Photos by Steven Weisz, Art Imagined
On a beautiful Fall day in Philadelphia, I met up with Nicole Burgio and Mark Wong for an informal photo shoot at Bartram Gardens. It was one of those rare moments to escape from quarantine, the stresses of daily life, and simply enjoy nature and movement.
Nicole Burgio began training in gymnastics at age 5 and pursued the sport competitively through her matriculation at Temple University, where she majored in Psychology. She was nationally ranked and competed at the elite level. Circus Arts quickly became her new passion, and she studied aerial arts at the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts while simultaneously attaining a master’s degree in Clinical and Counseling Health Psychology from the Philadelphia School of Osteopathic Medicine. After graduation, she was accepted into the New England School of Circus Arts, one of the only professional track programs in America. She majored in aerial arts and minored in partner acrobatics. Later, she pursued an extended residency in Montreal where she was mentored by top-level Ecole Nationale de Cirque coaches. After her return, Nicole was sought out by, Almanac Dance Circus Theater, who hired her as an acrobatic consultant. She quickly became an ensemble member with the company embracing acting, physical theater, and devised ensemble creation as passionately as circus arts. Nicole has toured all over the world as a circus artist performing at international festivals, theaters, cruise ships, and televised programming. She now tours her solo show xoxo moongirl which was featured at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She also facilitated the formation of the professional ensemble program at Mexico’s biggest circus school, Casa de Artes Circo Contemporaneo, and continues to teach acrobatics at the Circadium School of Contemporary Circus in Philadelphia, USA.
But back to our afternoon’s escape ….
Mark Wong’s cameo appearance…
And you never know what friends you may make along the way …
And yes, we wore masks between photos. When they were off, we were socially distanced, outdoors, and with only momentary contact – within the blink of a shutter!
We hope you enjoyed this break as well. Remember to get out once in a while, soak up the sun and simply enjoy nature.
Steven is currently the CEO of Delaware Valley on Line, one of the first regional Internet Service Provides that now focuses on business-class web hosting, design, and internet marketing. He is president and founder of Rainbow Promotions Inc., a special events and entertainment agency established in the late 70’s, that services corporate and retail accounts both locally and nationally.
Steven is the Founder of PhiladelphiaDANCE.org,the largest web presence and resource for the dance community in the greater Philadelphia region, and the Founder and Editor of The Dance Journal. His involvement in the dance community extends to being Director of Graffito Works, an international platform for dancers and performing artists to create site-specific work and to make it readily accessible to the public.
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