Meet Ambre Rouge and Cass Elyse | Owners/Directors/Performers

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ambre Rouge and Cass Elyse and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ambre & Cass, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Cass: Equinox Entertainment emerged as a collaboration between Cass Elyse and a group of “Aerial Dance” friends in Boulder, CO to push the boundaries of burlesque and aerial dance performances. Cass’ background in theatre & circus arts and her commitment to empowerment through performance led her to create a platform where performers could have the opportunity to share their art & express themselves authentically.

Ambre: Circa Vida was an idea started by founder and owner, Ambre Rouge, in 2015. During that time, she lived in her hometown of Jacksonville, FL, and was performing and entertaining with her sister, Brande Lee’s dance troupe, Elevated Aerial Dance, as well as teaching hula hoop birthday parties and workshops with The Dizzy Dolls and Sugar Plum Entertainment. Ambre has been performing and entertaining since she was a child and so she wanted to encompass her passion, her love, and how much it meant to her to be a performer and entertainer into an all-encompassing company – thus Circa Vida (meaning Circus Life) was born!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Ambre: As far as Circa Vida. what sets us apart is that we like to produce shows that combine live music, pole/aerial dance, and burlesque into one big performance. Collaborations like “Cirquinox”, are an amplified version of this; uniting not just the community of Denver, but of Colorado in general. One of the hardest challenges I have faced, both with Circa Vida & Cirquinox, is marketing/branding. Getting the word out there in a heavily saturated market is very difficult without proper funding, and it’s harder to put on these bigger events when you pay for it all based on ticket sales.

Cass: Despite Equinox being built upon the passion of our community, I have learned there is much more to growing a business. Doing this on my own, the road had been a long and winding one. So to meet a like-minded entrepreneur like Ambre has been such a blessing. The collaboration of Cirquinox, I believe, has truly allowed us to step to the next level through our combined passion and efforts. Whether you are a performer or a business owner, we all know there is a lot of struggle to get your first break, overcome gatekeeping, and create a respectable brand. Cirquinox’s goal is to cultivate the community of performance in CO. Everyone starts somewhere and everyone’s goals are different, but if we create together then we can make room for all of us.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Ambre: When friends or family come into town, I like to take them into the mountains! Being from Florida, where we don’t have mountains, I find them to be wondrous and magical and so I like to share that with everyone who visits. Places I like to take them to: Estes Park (Rocky Mountain National Park and the Standley Hotel), Drive up Mt Blue Sky (Evans) and Echo Lake, down to Colorado Springs to Manitou Springs, Garden of the Gods, and Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Buena Vista to the hot springs, Boulder to Pearl St, and in Denver, my favorite places are Izakaya Den and the Museum of History and Science.

Cass: I agree with Ambre, there are so many incredible outdoor activities in the gorgeous state of Colorado. I also love to explore the Denver culinary scene, so visiting a number of our amazing restaurants is a top priority for me! (ha) Some of my absolute favorites are Angelo’s Taverna, Mister Oso, and Safta! I always love to take out-of-towners to Red Rocks Amphitheatre (for a hike or a show). AND, of course, I would take them to one of the incredible performances happening in our community.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Cass: Equinox is truly built upon community; the performers, the venues, the sponsors, and the compassionate/creative collaboration of each of these elements. Particularly notable are my best friends/founding members of Equinox…they have stood by my side; year after year, gig after gig, show after show.

Ambre: My shoutout goes to my father; the one who raised me to love music and performance. When I was a child, he would bring us all together, get out his guitar, and we would sing Tom Petty songs all day! In 2013, he passed away, this experience pushed me out of my comfort zone. I had to step up and move out on my own; the time had come to figure out who I wanted to be. With $600 to my name, I took a leap and moved to Colorado.

I also want to give a shoutout to my sister, Brande Lee. She inspired me to get into the aerial and circus arts, and without her love and guidance, I wouldn’t have that part of my soul, or Circa Vida.

Website: www.circavidaentertainment.com & equinoxentertainment.co

Instagram: @circavidaentertainment & @equinoxent_co

Facebook: facebook.com/circavidaentertainment & facebook.com/equinoxentco

Image Credits
Scot Malonson Shea McGrath Steven Green Charla Harvey