Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Zutell & Lauren Hernandez-Rubio
Hi Andrew & Lauren, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Out on a Limb Circus Arts is a highly-respected, high-end specialty entertainment company in the southeast. It began as a collaboration between close friends in the performing arts community in Charleston, SC. Andrew Zutell had been teaching, practicing, and performing partner acrobatics for over 15 years, having gotten his start in the world of circus in New Orleans, LA, with groups such as Carl Mack Presents!, AcroNOLA, LA Motion, Fly Circus Salon, Cirque D’Licious, and many others. After moving to Charleston and leading the AcroCharleston community group, Andrew met award-winning dance teacher and champion pole performer, Maddie Melotte, a multi-disciplinary movement artist specializing in dance, flexibility, and pole and lyra. Andrew and Maddie began training and performing their signature Acro Duo act, which quickly led them to stage performances around the Charleston area and beyond. They soon teamed up with aerialist and performer Lauren Hernandez-Rubio, who catapulted the troupe to new heights with her leadership to include a variety of aerial arts and other specialty entertainment concepts which have become signature offerings of the business. Lauren, who specializes in lyra, duo trapeze, and acro dance, has been a staple of the regional aerial scene over the last 6 years, creating and performing a variety of high-flying original acts. Each member of the collective brings their own strengths, expertise, and background to the enterprise: Andrew is the client liaison, emcee, and “face” of the business; Lauren is the head of operations, management, costuming, and coordination; Maddie is the lead, star performer as well as an instructor and creative consultant. Over the last 2 years, the troupe has grown substantially to include over 20 additional performers and acts, including: fire performers, LED flow artists, costumed characters, stilt walkers, jugglers, dancers, models, body painters, musicians, DJs, yoga instructors, and more. We have also elevated our signature offerings by investing in the best possible costuming and equipment, and by continuing to train multiple times per week with professional circus coaches and dance instructors. This year, we have continued to expand the business into new ventures: producing our own large-scale events, creating official merchandise, launching our international circus arts retreats. and partnering with other creatives and businesses such as Lazer-Catcher, Red Devil Events, and Big Hair Productions.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Since starting Out on a Limb Circus Arts in 2022, we have experienced consistent and substantial growth. We have been getting bigger and better event bookings all the time as well as repeat business from happy clients. We continue to add to our amazing roster of talent, expanding our services and offerings. We have also started some exciting new ventures with the business, producing our own large-scale events and running an annual international circus arts retreat in Costa Rica.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Out on a Limb Circus Arts?
Out on a Limb is a collective of circus arts performers based out of Charleston, SC. Our mission is to provide spectacular entertainment for a variety of events and venues with acrobatics, aerial arts, fire/LED performances, costumed characters, stilt-walkers, dancers, models, musicians, and more. Our troupe provides a diversity of performance styles to choose from including fun, family-friendly acts, holiday-themed numbers, elevated corporate offerings, party/nightlife offerings, and everything in between. In addition to performing and producing events, Out on a Limb also offers classes, workshops, retreats, and private lessons. Out on a Limb boasts a roster of world-class talent led by Dr. Andrew Zutell and Dr. Lauren Hernandez-Rubio. This dynamic duo has more than 20 years combined experience performing and teaching acrobatics and circus arts—in Charleston and around the world. Along with co-founder Maddie Melotte, they started Out on a Limb from a vision to build community among performing artists across the Lowcountry and to share their passion for circus with audiences everywhere. Out on a Limb has been featured at many notable events and venues including The Music Farm, House of Blues, The Refinery, Charleston PRIDE, The Wonderer, The Gatsby Gala, Festival Hall, The Charleston Wine and Food Festival, Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co., The Barbie Party (official), The South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston Beer Fest, The American Lung Association’s Oxygen Ball at The Gaillard, Charleston County School District’s Arts Week, Make-a-Wish Foundation’s Annual Fundraising Gala, and many, many more.
As a talent agency providing specialty event entertainment, we are most proud of our amazing team of performing artists. The caliber of our talent is what sets Out on a Limb Circus Arts apart. Our brand is best known for professionalism and “over-delivering” for our clients. And, in addition to getting booked for events, we are also expanding the scope and vision for our business by producing our own events, working with major music festivals, and running destination retreats.
How do you define success?
We define success along three axes: the team, the client, and the audience. As a business, we want to deliver amazing services for our clients and support their vision for their event(s). As performing artists, we want to dazzle audiences with our breathtaking circus arts performances. As a team, we consider the safety and well-being of our performers as a top priority. There is inherent risk in our work (acrobatic and aerial arts, fire performing, etc.); careful planning, top-tier equipment, proper licensing and permitting, consistent rehearsals, and regular meetings and check-ins are all part of keeping the team safe, and, for us, success starts there.
Pricing:
- Specialty Event Entertainment
- $2,000 – $20,000
- Pricing depends on location, equipment needed, as well as the type and number of performers/acts.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.outonalimbcircus.com
- Instagram: @outonalimb.circus
- Other: https://www.outonalimbcircus.com/retreats
