Endless possibilities: Omnium Circus brings its 'I'mPossible' to Popejoy Hall for St. Patrick's Day show

Lisa B. Lewis has lived the circus life for decades.

Yet there was something missing.

Her career in circus arts led Lewis to create a traveling show that is all-inclusive in 2020. The result is Omnium Circus.

“It’s an all human show,” Lewis says. “I think we’re about 17 people deep in the company. I started it because I’ve been in the circus for many years and I wanted all people to experience a circus like this.”

Omnium Circus is bringing “I’mPossible” to Popejoy Hall at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 17.

“I’mPossible” — featuring Indigenous performer Stephanie Morphet Tepp, known as “The Flying Brain” — was created specifically for audiences of all abilities, to ensure that everyone can enjoy the wonder and excitement of the circus.

Lewis always loved the circus as a child.

By the time she was in college, a roommate wanted to teach her how to juggle.

It was around that same time, there were auditions for clown college.

“I went for it and got into that college,” Lewis says. “I got my degree in stage management and then later I got my master’s degree in circus history.”

The biggest misconception about the circus lifestyle is that it’s chaotic.

“It’s the opposite,” she says. “We’re incredibly well organized and with Omnium we are reinventing the circus model. Twenty-five percent of our performing company are persons with disabilities. We work with schools for the blind and schools for the deaf to give them opportunities to be included.”

Lewis says Omnium Circus has been dubbed “the world’s most inclusive circus” and features a diverse mosaic of performers who are among the finest circus artists in the world including gravity-defying aerial acts, mind-blowing contortion, unbelievable acrobatics, hysterical comedy, dazzling dancers and much more.

In “I’mPossible,” Omnium reimagines the art form of circus for 21st century audiences and brings a new kind of excitement, thrills and joy to people of all ages.

“It’s a circus adventure where there are no limits, no boundaries and no barriers,” she says. “Omnium is the only circus in the world to be presented bilingually in English and American Sign Language,” she says.

Audience accessibility includes live audio description, tactile experiences, relaxed seating for neurodiverse and sensory sensitive audience members and other accommodations truly make Omnium a live experience that has been specifically created to be enjoyed by all.

“There’s so much going on in the world that this helps give some hope,” she says. “We found one seed and planted it. We can find one moment in time where we can all be together and enjoy the talents of all the performers. ”