Circus Schools Teach Trapeze, Clowning, Juggling
St. Louis Museum Offers Training in Circus Performance for All Ages
Aug 5, 2009
Circus Day has been in the business of teaching circus arts in St. Louis since 2001. Under the direction of Jessica Hentoff and with assistance from dozens of instructors who have performed in some of the greatest circus acts around the world, students of all ages learn not only the techniques of a circus-style performance, but also the history of the circus and the art of life.
"Circus is a combination of theatre, dance, sport and music," says Hentoff. She teaches classes as team building exercises in the workplace, for family reunions and girlfriend getaways, or just for individuals who always had the dream of running away to the circus and never did.
At the end of every class, the student performers have the opportunity appear in acts in a real circus show before a live audience at the City Museum.
Five Disciplines of Circus Performance
The entertainment offered at a circus is often called many things, but can be categorized in five distinct disciplines, according to Hentoff. Acrobatics, equilibristics, clowning, aerial and object manipulation.
- Aerial is the trapeze. Trapeze artists are also acrobats and equilibrists, but they are the ones who fly through the air with the greatest of ease.
- Equilibristism is balancing, whether it is on a highwire, stilts, a big ball or a uni-cycle.
- Acrobats can be everything from contortionists (people who bend their bodies in unimaginable angles) to tumbling acts,
- Object manipulation is everything from juggling to sword swallowing. It's not as easy as it looks.
- Clowning is often a combination of all of the above with the goal of making people laugh or distracting the audience while another task is being accomplished under the big tent.
Teaching Social Skills Through Circus Arts
Trust is key in learning circus arts, particularly when swinging from a trapeze and trusting that the person charged with catching actually does so. Discipline, persistence, patience, teamwork, these are skills necessary to achieve success in almost all sport or activities, but for some, particularly children and teenagers, the additional rewards found in a performance environment like the circus are an appropriate motivational tool.
City Museum in St. Louis
Circus Harmony is one of several interactive activities in St. Louis' imaginative City Museum. Located in a former shoe factory, the museum is nine stories of unexpected fun. Slides, tunnels, architectural exhibits, hands on crafts and more all come from recycled urban fixtures under the guidance of artist Bob Cassilly.
Part of the fun is just walking around and trying to figure out what one particular item might have been in its former life.
But don't think this is just for kids. The museum is extremely popular on date night and closes a couple of nights each month for adults-only, flashlight activities.
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