The latest AYCOgram...

Get the AYCOgram - AYCO's online newsletter...

E-mail Address:
Subscribe:	UnSubscribe:

AYCO Newsletter - March, 2008

To submit news for next newsletter, contact rick@americanyouthcircus.org . (If you don't want this in the future, reply with the word "unsubmit"

In this issue:
1. AYCO's 2008 Educators Conference, Oct 10-12 Boulder, CO
2. AYCO Board News
3. To the AYCO Community, from AYCO's new president, David Hunt
4. Summer Job Openings
5. Ottavio Canestrelli (3/22/1970-1/16/2008)
6. Member News
7. Student Circus Resurgence Conference 2008

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AYCO's 2008 Educators Conference
RAISING THE BAR
October 10 - 12, 2008
Boulder Circus Center
Boulder, Colorado

Inviting all youth circus coaches, program directors, board members, and supporters to the 2008 AYCO Educators Conference.

This year's theme is Raising the Bar as we come together to improve our skills, talents, and visions to more successfully fulfill our missions working with youth through circus training and performance. We are choosing to host a general assembly this year. Workshops will cover a wide range of topics from coaching techniques and safe rigging practices to fund-raising and board development.

Interested in presenting a workshop at the conference?
Please email David and let him know!

For conference registration, hotel, and workshop details, go to [www.americanyouthcircus.org]

SAVE THE DATES: October 10 - 12, 2008!

Questions? diddnola@gmail.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AYCO BOARD NEWS

Our Board of Directors is currently going through many transitions. The biggest news is that Orlene Gentile has completed her term as Board President and has been replaced by former Board Vice President, David Hunt.

Orlene has been a leading force with AYCO since its first Festival in Sarasota, FL in 2001. She was a constant inspiration and workhorse throughout her active work on the Board. She set the standard for us to stay on track and was excellent in rallying involvement all around. Even through the birth of her son and pursuing her performance career here and overseas, Orlene continued to play a major roll in the planning and coordinating of last years' festival and conference.

Although no longer serving on the Board, Orlene will continue to act in an advisory capacity. We are thankful for her years of hard work and willingness to remain an active supporter for the future.

On behalf of the greater youth circus community, we thank-you, Orlene, for your years of service and inspiration!

AND...Congratulations Orlene and husband Carlo on the upcoming birth of your second child!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To the AYCO Community,

I certainly did not anticipate finding myself with a titled position on the Board of Directors when I attended my first AYCO Festival in St. Paul, MN in 2003. I was currently in New Orleans, coordinating a circus arts program for adults and kids. I knew very little then about circus, really, except that I felt in my bones that we could change lives, bring some magic, and have a lot of fun with this little idea. Thanks to many mentors, my own pursuit of my own performing path, and ongoing work with youth through coaching, I know a bit more about circus and still believe in its power to change lives, create magic, and be fun. I see it happen daily in Oakland.

I'm very excited to be serving on the Board as President. I'm following in difficult footsteps behind Orlene Gentile's, but I aim to bring a matching enthusiasm and open eyes and ears. I am inspired and intrigued by AYCO's potential, its members' interests, and what we may grow into as we develop a stronger organizational structure.

A short list of goals I'd like to help facilitate into action include:

* AYCO facilitating opportunities for nation wide youth circus activities to impress upon the national arts and educational worlds as to the value of what we are doing.

* Increase the availability and delivery of resources and tools for program administrators, coaches, youth, and parents through our festivals and conferences AND year round using the web as a source and networking medium.

* Greater youth and parent participation on the national level to give voice to their needs and wishes and how we may meet them.

* Greater and broader member involvement in the festivals, conferences, and organizational operations. AYCO's success depends upon the participation of all who represent its composure: coaches of all types, program directors, youth circus students and performers, parents, and circus fans. We would like to see representatives from all of these play an integral role in our decision making and planning.

* Generating an annual, sustainable, and ongoing fund-raising plan.

* Board Development. Assembling a strong and diverse board with members who care about youth programing, with knowledge of non profit business, and with a passion for circus and performing arts.

