When Orcas Center Executive Director Kara O’Toole asks people what they want to see more of on stage, she regularly hears: how about a circus?

That desire is becoming a reality with the arrival of the Acrobatic Conundrum, a group of six circus performers from Seattle who have begun touring their work internationally.

“What I love about Acrobatic Conundrum is that they are a contemporary circus arts company dedicated to creating performance experiences that amaze audiences,” O’Toole said. “And they are equally dedicated to a vision of human courage, connection and collaboration.”

“The Language of Chance: An Evening of Circus” will be presented on the main stage Saturday, April 4 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25, $19 Orcas Center members and $11 for students.

Come early and enjoy Burgers and Brew from the Lower Tavern the night of the show at 5:30 p.m. The cost is $15 at the door, in the Madrona Room.

For an invited group of Maria Bullock’s advanced aerial silks students, Acrobatic Conundrum’s director Terry Crane is going to teach a private aerial “ropes” master class while on the island.  The Acrobatic Conundrum was founded in 2012 by Terry Crane and Joselynn Engstrom. They are dedicated to creating performance experiences that they say “engage and amaze audiences.”

The company blurs the lines between dance, theater and circus to invent their own form of storytelling with high-caliber acrobatics, aerial artistry and hilarious clownery. They have performed in various venues around the Pacific Northwest, headlined the Chicago Contemporary Circus Festival and was a featured performer at the Vancouver CircusFest.

Comprised of two new works by different directors, the Orcas Center show has been created exclusively for the troupe. Both pieces are inspired by themes from “The Library of Babel,” written by magical realist author Jorge Luis Borges.

Seattle choreographer/director KT Niehoff created the first piece, “A Book is not a Ladder,” in which contemporary dance and circus meld in a visually stunning world. Niehoff designed the striking set and costumes, and made the original sound score in collaboration with electronic musician Pietro Ravanni. In the piece, the acrobats find themselves at odds between the sensations of falling forever, and the Sisyphean task of looking for story in a nonsensical world.

Elizabeth Klob – director of the Seattle-based UMO Ensemble – created the second piece in collaboration with the company. “Secret Passages” evokes a tale of missed connections and serendipitous endings, told through physical theater, clown and circus arts. With an original scenography and music by Ravanni, the piece transports viewers on an unexpected, labyrinthine journey.

“I am really pleased to bring this circus to Orcas audiences, and I can’t wait to be thrilled by them,” O’Toole said.