ExxonMobil Discovery Series: TILT!

Introducing 5th Graders to the World of the Performing Arts

Arts Partner: Cirque Mechanics
Fine Arts, Science, Math, STEAM

A visually inventive circus experience rooted in American ingenuity, blending mechanical marvels, storytelling, and acrobatics to celebrate creativity, collaboration, and innovation.

Learn More about the Hobby Center’s educational programming and future opportunities for Houston school districts.

This project is supported in part by an award from the Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs and Mid-America Arts Alliance and The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion 2025 BIG grant.

About Cirque Mechanics

Cirque Mechanics was founded in 2004 by Boston native and German Wheel artist, Chris Lashua, after the success of a collaborative project with the Circus Center of San Francisco entitled Birdhouse Factory. Cirque Mechanics quickly established itself as a premiere American circus, with its unique approach to performance, inspiring storytelling, and innovative mechanical staging. Spectacle Magazine hailed it as “the greatest contribution to the American circus since Cirque du Soleil.”

Cirque Mechanics, although inspired by modern circus, finds its roots in the mechanical and its heart in the stories of American ingenuity. The shows, rooted in realism, display a raw quality, rarely found in modern circus, that makes their message timeless and relevant.  The stories are wrapped in circus acrobatics, mechanical wonders, and a bit of clowning around. The troupe has created five extraordinary productions; Birdhouse Factory, Boomtown, Pedal Punk, 42FT- A Menagerie of Mechanical Marvels, and, most recently, the wind-inspired Zephyr.