IVC Productions 
In the 1970’s, Cedric Walker, founder of UniverSoul Circus, had a dream to be a part of the circus. According to the website, Black Entrepreneur Profile (BEP), that dream came true in 1994 with the first show in Atlanta.
“The vision was to explore the various talents other than singing and dancing that Black performers had to offer,” Walker said to BEP. “We wanted to apply our gathered years of experience in the live appearance industry, to make a difference, to change the industry we lived in, creating growth and opportunity.”
Since the show began circulating the nation, the circus visits the Windy City for a week of laughter and family fun. While in the city, people from all corners come to Washington Park, on the Southside of Chicago, to see the wide array of eccentric performances UniverSoul has to offer. Performances include: acrobats, animal and magic tricks, juggling, and of course stunts from talented entertainers from all across the globe. The amount of culture exhibited on their stage is incredible and definitely worth the ticket price.
Local worker, Tyrese Riley, has been working with the circus when it comes to Chicago for almost three years now and describes the experience as fun and exciting but also a privilege. Riley hopes that when people exit the circus gates that they had tons of fun and carry the contagious, positive energy from the performances through their everyday life.
The ringmaster, Lucky Malatsi, one of the longest existing members of the UniverSoul Circus, also wants visitors to leave the circus happy. Because of his positive attitude and determination, he’s calling the shots and running the show. Below is his exclusive interview with True Star.
True Star: Why do you encourage people to come to the circus?
Lucky Malatsi: First of all, this isn’t just the circus. This is the UniverSoul Circus, the most interactive circus in the world. When you come out here, you have lots of fun. You know, we have acts from all over the world and you know, it’s just a great experience for everybody to enjoy.
TS: For people that have already been to the circus, why would you encourage them to come back?
LM: Well, first of all, this is a brand new show. If you saw the show last year, this isn’t last year’s show. The only thing that is still the same from last year is myself and my sidekick Zeke. That’s it. Other than that, we have brand new acts from all over the world. Acts from Ecuador, the wheel of death, we have the synchronized zebras, we also have a brand new elephant act. We have a little bit of everything but we also have added some of the old traditions that everybody loves to enjoy like the motorcycles of death. You know, we also have the soul train line for everybody to enjoy, the beach balls. So, you definitely don’t want to miss out on this brand new show with a little bit of old school spice.
TS: So what could people learn from the experience?
LM: Well, first of all, you know, with the UniverSoul circus, number one we love being in the community. As you can see, we’re in Washington Park it’s right in the heart of Chicago and that’s one thing we like – to just reach out to the community. Especially with our ending piece, we speak out to the community. Especially, with what’s happening in the streets, you know, nowadays we definitely reflect [on that] and show that that’s not the way to go. Positivity is the way to go and, you know, we do that through laughter, dance, culture and all that good stuff.
TS: What do you want people to learn or take from your role as ring leader?
LM: Well, first of all, to the young people out there, don’t give up on your dreams because I started off in this show when I was 9 years old. When I started off, I was a contortionist and an acrobat and every year I did something different – basically like, getting a promotion. But, with that came lots of hard work, lots of practice and lots of determination. So, you know, it takes hard work, but don’t ever give up on your dreams because you never know, you might become the ringmaster of the UniverSoul Circus one day.
by Mina Waight, Freshman, Harold Washington College
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