Newsletter - June, 2007

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 2007 National Festival - Illinois State University, August 8-12.
2. Job offerings
3. AYCO  Auction
 4. Spotlight on members -- CircEsteem, Chicago
5. Member News
6. Jacob and Nathan Sharpe Compete in Paris

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AYCO's 2007 National Festival - Illinois State University, August 8-12.
The 2007 AYCO Festival will be the fourth biennial national conference for the ever growing world-wide movement of youth circus. The festival will include:




The dates are August 8-12.
More info available on AYCO's website: http://www.americanyouthcircus.org/.

5% discount if you register by July 1.

The 2007 AYCO FESTIVAL  IS STILL SEEKING PRESENTERS TO OFFER WORKSHOPS TO TAKE PLACE THURS, 8/8 - SAT. 8/11.  PRESENTERS RECEIVED FESTIVAL PASS AND MEALS!  ENGAGE!   PARTICIPATE!  SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS WITH YOUTH AND / OR OTHER YOUTH CIRCUS PROFESSIONALS.  FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO DOWNLOAD PROPOSAL FORMS, VISIT THE AYCO WEBSITE!! http://www.americanyouthcircus.org/.


What is Gamma Phi Circus?
Gamma Phi Circus is the oldest collegiate circus in the United States. Its origins stretch back to 1926 when Clifford "Pop" Horton, a gymnastics instructor at Illinois State University, organized a small group of men to perform pyramids and tumble at basketball and football games. This led to the founding of Gamma Phi in 1929 as a fraternity-not a circus-that was dedicated to physical education, fitness, and gymnastics. Horton, a circus fan, instructed circus performers at the Bloomington YMCA. The group's first annual circus performance on the Illinois State campus took place in 1931; tickets were priced at 25 cents. Horton, who served for many years as the University's athletic director, headed Gamma Phi for 19 years. The current director is Al Light. See Gamma Phi Circus's website at http://www.gammaphicircus.ilstu.edu/

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Job Offerings:
888 Monkeys Summer Arts Program (based in sunny San Jose, CA) has positions open for teachers of: Circus – Music – Drama – Visual Art. Also in need of: Counselors Experience working in one or more of the above disciplines . Full and Part-time positions available. Send resume to Carlo Gentile, jobs@888monkeys.org or call (314) 266-1211.

Long Lake Camp Flying Circus is looking for the following circus staff to come to camp to share your passion for circus with our campers who are aged between 10 and 16. ACTS :
FLYING TRAPEZE, SPANISH WEB, MEX CLOUD SWING, SINGLE TRAP, TRIPLE TRAP, DOUBLE TRAP, SWINGING TRAP, LOW CASTING, TISSU, SPANISH WEB, STILT WALKING, PERCH POLE, HANGING PERCH, HAND BALANCING, ROLLER SKATING, LOW WIRE TAUGHT, TUMBLING, JUGGLING, BICYCLE BUILT FOR FIVE, CLOWNING, MAGIC /ILLUSION. Long Lake Camp for the Arts produces three flying circuses each summer with casts of about 70 to 90 children performers. We perform all forms of aerial and ground acts with clowning and technical classes. Our staff live here with us for free we even do your laundry for you plus a great salary. CONTACT: Geoff Burnett, 800-767-7111,EMAIL: geoff@longlakecamp.com WEBSITE: http://www.longlakecamp.com/

The Childrens Circus of Middletown has openings this summer for the following positions.
- Assistant to the Director of the Advanced Circus Program
We are looking for a multi skilled, organized circus artist to work with our advanced circus program.
- Assistant Technical Director
We are looking for someone with carpentry skills and the ability to create 6 foot puppets.
- Circus Art Room Teacher
Looking for a visual artist to work with classes on building circus props. Should not be afraid of directing an act with 30 children in it, seen by over 1000 people. Not for the faint of heart.
For more information, contact Jake Weinstein, Circus Director. 1-203-562-1471. You can also email your resume to Bobbye@oddfellows.org .

Circus Smirkus is celebrating its 20th Anniversary and we are looking for individuals who would love to run away with our traveling youth circus for the 2007 summer season. We are currently looking for the following positions to be filled: CDL driver, Head Concessionaire, Head Trouper Counselor and Counselors. Please contact tour@smirkus.org for more information or go to
http://www.smirkus.org/htm/jobs/tour_jobs.html . CONTACT: Sara Wunderle, Circus Smirkus Assistant Program Director - 802-533-7443 ext. 27.

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AYCO AUCTION FUNDRAISER ON EBAY!!!
Support AYCO with your in-kind donations
 
We are currently seeking donations from individuals for auction items for this first time event.  Do you have:  circus posters, collectors' pictures, postcards, vintage circus programs, souvenirs?  Novelty collectors items (like an old elephant harness or a shoelace)?  Equipment (in good condition), circus art work, circus toys, circus books?  Anything of the sort that is just collecting dust?  Here's a way that you can support the American Youth Circus Organization: 
by donating, in-kind, to our FIRST EVER ebay CIRCUS AUCTION! YEEEEEAAAAH! 
Funds raised go directly to support our 2007 American Youth Circus Festival, August 8 - 12th in the areas of scholarships, operations, and facility rental.
Our goal is to have all auction items in hand and ready to post on May 14.
If you have something you would like to donate OR any questions at all, please contact John Whitfield: john@aycostore.com
 
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Spotlight on Members - CircEsteem, Chicago, IL

CircEsteem news.... CircEsteem has been honored with a $10,000 Anonymous Donation in recognition of their significant programming and many success stories.This gift depends on them matching this amount by the end of June! Please help CircEsteem reach this goal! Half of donations will go to current programming and half will go to our Scholarship Fund.

