What child hasn't dreamed of running away and joining the circus at one point in their life?
The brightly colored tents, the live audience and the thrill of being up on stage performing the impossible is exciting and exhilarating, and it's exactly the type of experience that Circus Smirkus allows children from all around the world to Become involved in.
Circus Smirkus was founded in 1987 by a man named Rob Mermin, who spent his youth in Europe performing traditional mud-show circuses.
"He came back with a passion to start a circus for kids in the middle of nowhere in Vermont," says Robert Sanson, a parent volunteer with Waldorf School and father of one of the circus's performers. "Everybody said he was crazy, but he did it. He ended up teaching farm kids how to juggle, and eventually other kids were attracted and they started doing the tour."
For over twenty years Circus Smirkus has toured New England, giving kids between the ages of 10 and 18 the chance to learn traditional circus arts and to perform in a completely original show in front of live audiences. Out of hundreds of audition tapes sent in each year, only 25 to 30 kids are accepted to perform in the final show after attending three weeks of intensive training in Vermont before they hit the road. But just because these kids are young doesn't mean they're putting on an amateur show.
"It's brilliant. It's original creative direction each year - original artistic production, original composition of music and costumes. It's kind of like a mini Cirque du Soleil, but it's a little more fun. I'm always blown away with what they come up with," Gina Michelin, the Development Director from Waldorf School said.
This year the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs took to the challenge of bringing the group to the Saratoga Springs and with the help of sponsors such as the Saratoga Springs Rotary Club and the Golub Foundation, the school was able to welcome Circus Smirkus to the Saratoga Springs Race Course for two action packed days. But arranging to pay for the circus's fees, obtaining the proper permits, promoting the show and finding places for the performers to stay wasn't all that Waldorf was able to contribute. The school was proud to announce this year that two of its students, Taylor Wright-Sanson, 17, who will be a senior next semester at Waldorf, and Emmanuel Ribereau, also 17 and a former exchange student with Waldorf from France, were accepted to tour with the show.
Taylor Wright-Sanson is in his fourth year of performing with Circus Smirkus, whose interest in the circus arts began when he received a unicycle for Christmas several years ago.
"I got a unicycle for Christmas when I was like 13 years old and just learned how to ride it in my kitchen during the winter," Wright-Sanson said. "It was easy because I could hold on to all the counters on both sides to stop myself from falling. I saw a video of a guy doing some tricks and I picked them up pretty easily and kept on practicing before I auditioned for the circus."
Like Wright-Sanson, Ribereau is also a unicyclist.
"I started when I was nine years old, and five years later I saw a video on the internet and I began doing some tricks," Ribereau said. "Last year because of my exchange, I met Taylor."
Together the two boys honed their skills, and even collaborated on their audition tapes for Circus Smirkus when they met up in Switzerland during Wright-Sanson's exchange earlier this year. And although Ribereau was already back in France when the show was set to begin, he's decided to make the special trip back to the States to perform with the group.
"It's completely a new world for me," Ribereau said of joining the circus and touring the Northeast. "I really like it so far. I like meeting new people, and it's great for my knowledge of the U.S."
For Ribereau, the biggest challenge of performing a staggering 70 shows over seven weeks with the circus is recreating the excitement and initial energy of his first performance every time.
"You have to have the energy to do a show every day, the same show. But you have to find a way to do it in an interesting way without getting bored. It's the first time for the audience, so to do it interesting for me and the audience is most important to me. And to be able to bring the same energy as the first time we did the opening show," Ribereau said.
"I love going out there and performing for the audience," Wright-Sanson added. "One of my favorite things to do is to look out into the audience and find people's expressions while we're doing things. Because some are excited, some are terrified, some are skeptical, some are laughing. It's fabulous. Sometimes there are people who you see that aren't clapping, and I try to look at them and get them to clap. It's really fun when you can get them on your side."
For Wright-Sanson, traveling with the circus is a bizarre and wonderful experience, one which he said he could see himself doing professionally in a few years time.
"It's really great being able to travel. We go to the next place, set up the tent, and inside it always looks the same. So it almost feels like we're just back where we started until we step out and suddenly we're in this new town," Wright-Sanson said. "I feel pretty comfortable now. I don't ever really feel nervous. I feel excited."
Ribereau, who is still in his first year with Circus Smirkus, said that while he still gets nervous from time to time, he's starting to settle in now that the show is in full swing.
"Sometimes I'm nervous, but it's getting better," he said. As for his future in the circus, Ribereau said one thing is for sure. "I'm going to keep practicing on the unicycle."