I can't say I'll get up at 5:00 AM every morning during festivals to post the town with circus arrows, but I do intend to do my best to lead this organization towards new directions of greater member participation and work with the rest of the board to develop a sustainable organizational structure that can carry AYCO well into the future.

Please, if you have any ideas you would like to share, would like to be move involved on a national level, or have any questions, please, drop a line.

Hope to see you all in Boulder this fall.

Sincerely,

David Hunt
diddnola@gmail.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Summer Job Openings
Many summer camps are looking for circus coaches. See the AYCO bulletin board (www.amercianyouthcircus.org/bb.htm) for coaching positions in San Jose, St. Louis, New London CT, Greensboro VT, and Purchase NY.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ottavio Canestrelli (3/22/1970-1/16/2008)

AYCO extends its sympathy to the family and friends of Ottavio Canestrelli, who died on January 16, 2008. He was born and raised in the circus he started performing at the tender age of 4 with his brothers; soon Ottavio became the Star performer in his family's teeter-board act. He also had a hilarious comedy "Knock-about" act with his twin brother. After many years of traveling and performing throughout the US, Canada and Mexico the Pietro Camastrelli Family (as they were called) entered adulthood. As a result they went there separate ways. Ottavio perused a career in acting and earned a degree in theater. But he found himself yearning for the physicality of the Circus. Thus, returned with new skills as a solo artist. Recreating himself as a physical Comedian of yesteryear such a Buster Keaton his skills are: Ladder Act German Wheel Juggling Comedy Chair Act Teeter-board Solo Trapeze and countless others.
Memorials and more about Ottavio can be found at [www.myspace.com]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Member News

CircusYoga and MacKenzie Smiles - a San Francisco-based publishing house - are producing a series of books and card decks focused on family activities. The first of the series, FLYING KIDS! will be in stores December 2008. See www.circusyoga.com

Circus Day Foundation presented its 6th production of the creative confluence of music and circus arts known as Circus Harmony on November 16, 17 and 18. This year's show was entitled Espressivo (with expression) and featured new acts and new music.

Circus Day Foundation also started offering their Intensive Circus Training program --- a precursor to the Pre-Professional Program they are developing for next fall. More information on this and all their classes and camps can be found at www.circusday.org. or by emailing circusday@everydaycircus.net.

The Clown Conservatory in San Francisco is now taking applications for the Class of 2008-09. You can find some basic information below, and more at www.clownconservatory.org.

Viveca Gardiner of Bindlestiff Circus and Cynthia Rauschert of jugglenyc.com have announced a new online resource for circus information. See CircusNYC.com, a general resource for circus & variety artists, industry, and fans in NYC.

Dan Roberts, formerly of CirEsteem, is teaching circus arts in Indonesia through Clowns Without Borders. See his blog at: [circusindonesia.blogspot.com]

Prescott Circus Theatre (Oakland, CA), along with Zulu Connection (New Orleans) are presenting 50 youth stilt walkers March 28 in Oakland.

The Hilltop Circus (Wilton, NH) recently completed its 13th annual circus, "Hilltop Swings". Founding director Jackie Davis will be on sabbatical next year to attend grad school, with Hilltop/Smirkus alumna Jen Agans taking the helm.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Student Circus Resurgence Conference 2008

Hampshire College, Amherst, MA
Saturday March 29th & Sunday March 30th
The Student Circus Resurgence Conference 2007 will be a two-day-long event for participators in the collegiate circus arts. Its primary purpose is to bring together the next generation of circus enthusiasts in order to enable connections between current and future circus creators, programmers and artists. The event hopes to encourage discussion of the current youth circus movement, to fuel creative collaborations and partnerships, and to inspire and evoke new ideas in this quickly growing performance art.

Though open to participants all over the country, because of space limitations students this conference is geared to be more regional, Northeast-specific.
For more information: visit Click here

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To submit news for next newsletter, contact rick@americanyouthcircus.org . (If you don't want this in the future, reply with the word "unsubmit"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~