Meet Krista Lockwood | CIRQULAR Performance Art Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Krista Lockwood and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Krista, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important factor behind our success is teamwork with vulnerable leadership. I am the director of CIRQULAR Performance Art. We are a group of 6 circus artists that showcase our variety of talents by creating collaborative choreography. Throughout my 7 years of performing career in Fort Collins, Colorado I have had the experience of being a member of many performance troupes that never quite made it to be successful. Each one fell apart from a variety of reasons: lack of motivation, ineffective leadership, interpersonal drama, or inconsistent work ethic. I reflected on these experiences of what it felt like to be a member of a team that did not work. Learning from those lessons, I was able to curate the successful troupe that CIRQULAR Performance Art has become.

Over those years, I met and worked with a variety of performers from dancers and fire artists to aerialists and contortionists. There were certain people I gravitated towards, feeling a similar level of passion for our craft, that invigorated my creativity. Finding the right people to artistically jive with is ingredient number one.

Ingredient number two: Effective leadership. This is one that I continue to work on, learning and growing into the role. It is of utmost importance to first take care of my team emotionally. We are first and foremost friends, being in a creative business together. If we don’t maintain the relationship that we have with each other, we won’t be able to tap into that artistic creativity that is our product. Performance art is a work of love and self expression. It is uniquely an emotionally driven form of work.

As the leader of a group of artists, it is important that I take everyone as individuals. I address each of their unique needs by recognizing what it is that motivates them to be a part of our team. Some members have a drive for perfection and inherent discipline for training our craft. Other members find fulfillment from being a part of our community and having the support of friendship in life. Once I was able to discern these different motivations, I put effort into ensuring each person has their needs met.

Another factor in effective leadership is setting an example. I work incredibly hard and my team recognizes that and matches that work ethic. I also strive to set an example of empathy. When we are willing to put effort into understanding and listening to each other, we feel a sense of comfort and closeness. The more you invest in other people, the more they will give to you in return.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
CIRQULAR Performance Art is a collective of movement artists based in Fort Collins, Colorado who specialize in circus performance. We are made up of a group of like-minded professional aerialists, fire dancers, contortionists, and belly dancers who aim to inspire our community to celebrate the creativity that resides inside every person. Our goal is to incite the spark of passion and promote self-expression among our audience while honoring all forms of movement as art.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Eat brunch at Lucille’s, take a hike up to Horsetooth Rock, then go see a CIRQULAR Performance Art show at The Lyric!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shoutout to the wonderful team of CIRQULAR Performance Art: Alyssa Graziano, Kim Freedman, Angela Nelson, Misty Moon, & Corinne Watson

Instagram: www.instagram.com/cirqular.performanceart

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cirqular.PerformanceArt

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4hYzspTsPS5fP0EIDe5GKg

Image Credits
Backstage Flash