WQED adds Pittsburgh circus story to its Digital Docs series

Did you know there’s a subculture of circus performers living in Pittsburgh?

Their story is told in “Pittsburgh Circus,” a new addition to WQED’s Digital Docs series of short documentaries produced for digital distribution.

Usually less than 10 minutes long, the videos are available exclusively at wqed.org/digitaldocs.

WQED says the new documentary “takes a deep dive into the world of jugglers, fire breathers, aerialists and more. Meet the people who can turn a wedding into a big top event, heat up a party, or take ballet to new heights.”

The documentaries cover a wide range of topics including history, sports, medicine and human interest, WQED says, with the shorter length lending itself to social media sharing and classroom viewing.

“These docs have a far broader reach in the digital world beyond Pittsburgh. And their shorter length appeals to new demographics who watch video differently than traditional television viewers do,” according to Executive Producer David Solomon.

Digital Docs are released every month. Previously released titles, and their descriptions, include:

• “A Crowning Achievement” — In the early 20th century, so-called “beauty pageants” became popular in America — from small towns to the national stage. But for decades, young women of color were not welcome. Jean Bryant worked to change that. At 87, she reflects on founding African American youth pageants, and a life of fighting racial injustice through activism and journalism in Pittsburgh.

• “Ride to Rescue” — Its mission is simple: volunteers working to save homeless pets across the United States and beyond. Animal Lifeline Pittsburgh provides help for at-risk animals through a number of programs including its Ride-to-Rescue, food bank, fostering and adoptions. Watch a rescue van arrive, meet local people who foster and adopt and visit a unique thrift store in Homestead, where all sales support the animals.

• “En Pointe: Black Dancers, Black History” — The focus is on the history and evolution of Black dancers. Author and dance historian Brenda Dixon Gottschild is featured as she visits Point Park University, home of the well-respected Conservatory of Performing Arts (COPA), to discuss her latest book, “Joan Myers Brown and the Audacious Hope of the Black Ballerina.” In addition, meet diverse students as they train at COPA, and discover how these young dancers of color are shattering stereotypes and prejudice, and shaping the future of dance.

• “The Hunger Lesson” — Anne Frank is the most widely-read diarist of the Holocaust. But students are also reading “The Diary of Anonymous Girl,” which describes a family’s devastating hunger during food rationing in Poland’s Lodz ghetto. With help from Classrooms Without Borders, Pittsburgh-area middle school students are learning first-hand what the well-worn phrase, “I’m starving,” meant for teens who actually lived that terror. WQED visits the Ryan Gloyer Middle School in the Seneca Valley School District, where students are getting a lesson in true hunger.