New Victory Arts Break: YOAH

New Victory Arts Break videos and activities are designed to have your family ready and raring for showtime before you even leave home. Here’s how to use them! All set? Then let’s get creative together and prep your kid for YOAH with the activities below.

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New Victory Arts Break videos are filmed at the New Victory Theater. We acknowledge that New Victory resides on the seized homeland of the Lenape people and the intertribal territory of many First Nations. We celebrate and pay deep respect to all Indigenous peoples, past, present and future, and we encourage you to learn more about these vibrant communities.

Did You Know?

YOAH is a dazzling modern circus from Japan. Share a few facts about the show with your kid, and take some time to watch the show trailer together.

• The show’s name, YOAH, comes from the Japanese word yoake, which means “dawn” and represents hope. The show also emphasizes the moon, which is a symbol of nature’s beauty and mystery in Japanese culture.
• YOAH is also the name of one of the characters on stage. Through circus acts shared by spiritual visitors, the performance tells the story of Yoah, a young woman who finds the strength to face the future with newfound hope.
• A contemporary circus from Japan, YOAH mixes traditional Japanese aesthetics and music with cutting-edge visual effects and electronic beats.

Try It Out!

YOAH uses lighting and projection effects to bring its mesmerizing acts to life. Work together with your family to create your very own light-up circus performance!

Siobhan and Adrian used a ball of light to create juggling illusions. What other circus skills can you mimic with a ball of light?

1. Grab a sheet and flashlight, and lower the lights to make your space dark. Hang the sheet in a doorframe or over a curtain rod.
2. Practice shining the flashlight against the sheet from different distances. Can you make it look like a ball? A ring? The moon? What else can your light do, and how can it move?
3. Throw, catch, bounce, balance—what circus acts can you conjure up? Take turns operating the flashlight and performing.

Keep playing to come up with different acts for your light-up circus. Record a short video and share your acts with family and friends!

Talk About It!

As you make your way to the theater, get your kid in a YOAH mindset with some show-themed conversation starters! Ask them:

• If you had to make a circus inspired by where your family comes from, what acts would your circus have? What would your circus look like? What music would it have?
• What do you think of when you look up at the moon? What does the moon symbolize for you?
• In learning new circus skills and connecting with nature, the main character in YOAH finds strength and hope. Where do you find hope? What are you hopeful for?
• If you had a friend who felt a little down, what would you do to cheer them up? What would cheer you up if you felt down?

And the fun doesn’t have to stop here! Follow along with New Victory Teaching Artists in a few Arts Break videos and activities from the archive that will pump up your family’s dancing and self-expression skills.

Hup! From safety basics to powerful poses, go on a partner acrobatic adventure with Gyana Mella.

Ta-da! Wow your friends and family with a bag of silly circus tricks from Hassiem Muhammad.

No scarves? No problem! From basics to bonus challenges, perfect a plastic bag juggling routine with Ben Johnson.