UniverSoul Circus is setting up its big top at Lafayette Square Mall this week, kicking off a run that began with a student preview Wednesday and continues through September 27 under the banner of its We All Belong production. Along the way, a rotating cast of Indianapolis-area civic leaders will step into the center ring as guest ringmasters, turning the circus's opening weekend into something of a local political showcase.
According to WISH-TV, the We All Belong show features aerialists from Mongolia, an Ethiopian pole act, the Zhukau swing acrobatic act from Russia, the Double Vision hand-balance duo from the Dominican Republic, and the Soul Skaters, a roller act with performers from Cuba and the United States. The lineup reflects UniverSoul's longstanding model of recruiting international performers, a circus founded in 1994 by Baltimore native and entrepreneur Cedric Walker and Calvin Dupree that launched its first run in a parking lot at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, according to the Circus Ring of Fame. The show has since grown into a long-running international big-top touring production, drawing performers from five continents, including Africa and Europe, as reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Mongolian Aerialists Meet Local Political History
The bill includes aerialists from Mongolia. That international flavor will share the spotlight with a very local cast of guest ringmasters over opening weekend, WISH-TV's report notes.
Opening night on Thursday belongs to Lorenzo Lewis, who founded The Confess Project of America in 2016 to train barbers as mental health advocates before stepping down in late 2024 to launch TCP Ventures. Lewis, who was born in prison and incarcerated as a teenager, built the organization into a network that has trained more than 1,000 barbers across 40 cities to address mental health stigma in Black communities.
Mayors Take Turns in the Ring
Saturday's noon show brings Lawrence Mayor Deborah Whitfield into the ring. Whitfield made local political history in November 2023 when she was elected the first Black mayor in Marion County's history, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal. Content creators night on Friday features Coach Trina as guest ringmaster, while the Diamond Divas of Indy dance team, Lady Continental Dance Group, and G3 Steppers rotate through pre-show entertainment slots across the weekend, WISH-TV reports.
Sunday brings its own political milestones. Marion Mayor Ronald Morrell Jr., who made state history in November 2023 as both the city's first Black mayor and the first Black Republican mayor in Indiana history according to the City of Marion, joins Mary Clark as guest ringmasters for International Night. Clark founded the International Marketplace Coalition, rebranded in 2010 from the Lafayette Square Area Coalition, a nonprofit working to transform the surrounding area into a cultural district representing over 100 languages and 130 ethnic restaurants, per the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. The Sunday noon show also features Vop Osili as guest ringmaster, alongside performances from G3 Steppers and the Diamond Divas of Indy dance team, while International Night showcases Ballet Folklórico Mosaicos and the Kwan Hui-Lion Dance troupe, per WISH-TV's rundown.
A Circus Tent on Contested Ground
Osili's appearance carries its own political weight. He served as President of the Indianapolis City-County Council from 2018 until January 2026, representing District 12, before stepping down from the presidency and announcing a bid for Mayor of Indianapolis, according to WFYI.
The circus's temporary home at Lafayette Square Mall sits inside a property navigating years of stalled redevelopment. The mall's main interior retail operations closed in 2022 amid ongoing plans, and the site has been the subject of a multi-phase overhaul first announced in November 2021 as a $200 million “Window to the World” concept from Sojos Capital principal Fabio de la Cruz, later revised in January 2024 into a nearly $1 billion master plan called “The Square,” according to Mirror Indy. With long-term construction plans still pending, the big top has become a rare burst of activity on a site otherwise waiting for its next chapter.
Tickets, Times and the Wednesday Preview
Before the public shows, students got their own preview on Wednesday when Merle Sidener Academy 59, a public magnet elementary school within Indianapolis Public Schools located at 2424 Kessler Blvd. East Drive, hosted the circus for a school-day performance, per WISH-TV. The school specializes in high-ability and gifted education.
UniverSoul Circus is holding a one-day $25 Holla Sale on Thursday, applying discounted pricing to select showtimes and seats. Regular performance times run 7 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, noon, 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays, and noon, 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Sundays, with the run continuing through September 27. Tickets start at $25 and are available through Ticketmaster or the onsite box office, and the venue offers free parking, according to WISH-TV's report.
