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The circus is coming to town, but don’t look for the big tent or the elephants. It’s a different kind of circus.

Hideaway Circus is coming to West Point Lake with shows at the Oakfuskee Conservation Center on Sep. 17 & 18.

The troupe bills itself as “a new kind of American circus” with a more modern show than your grandpa’s circus.

Creative Producer Josh Aviner said the show is different from your traditional Ringling Bros. type show.

“There’s basically two types of circuses. When people imagine it, they think of a traditional circus, which is old school sawdust, animals, clowns and an arena vibe,” Aviner said. “if you’re from an older generation, and you saw the show in the 60s, you’ll remember it in a massive tent.”

“Then more recently, there’s the modern circus movement, sort of led by Cirque du Soleil, the type of show you’ll see at a performing arts center,” Aviner said.

Aviner said he was inspired by the early American circus, before the big tents, and before the exotic animals. Just a couple dozen people traveling from town to town setting up a stage and performing a show. And then moving on after a couple of days.

“The thought for us was, how can we modernize that version of American circus? We’ve done so by combining what I think are the best elements of traditional circus and traditional circus acts with some of the really amazing things like high flying in costume and music that more contemporary companies like Cirque du Soleil have brought to the table,” Aviner said.

Aviner said the show they are currently performing, Canvas Skies follows the story of a clown who lacks confidence and isn’t sure who he is, and over the course of the show, with the help of circus artists, he realizes what makes him special is himself.

“I think having that relatable story arc is something that makes our show a little bit different from just an act,” Aviner said.

The Canvas Skies show is new for 2024 and will run through 2025. Aviner said they typically perform shows for two years before starting a new one.

Along with the trapeze artists, the show will feature some world-class juggling from Spencer Androli.

“We have a number one voted juggler in the world this year,” Aviner said. “He juggles nine balls on stage and 13 juggling clubs.”

The show features five Americans and five international performers from Argentina, Holland, Switzerland and Germany.

Aviner said the show should appeal to everyone from your grandpa who is more familiar with a classic circus to younger people who enjoy a more modern show.

“If you’re a 97-year-old and you saw Ringling under canvas, and you have an idea of what a circus act is. You’ll see something that I think you’ll relate to and recognize. And if you’re the kind of person who has a fancy art degree and only saw fancy stuff at the Performing Arts Center, you’ll see a circus act that is more avant-garde and fun and weird and inventive. So we try to get a wide range of skills and styles of presentation,” Aviner said.

Canvas Sky will be performed Sep. 17-18 at the Oakfuskee Conservation Center at Pyne Road Park. Tickets are available at hideawaycircus.com.