. Meanwhile, at a bookstore across the street, Albert welcomes one of his youngest customers with a spark in his eyes and a hand on the new arrivals pile. At the exact same time, in a foreign city on the other side of the ocean, Marina covers her massage table with a clean sheet. In their own way and with distinctive accents, each asks the same question: “What can I offer you today?”
Berlin-based pilates instructor Rosiris Garrido had asked that exact question to her students countless times, but these words took on a new meaning once written at the top of a blank page. The ancient question had become her grant application’s title. Having spent over two decades spinning and flying on a hoop, the aerialist wanted to embark on a new journey. One in which the creator’s voice would take over the performer’s to materialize an old dream of hers: putting on a show for a single spectator.
“This grant changed my life in 2020,” explains Garrido. “Circus is seen more as entertainment [than as art,] and therefore doesn’t get much funding from the German government. This was the first time that circus artists had the opportunity to produce their own projects. Being one of them allowed me to create around that very simple question: ‘What can I offer you today?’”
After making her stage debut with a small theater troupe at age 11, Garrido’s desire to express herself with movement rather than words became evident. She followed a cousin to Rio de Janeiro’s circus school and joined their professional training program after losing a layer of skin on her very first rope climb! Humility and gratitude fill her voice when she talks about this school and one can feel how defining those years were for a young girl who “wanted to dance and fly” but didn’t know how to get there.
Fond of the hoop’s solid metal grip and enjoying its spinning motion, Garrido ultimately made it her main focus and worked on finding her own way of moving. A chance encounter with an older student, Marta Chaves, took her on a duo path and allowed for more research and movement possibilities. The two of them performed at the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain in 1997 and were then cast on “Pomp Duck & Circumstances,” a brand-new dinner show scheduled to open in Berlin. Duo Ouro spent many years going from one European stage to the next… until a baby bump found its way between the two Brazilians!
“I never planned on becoming a soloist, but it opened some new doors for me. We still had a month of shows to go when Marta had to stop. I created a hoop solo and re-discovered its shape and grip through light yet specific directions. I rebranded myself in Germany and went back to Brazil to create a 20-minute piece,” says the aerialist.
The latter project came to fruition thanks to Brazil’s arts council and, back in Berlin, this coveted grant allowed her to produce “What Can I Offer You Today?” The driving idea was the intimacy and intensity that comes from a one-on-one performance. For the first time in her career, Garrido didn’t think about the reviews, the praise, or how loudly the crowd would cheer. She envisioned an intimate space where people could come one at a time and experience something unique. She wanted to connect and interact with spectators in a way that large venues did not allow.
“Several people told me that I adopted an anti-capitalist approach with this project, as the goal isn’t to sell tickets and squeeze a maximum of people into one venue. I’m consciously keeping it small and intimate. The person watching can hear me breathe, see my muscles working, and the beads of sweat rolling down my skin. I catch that special light in their eyes and they see the expression on my face changing throughout the piece,” she describes in a very soft voice.
Wanting to make this project a long-lasting one, to have recurring spectators and satisfy her inner creator, she set out to create 10 pieces on different aerial apparatus. Each lasts 10 minutes and is followed by an equally long discussion with her guest. The two of them have an exchange on what each felt and saw, the impact the piece had on the spectator, and how the latter influenced the performer. Such a discussion and proximity would never happen in a 1000-seat venue. The aerialist spends an average of 10 hours at the studio and performs six pieces a day. She gets fresh flowers for the waiting area and sweets for her guests, irons her costumes, and fixes the curtains that turn a pilates studio into a show venue.
“I want to demystify the spectacular without taking its brightness away. The desire to communicate more than before and being closer to the audience pushed me forward. I want them to see that it ain’t magic, but actual work. Those six pieces feel like 1000 sometimes, especially at 47,” says Garrido with the biggest laugh outburst.
“What Can I Offer You Today?” was envisioned as a solo project, but its leader wanted to integrate other art forms into her work and collaborate with different artists. She joined forces with a painter, a composer, and others whose creative processes pushed her onto unexpected artistic avenues. A dramaturg also helped Garrido with seeing the big pictures and clarifying her intentions. Each piece followed the same recipe: finding the idea, researching it (reading, listening, looking around, writing), immersing herself in the chosen art forms, and improvising. Improvisation has always been the root of every act and every creation made in Brazil, Germany, or France.
In spite of being choreographed, each performance goes through changes as a new spectator with different energy walks in. Some remain seated the entire time; others stand, walk around, get closer, or look at one specific body part. In some cases, they get to pick the lighting intensity, background colors, or a different type of energy. By letting the audience make the call, the aerialist gives them a more active part in the show. Curious to see what another selection would bring to the piece and feeling involved in the performance, some spectators have returned to make different choices and witness how it changes the piece.
On the business front, Garrido admits to having no talent in that area, but adds that her creative needs pushed her to learn a lot and fast. It really was a case of “sink or swim” for the new entrepreneur. She wanted to create her own little theater in the heart of Berlin but had yet to find the ideal space when she applied for that grant. Along the way, she learned to plan ahead, foresee obstacles before they hit, stick to a budget, and build some pieces of equipment to reduce production costs!
To all circus artists who share this dream of creating their own show and being independent: be patient, be proactive, and… Write!
“Write, write, write! Make your ideas clear and convincing. Look for grants all around the world! They are an essential tool for creative projects. Get the money first and then go crazy! Building a network takes time; be patient, and remember that you can’t do it alone. Look for partners who can contribute to your work and help you in this process,” recommends the aerialist.
As her parting piece of advice, she adds, “Don’t think profit right away,” and points out that the first year was an investment one. A year of production, hard work, tries and misses, and creation, of course! As word spread, as her network grew, and as the process got refined, she noticed an increase in her income and started dreaming.
“I’d like to perform on a lighter schedule in an art gallery or a museum. Perhaps just four times a day. I’d also like to turn one piece into an hour-long show and teach my repertoire to other artists. I have this vision of a labyrinth in which nine artists and myself are performing all 10 pieces as people move from one room to the next,” concludes Garrido with an eye on her watch. It’s time to get to the studio and ask a few individuals, “What can I offer you today?”
All images in this article credited to photographer Doreen Reichnbach
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