Zoppé Italian Family Circus
The beloved Zoppé Italian Family Circus returns to Redwood City for its 18th year, for a show led by ringmaster Patrick McGuire and starring Nino the clown (circus director Giovanni Zoppè). The circus is rooted in old-world traditions, with a history dating back to more than a century ago in Europe, and includes performers from around the world. The show is framed around a central story (this year’s theme is “Legacy”) and involves humor, acrobatics, equestrian acts, canine performances and audience participation. Redwood City is special to the touring company – Giovanni Zoppè’s father Alberto gave his final performance there, and his eldest son, still a performer with the group along with his younger brother, was born in the city 15 years ago (and made his circus debut just six days later).
Nov. 1-30, Redwood City Main Library parking lot, 1044 Middlefield Road, Redwood City; check online for specific showtimes and ticket prices; tinyurl.com/ZoppeRWC2025
‘The Linear Edge’
For “The Linear Edge,” the newest group exhibition at Pamela Walsh Gallery, artists Myles Bennett, Michael Dickey, Miquel Gelabert and Dani Tull explore “the possibilities of line as both boundary and breakthrough,” according to the gallery’s website. Paintings, ceramics and deconstructed canvas hangings are all included in the show. “Across these works, line stretches, layers, fractures, and rebuilds – becoming a site of tension and release, where precision collides with impulse and discipline dissolves into intuition,” the website states.
Through Nov. 29, Pamela Walsh Gallery, 540 Ramona St., Palo Alto; Tuesday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; free; pamelawalshgallery.com.
Senior PACO concert
Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra’s senior PACO ensemble performs works by Antonin Dvořák, Samuel Barber and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor at its upcoming concert, titled “Connection” and led by music director Scott Krijnen. PACO is a community of five all-strings youth ensembles, with the senior group including its most experienced young musicians. The program includes Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings in E Major, Op. 22, Barber’s Adagio for Strings, Op. 11, and Coleridge-Taylor’s Four Novelletten for String Orchestra, Op. 52.
Nov. 1, 7:30 p.m., Cubberley Theatre, 4120 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto; free ($20 donation per adult is suggested); pacomusic.org.
‘Humans 2.0’
Australian performing arts company Circa, led by Yaron Lifschitz and blending elements of circus, dance and theater, brings its “Humans 2.0” program to Stanford Live. Featuring music by composer Ori Lichtik, the show is the next chapter of Circa’s “Humans,” featuring 10 performers and described by the company as “a symphony of acrobatics, sound and light” and “intimate, primal and deeply engaged with the challenge of being human.”
Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 2 at 2:30 p.m., Bing Concert Hall, 327 Lasuen St., Stanford; $36.72-$91.80; live.stanford.edu.
‘Amor! 2: Music from Brazil’
Brazilian conductor, arranger and composer Daniel Afonso joins Schola Cantorum for a concert celebrating the music of Brazil, both traditional and contemporary. The program features works by Brazilian composers, choral arrangements of favorites and traditional tunes, from sambas to lullabies and folk melodies. Schola Cantorum is a choral arts organization with multiple programs, including an auditioned chorus. The group was founded in 1964 and this concert launches its 62nd season.
Nov. 2, 4 p.m., First Congregational Church of Palo Alto, 1985 Louis Road, Palo Alto; $35; scholacantorum.org/concerts/amor2.
Storytelling Festival – Smiley Stories
The Menlo Park Library kicks off its 10th annual Storytelling Festival with a bilingual performance by Colombian artists Linda Gallo Bedoya and Jaime E. Riascos Villegas of Smiley Stories. This duo has been recognized by Colombia’s Ministry of Culture for their skills with spinning a yarn, and will present their “Short Stories for Short Legs” program which engages young listeners with songs, movement and interactive fun. The Nov. 2 event is the first in a series of eight unique storytelling events — some for young families and some more for grownups — taking place through Dec. 7 at the Menlo Park and Belle Haven libraries, plus a Dec. 5 event online. The events celebrate storytelling traditions from around the globe.
Nov. 2, 11 a.m., at the Belle Haven Library, 100 Terminal Ave., Menlo Park; free; learn more about the Storytelling Festival at menlopark.gov.
‘Creation: From Dashavatar to Elton John’
Silicon Valley-based Indian dance company TaalSutra is teaming with Peninsula Ballet Theatre for a performance that blends Indian classical dance with contemporary ballet. The companies’ partnership has roots in the annual International Dance Festival hosted each year by Peninsula Lively Arts, an umbrella performing arts organization that includes Peninsula Ballet Theatre. For this show, called “Creation: From Dashavatar to Elton John,” 50 dancers from TaalSutra will perform together with the Peninsula Ballet Theatre company. The show’s concept takes inspiration from the 10 incarnations of the Hindu god Vishnu, according to an event description, and will feature four styles of Indian dance: rhythmic Kathak from North India; graceful Odissi from East India, expressive Bharatanatyam from South India and lyrical Manipuri from Northeast India. The performance will incorporate modern references into these classical styles. Gregory Amato, artistic director for Peninsula Ballet Theatre, choreographed the show’s grand finale.
Nov. 2, 3 p.m., at College of San Mateo Theater, 1700 W. Hillsdale Blvd., San Mateo; $28.67; tugoz.com.
Gary Shteyngart
Acclaimed author Gary Shteyngart (“Super Sad True Love Story,” “Our Country Friends” and others), comes to Kepler’s to discuss his newest novel, “Vera, or Faith.” The book follows the Bradford-Shmulkin family, particularly observant young Vera, a half-Jewish, half-Korean girl who longs to make a friend, keep her parents together, and meet her birth mom. Shteyngart will be in conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Andrew Sean Greer (“Less,” “The Story of a Marriage” and more).
Nov. 3, 7 p.m., Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real #100, Menlo Park; $11.49 for students/low income tickets; $21.99 general admission; $42.99 (includes a book); eventbrite.com.
