Photo courtesy Don Sparhawk / Public Relations

Inflatable theater comes to BYU-Idaho

Gloria Layton LAY04003@BYUI.EDU A&E Asst. Editor

Fight off the winter blues by watching the buoyant entertainment of Fred Garbo, the inflatable vaudevillian, and Daielma Santos, dancer and choreographer, Jan. 13 and 14.

In Fred Garbo Inflatable Theater, Garbo and Santos perform in colorful, inflatable costumes of their own invention. The program also includes physical comedy, dancing and juggling.

Fred Garbo Inflatable Theater has toured in places all around the world including Chile, Japan, Europe and Australia, winning praise and affection from many audiences.

“There are gasps from the audience one minute and guffaws the next … as beauty collapses into slapstick and is resurrected again for another item,” according to The Western Australian.

Garbo and Santos have also performed together on The Late Show with David Letterman, on Broadway and at the Kennedy Center.

Garbo has performed on Sesame Street as an acrobat inside the Barkley the Dog costume and on Broadway as the chief juggler in the musical Barnum. For the past 15 years he has been inventing inflatable costumes and props with artist and builder George York.

Santos was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and has trained as a ballerina at the Royal Academy of Dance of London, at Michigan University and with director Tony Montanaro. In Brazil, Santos was principal ballerina with the Opera Paulista II dance company. From The Nutcracker to The Inflatable Living Project, Santos has also been a choreographer and performer all across the Americas and Europe. She has also recently become an American citizen.

The performance will take place in the Kirkham Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 13 and 14.

Tickets will go on sale Jan. 9 at the BYU-Idaho Ticket Office or online at www.byui.edu/tickets. The cost is $4 for BYU-I students and $8 for the community.