MATCH NOW [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=a65n9acab.0.u8ze8acab.xxjo8ubab.983&ts=S0253&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.circesteem.com%2Fdonate.html]

47 kids enrolled in our HomeWork & CircusWork program...Students from several high schools come to CircEsteem Festival to learn skills from regular members...Donated circus equipment to a circus program in New Orleans that lost all of its equipment in Katrina and to an AIDS education and awareness circus in Ethiopia.

Upcoming events: June 1---CircEsteem Graduate Showcase ; June 29—Taste of Chicago Family Stage ; July 4—Evanston and Lake Bluff Independence Day Parade ; July 14-28—Circus Pimparello of Germany comes to Chicago ; November 15—Our 4th Annual Circus Gala at the Chicago Cultural Center

Cornell Freeney , AYCO youth board member (pictured at left), recently traveled with CircEsteem instructor Wolfgang Bientzle to Europe to participate in a week long international gymnastic wheel camp. Attending the camp were 30 skilled wheel gymnasts, ages 15 to 23 and six coaches from nine countries in Europe, Asia, and North America. Wolfgang is the top ranking coach for the gymnastic wheel worldwide. Cornell received 2nd place in the vault division, 6th place in the straight line division. He is now ranked number 7 all around in the Junior World Gym Wheel Championship!!! See http://www.circesteem.org/
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Member News

The St. Louis Arches have been invited to Israel! Circus Day Foundation's amazing youth circus performers have been asked to do a residency with the Galilee Circus, a Jewish/Arab youth troupe from the Galilee Foundation for Value Education. The Galilee Foundation for Value Education uses education to help realize their vision of a society based on intergroup harmony and cooperation. One of their main focuses is on improving Jewish/Arab relations and Circus Galilee is one of the tools they use to accomplish this. The residency for the two groups will take place July 8-22. The youth circus performers will spend two weeks working together, sharing circus skills and creating a group show, which will then tour Israel.
Circus Day Foundation is mounting a fundraising campaign to raise the $45,000 needed for this inspirational journey. Donations can be made at http://circusday.org/GalileeFound/index.html.

Amazing Grace Circus (Nyack, NY), under the directorship of Carlo Pellegrini, sucessfully performed their spring show to a sold-out crowd of 650 people. Read the whole story at http://www.geocities.com/amazinggracecircus/.

And the Amazing Grace CIRCUS! Youth Troupe
has been invited to perform one of their acrobatic acts with the Big Apple Circus on either June 21st or June 22nd.

Jackie Davis, AYCO founding member, has been accepted to Harvard's Graduate School in Human Development and Psychology. She will be studying and researching ways that circus arts can be verified by the academic community as a viable means of youth development.

Circus City Festival presents the Peru Amateur Circus, one of the oldest youth circuses in the nation, July 14-21. See http://www.perucircus.com//

Congratulations to Circus Juventas (ST. Paul, MN) for their recent performances. Radio spot, slide show and video can be heard and seen at http://weekendamerica.publicradio.org/programs/2007/05/12/you_dont_have_to_run.html

Trapeze-Experience™ (Las Vegas, NV), the premier service of International Transition Services, LLC, will be at the famous Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY June 15th through July 22nd. Featuring Peter Gold; the Ledgendary Tony Steele, and the Trapeze-Experience Team. See http://trapeze-experience.com/

Oddfellows Playhouse Traveling Circus (Middletown, CT) in an effort to raise funds to go to the AYCO festival this August, is presentin g a new show this June 1, Seven Suitcases, A Trunk, and an Egg . See http://www.oddfellows.org/

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Jacob and Nathan Sharpe Compete in Paris
 Jacob Sharpe, AYCO Youth Board member, and his brother Nate performed recently at the Worldwide Festival of the Circus of Tomorrow, in Paris, France. Here's his account of this experience...

Last summer my brother Nate and I performed a new duo diabolo act for Circus Smirkus. About halfway through the summer we decided we wanted to try our hand at something bigger, and sent an application to the Worldwide Festival of the Circus of Tomorrow in Paris France. To our surprise, we were invited! We were ecstatic! Our excitement grew as it became closer and more tangible; receiving the list of acts and seeing pictures of the tent (which was massive) made it that much harder to wait. After months of practice and fine-tuning with our coach, Fritz Grobe (who some may know as one half of the recently famous Diet Coke and Mentos duo), we finally arrived on site feeling ready to go. In rehearsals, we were amazed by the consistent high quality of the acts present, and it was very exciting to be able to work with such talented people as equals. The first show went great, with only one drop, and good crowd response. The audiences in France were quite different from those I’ve experienced in the states. Most of the people watching were adults! They were also very responsive and seemed to understand the difficulty of what was done. The second show was a little rougher, but with a better crowd the energy was even higher and the drops didn’t hurt. The morning of the final day, they posted the list of who would get to perform in the gala that evening. Our mom ventured out of the hotel early to get the news, and came back smiling; we were on the list! At the awards ceremony we were called up and received three prizes: the Circus Kobzov Prize, the Circus Knie Prize, and the Special Prize. We did not medal, but all of the acts who did certainly deserved to. Overall, it was an amazing experience. I continue to see that circus people are indeed the best kind of people you’ll ever meet. Thanks to Rob Mermin, Ron Eastman, Ernest Albrecht, Troy Wunderle, Fritz Grobe, Dominique Jando, and everyone in the Smirkus family for their help and encouragement.
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