Building a new kind of circus: The vision of UNCSA alum Houston Odum

Under the bright, soaring lights of a Cirque du Soleil stage, nine-year-old Houston Odum sat in awe. It was there, at a performance of “La Nouba” in Orlando, that a lifelong love for live entertainment — and a bold dream to create his own path in the circus arts — took root. That early spark led Odum (B.F.A. Design & Production, ’22) to UNCSA, where he honed the creative and technical skills and met the lifelong connections that led to his independent production company, Circus EVO. 

Shortly after “La Nouba,” Odum began juggling — a passion that would shape his life for the next decade. He trained intensely, participated in competitions and festivals, and entered the international juggling scene. Yet juggling and circus often felt like separate worlds. Unlike other performing arts, juggling had a technical, non-performance-focused subculture. Odum found himself drawn more to the creation of circus rather than to performing. 

Shaping dreams, finding direction

His aspirations led him to UNCSA after high school — the only arts school he applied to for college. During his interview with the School of Design & Production faculty, Odum realized a career in the circus industry was truly possible. Receiving the Kenan Excellence Scholarship solidified his path, and his time at UNCSA became a domino effect of opportunity. Initially entering as a stage management major, he quickly felt the absence of creative freedom and transitioned to studying scene design — a blend of technical and artistic disciplines that proved invaluable to his future work. 

At 19 years old, Odum took his first professional step into directing with a Charlotte-based contemporary circus company. What began as a stage management role evolved into a directing opportunity. Despite the intense conservatory schedule, he took breaks from school to direct performances, supported by his professors. His efforts helped secure large grants, allowing him to collaborate with high-caliber artists from the United States, France and Argentina. This experience expanded Odum’s artistic vision and exposed him to a new level of technical and creative excellence. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, industry uncertainty forced Odum to rethink his trajectory. He secured an opportunity to shadow the Acrobatic Equipment Team for a new Montreal production, but the pandemic halted everything. Determined to continue growing, he used a special grant from the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts to collaborate with a researcher at the École Nationale de Cirque in Montreal. This project helped him focus his artistic goals around transforming public spaces through circus performance. 

Growing a company, building a team

Inspired by the possibilities, Odum recruited a world-renowned hand-balancer and contortionist, as well as two UNCSA students — a contemporary dancer and a violinist. Together, they created a 15-minute show and performed across five locations in Winston-Salem, stirring raw emotions and leaving audiences in tears. From the beginning, Odum made it a priority to incorporate fellow UNCSA alumni and current students into his work. 

Encouraged by the success of the project, Odum and his team sought additional funding and received an invitation to perform at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a large sculpture installation as part of Greensboro’s Downtown Greenway. Their performance captivated city officials and an audience of 500. With new momentum, they secured seven additional outdoor performances, reaching 2,000 people during the height of the pandemic. 

Building on their momentum, Odum and his team earned a four-month artists' residency at Greensboro Downtown Parks, where they pushed the boundaries of circus and performance art in the Triad. Experimenting with new equipment — including a Chinese pole — they expanded their creative vocabulary and began imagining a new kind of production.  

Odum collaborated closely with fellow UNCSA alum and longtime creative partner Amanda Fisk (B.F.A. ’22, Design & Production), whose lighting design helped shape the team’s distinct theatrical style. Their evolving vision caught the attention of the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, whose support helped bring their ideas to life. In early 2022, their first touring production launched — and with it, Circus EVO was born. 

Evoking emotions, evolving the arts

Today, Odum is Circus Evo's Founder and Artistic Director, and Fisk serves as the Creative Director and Light Designer. The company operates independently, with ticket sales sustaining the company and allowing it to tour across multiple states without relying on grants. Odum vision is clear: to build a company where artists want to work, contribute creatively and perform authentically. His creative approach embraces spontaneity, empowering artists to shape each show and allowing for surprising, genuine moments onstage, and he continues to prioritize working with fellow UNCSA alumni and students. 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Houston Odum (@houstonodum)

 

The company’s name reflects Odum’s mission to evoke emotions and evolve circus arts. As the company expands its touring schedule, its full-length production, “Solstice,” promises an immersive experience that blends circus, dance, theatre and music into a captivating 75- to 90-minute live event. Meanwhile, Odum and his team continue to find new ways to bridge the gap between art and community. 

For aspiring UNCSA students, Odum offers this advice: “Listen to everything and don’t listen to anything at the same time.” His experience at UNCSA opened unconventional pathways to success, and he is determined to grow Circus EVO into an internationally recognized performance company while staying true to the artists who have been part of the journey from the beginning. 

by Rebecca Burkeen

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