Next Saturday, April 15, The American Youth Circus Organization is hosting a Regional Festival. This day-long event, in partnership with the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts, brings youth circus practitioners from all over the Mid-Atlantic region to partake in workshops, and to perform in a special showcase at the end of the event.
The activities on that date are open to children new to circus, as well as those already enrolled and who are familiar with circus, gymnastics, parkour and other physical activities.
As a release states, while already-experienced circus kids will be able to take workshops such as “Club Passing” and “Creative Hoop Sequencing”, there is also a wide array of workshops for those who are new to circus, including “Intro to Aerial Silks”, “Trampoline for Beginners” and “Juggling 101.”
“Youth circus festivals give kids who love circus arts a chance to make new friends, learn new skills, show off what they know, and feel a part of a larger community,” says AYCO Executive Director Tara Jacob in a statement.
Other activities being showcased include balancing skills (such as rolling globe, rolla bolla, tightwire, slackline, unicycling and stilt walking) and object manipulation (think plate spinning, diabolo, devil/flower sticks, poi spinning, hula hooping, and contact juggling.)
There are also opportunities to fly high with aerial techniques such as trapeze (static, flying, dance/single-point), fabric (silks, tissue), hoop (lyra), rope (corde lisse), and other apparatuses (sling, hammock, cloudswing, rectangle, sliding trapeze, ladder, perch, tippy lyra, triple trapeze, etc.) Acrobatics courses will also feature tumbling, partner acrobatics, group pyramids, handstands, and hand balancing.
A full schedule and more information (such as the full roster of teachers) can be found online.
The American Youth Circus Organization was founded in 1998, connecting circus schools around the United States, a release continues. Its mission is to promote the participation of youth in circus arts and support circus educators.
Participation for this event includes kids, teens, and young adults who practice or perform circus arts through an organization, at camp, school, college, or in a professional circus setting.
Then to cap off the day, the showcase, taking place at 6:15 p.m., is a collection of the most talented youth circus performers in the region, and it is open to the public. Tickets are $10 at the door.
Registration for the full day is $100, and there are discounts available for AYCO members and current PSCA students. Festival attendees, ages 8 and up, can register now to attend at americanyouthcircus.
