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(Photo by Pedro Greig)

White Bird welcomes Australian contemporary circus company, Circa, with their program HUMANS.

After an absence of five years, White Bird is delighted to present the return of the world-famous Australian contemporary circus company, Circa, with the West Coast premiere of their astonishing new work HUMANS. Since 2004, from its base in Brisbane, Australia, Circa has toured the world—performing in 39 countries to over a million people. As was the case in Portland in 2013, with their White Bird debut, Circa’s movement-based circus works have been greeted with standing ovations, rave reviews and sold-out houses across six continents. Under the direction of circus visionary Yaron Lifschitz, Circa’s HUMANS features an ensemble of 10 exceptional, multi-skilled circus artists whose physicality and artistry are put to the test in Lifschitz’ newest work.

Yaron Lifschitz

An article in the Australian Jewish News says: Lifschitz looks back on his career with lots of pride, as do his Jewish parents who may initially have preferred him to be a doctor.

Circa is at the forefront of the new wave of contemporary Australian circus—pioneering how extreme physicality can create powerful and moving performances. Circa pushes the boundaries of the art form, blurs the lines between movement, dance, theatre and circus, and leads the way with a diverse range of thrilling creations that ‘redraw the limits to which circus can aspire“ (The Age).

Over the course of 70 nail-biting minutes, HUMANS explores the limits of human physicality and perseverance. The stage remains stripped bare as the vulnerability of the artists is left exposed throughout this thrilling work. Seamlessly moving from one breathtaking acrobatic act to the next, HUMANS challenges both the artists and the audience members to answer the questions “what does it mean to be human? How can you express the very essence of this experience with your body, with the group and with the audience? Where are your limits, what extraordinary things can you achieve and how can you find grace in your inevitable defeat?” Lifschitz uses this work to report on what it means to be human. “In our limitations are our possibilities,” he says. It is “precisely because we are human that our physical achievements acquire dignity, meaning and poetry. It is in connection to our vulnerability that our strength finds its true articulation.”

In its glowing review, The Guardian (UK) sums up the power and beauty of HUMANS: “Circa’s brand new production Humans is the five-star favorite: a clear demonstration of the artistry of circus and its potential to draw together multiple theatrical forms. What I adored was its fluid take on humanity and gender roles: women caught men falling backwards; men leapt towards and were caught by men. As the ensemble moved themselves into sculptural, abstract shapes, reaching higher to the ceiling for the denouement, I felt moved by their vulnerable, collective humanity.”

Circa’s Artistic Director Yaron Lifschitz is a graduate of the University of New South Wales, University of Queensland, and National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA), where he was the youngest director ever accepted into its prestigious graduate director’s course. Since graduating, Yaron has directed over 60 productions including large-scale events, opera, theatre, physical theatre, and circus. His work has been seen in 39 countries and across six continents by over one million people and has won numerous awards including six Helpmann awards and the Australia Council Theatre Award. He is currently Artistic Director and CEO of Circa, and was the Creative Director of Festival 2018: the arts and cultural program of the 21st Commonwealth Games. In 2018, Yaron directed four new Circa creations, and a new production of Idomeneo which opened in Lisbon at The Teatro Nacional de São Carlos.

White Bird’s 21^st season (2018-19) is supported by the Regional Arts & Culture Council, including support from the City of Portland, Multnomah County and the Arts Education & Access Fund; Work for Art; The James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, and Oregon Arts Commission.

3rd Annual Portland Young Adult Latke Ball

Join us for the annual Latke Ball! Come celebrate Chanukah with food, friends, games, drinks, and dancing.

Cost: $15/advance, $18/door.
(Includes entry, hors d’oeuvres, one drink ticket, cash bar, live DJ, and more!)

At the The Eleanor* (1605 NW Everett St, Portland, OR 97209)
*Valid I.D. is required at this venue. Must be 21 or older.

Check out the event on Facebook!

Tickets: http://oregonjcc.org/latkeball

Hosted by the MJCC, BB Camp, and Jews Next Dor. In partnership with Moishe House PDX. Sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland.

Sunday, April 7: Serve Meals at Oregon Food Bank

At Portland and Beaverton Locations
Space is limited. Pre-registration required by April 4.
Shifts are 1:00 – 3:30 pm.

Please RSVP to Lenny Steinberg at lsteinberg@oregonjcc.org with your full name, email address, preferred location and any guests that will be joining you.

Check out all of our volunteer opportunities for Good Deeds Month: HERE

Sunday, April 14: Passover Box Assembly

At the Mittleman Jewish Community Center

Event schedule (shifts):
8:00 – 9:00 am: Setup and build boxes
9:00 – 11:00 am: Pack boxes
10:30 – 11:30 am: Send off drivers to deliver boxes

RSVP by emailing jonperrin@gmail.com with the following information:

• Do you want to build boxes/help with setup, pack boxes, or deliver boxes?
• How many people will be helping, including total number of adults and children.
• If you choose to deliver, how many boxes can you take in your vehicle? (boxes are approximately a 2 ft cube)

Check out all of our opportunities to participate in Good Deeds Month: HERE

Sunday, April 28: Beautify Grounds of Oregon Holocaust Memorial

At Washington Park
Space is limited to 20 people per shift. Pre-registration required by April 26.
Shifts are 9:00 – 11:00 am, and 12:00 – 2:00 pm.
Register for this event here.

In partnership with the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education.

Check out all of our opportunities to participate in Good Deeds Month: HERE

Magevet – Yale University’s Jewish A Capella Singing Group – Performing LIVE at the MJCC!

Tuesday, May 28, 7:00 pm

Cost: $15 per adult, $10 per youth (ages 18 and under). Tickets: www.oregonjcc.org/concert

Founded in 1993, Magevet is one of the nation’s premiere Jewish a cappella singing groups. A coed ensemble comprised of undergraduate students at Yale University, Magevet is known for its sweet blend of voices, unique arrangements, and lighthearted sense of humor.

​The group’s diverse repertoire spans modern Israeli pop and Renaissance choral pieces to Yiddish folk tunes and Zionist classics. The members of Magevet are equally diverse: engineers and historians, Jews and Gentiles, New Yorkers and Californians, all united by camaraderie and a love of singing.

Magevet is devoted to spreading Jewish music to the far corners of the globe, and embarks on two major tours each year, in addition to regular performances throughout the Northeast. In the past few years, their tours have brought them all over the United States and Canada, as well as to Europe, Africa, South America, and Israel.

Magevet is, incidentally, the Hebrew word for “towel.” The founding members of the group are in near-complete disagreement about what inspired them to choose such an unusual name for an a cappella group, though many of their accounts involve a sauna.

For more information on Magevet, click HERE!

Supported by the Kostiner Cultural Education Fund.

Young Adults Walking Tour of Jewish PDX

Take a walking tour of South Portland through old Jewish neighborhoods. For 20s, 30s, and 40s.

5:30 pm Happy Hour
6:30 pm Tour Begins

Meet at Lair Hill Bistro.

Cost: $7 per person (includes first drink and appetizers). Register at: oregonjcc.org/yawalkingtour

Co-sponsored by the MJCC, JFGP, and OJMCHE.