For more information on Circus Smirkus, or to see when and where the group is set to perform next, you may visit them on the web at www.smirkus.org.
Circus Smirkus was founded in 1987 by a man named Rob Mermin, who spent his youth in Europe performing traditional mud-show circuses.
"He came back with a passion to start a circus for kids in the middle of nowhere in Vermont," says Robert Sanson, a parent volunteer with Waldorf School and father of one of the circus's performers. "Everybody said he was crazy, but he did it. He ended up teaching farm kids how to juggle, and eventually other kids were attracted and they started doing the tour."
For over twenty years Circus Smirkus has toured New England, giving kids between the ages of 10 and 18 the chance to learn traditional circus arts and to perform in a completely original show in front of live audiences. Out of hundreds of audition tapes sent in each year, only 25 to 30 kids are accepted to perform in the final show after attending three weeks of intensive training in Vermont before they hit the road. But just because these kids are young doesn't mean they're putting on an amateur show.
"It's brilliant. It's original creative direction each year - original artistic production, original composition of music and costumes. It's kind of like a mini Cirque du Soleil, but it's a little more fun. I'm always blown away with what they come up with," Gina Michelin, the Development Director from Waldorf School said.
This year the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs took to the challenge of bringing the group to the Saratoga Springs and with the help of sponsors such as the Saratoga Springs Rotary Club and the Golub Foundation, the school was able to welcome Circus Smirkus to the Saratoga Springs Race Course for two action packed days. But arranging to pay for the circus's fees, obtaining the proper permits, promoting the show and finding places for the performers to stay wasn't all that Waldorf was able to contribute. The school was proud to announce this year that two of its students, Taylor Wright-Sanson, 17, who will be a senior next semester at Waldorf, and Emmanuel Ribereau, also 17 and a former exchange student with Waldorf from France, were accepted to tour with the show.
Taylor Wright-Sanson is in his fourth year of performing with Circus Smirkus, whose interest in the circus arts began when he received a unicycle for Christmas several years ago.
"I got a unicycle for Christmas when I was like 13 years old and just learned how to ride it in my kitchen during the winter," Wright-Sanson said. "It was easy because I could hold on to all the counters on both sides to stop myself from falling. I saw a video of a guy doing some tricks and I picked them up pretty easily and kept on practicing before I auditioned for the circus."
Like Wright-Sanson, Ribereau is also a unicyclist.
"I started when I was nine years old, and five years later I saw a video on the internet and I began doing some tricks," Ribereau said. "Last year because of my exchange, I met Taylor."
Together the two boys honed their skills, and even collaborated on their audition tapes for Circus Smirkus when they met up in Switzerland during Wright-Sanson's exchange earlier this year. And although Ribereau was already back in France when the show was set to begin, he's decided to make the special trip back to the States to perform with the group.
"It's completely a new world for me," Ribereau said of joining the circus and touring the Northeast. "I really like it so far. I like meeting new people, and it's great for my knowledge of the U.S."
For Ribereau, the biggest challenge of performing a staggering 70 shows over seven weeks with the circus is recreating the excitement and initial energy of his first performance every time.
"You have to have the energy to do a show every day, the same show. But you have to find a way to do it in an interesting way without getting bored. It's the first time for the audience, so to do it interesting for me and the audience is most important to me. And to be able to bring the same energy as the first time we did the opening show," Ribereau said.
"I love going out there and performing for the audience," Wright-Sanson added. "One of my favorite things to do is to look out into the audience and find people's expressions while we're doing things. Because some are excited, some are terrified, some are skeptical, some are laughing. It's fabulous. Sometimes there are people who you see that aren't clapping, and I try to look at them and get them to clap. It's really fun when you can get them on your side."
For Wright-Sanson, traveling with the circus is a bizarre and wonderful experience, one which he said he could see himself doing professionally in a few years time.
"It's really great being able to travel. We go to the next place, set up the tent, and inside it always looks the same. So it almost feels like we're just back where we started until we step out and suddenly we're in this new town," Wright-Sanson said. "I feel pretty comfortable now. I don't ever really feel nervous. I feel excited."
Ribereau, who is still in his first year with Circus Smirkus, said that while he still gets nervous from time to time, he's starting to settle in now that the show is in full swing.
"Sometimes I'm nervous, but it's getting better," he said. As for his future in the circus, Ribereau said one thing is for sure. "I'm going to keep practicing on the unicycle."
For more information on Circus Smirkus, or to see when and where the group is set to perform next, you may visit them on the web at www.smirkus.org.
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