Newsletter - January, 2007

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In this issue:
1.  Festival 2007 - Normal, IL
2. AYCO's Social Circus Educator's Conference, Big Success
3. Spotlight on new members -- National Circus Project and The Wenatchee Youth Circus
4. Member News

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The 2007 AYCO Festival will be the fourth biennial national conference for the ever growing  world-wide movement of youth circus.

The festival, as always will include:
  •  Pre-Festival Intensives.
  • 4 days of Workshops!
  • Performances by youth troupes from around the continent
  • Discussion groups
  • Dozens of presenters!
  • 2 Gala performances
  • Fun filled hob-nobbing! 
    • The dates have been set for August 6-12. More info will be available soon on AYCO's website: 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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    AYCO Social Circus Educators Conference - Youth Development through Circus Education
    Social Circus holds very different meanings for different programs worldwide.  AYCO presents Social Circus as circus education applied towards youth development.  We intended this conference to help further improve the way we teach our students.  Not necessarily to be better acrobats and jugglers, but to be more self-knowing, confident, and healthier people.

    Conference workshops and discussions  addressed such topics as how we teach, conflict/resolution strategies, community partnerships, and curriculum development.  Topics  also included administrative programming, fund raising, and the legalities of working with youth.  This conference also acted as a springboard for new networks throughout our youth circus community, and  initiated an Assessment Project for youth circus programs, and establish a national network to provide Social Circus internships for future educators.
     
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    Social Circus Teacher Training
    October 30 - November 3, 2006 - Chicago, IL
     
    Prior to the Educator's Conference, AYCO, in cooperation and support from Cirque du Soleil, held a 4 1/2 day teacher training for 25 youth circus educators from around the United States.  The training was provided by professionals from Cirque du Soleil's Social Circus Teaching Program which conducts circus workshops in cooperation with community organizations to serve at-risk youth around the world.  The 25 participants, from approximately 18 different organizations, returned to their programs with new tools and perspectives to improve the ways in which they work with their students and within their communities. 
     
    On behalf of these participants and the youth circus community, we say "thank-you" to Cirque for providing us with this unique and valuable opportunity!
     
    For more information about Cirque du Soleil's Social Circus Programs: www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/company/socialaction/sevenpgrms/cirquedumonde.htm
     
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    Spotlight on New Members
     
    AYCO is proud to welcome, as new members, three of the oldest youth circus organizations in America: The National Circus Project, The Wenatchee Youth Circus, and My Nose Turns Red Theatre.
     
     
    National Circus Project
    Westbury, NY
    The National Circus Project sends a team of professional circus artists to schools, where they present an entertaining and motivating circus performance followed by a series of "hands-on" workshops for the student population.  The National Circus Project also produces student circus performances with select groups of student participants.  For the past 20 years, the National Circus Project has performed and conducted teaching programs in thousands of public schools, introducing basic circus skills to nearly 5 million children.
     
     
    The Wenatchee Youth Circus
    Wenatchee, WA
    Our circus began as an after-school tumbling class at Ellison Jr. High School where I was a beginning teacher in 1951. It appealed to 7th, 8th, and 9th grades and gradually attracted some high school students. We worked tumbling and pyramid building - with some juggling and tight wire included. We performed to Merle Evans Circus recordings at basketball half-times, football games, and local kids' parties.
     
    Like "Topsy" - it just grew until we began traveling to close celebrations - gradually expanding and adding equipment.
     
    Never having had a "mission statement" as such, I suppose it would be that we are constantly striving to bring the best semi-professional old-fashioned Circus entertainment to as many locations as we can - apparently with success as we are now readying our 55th consecutive season.
     
    - Paul Pugh, founder and director
    http://wenatcheeyouthcircus.com

    The Wenatchee Youth Circus, known as the "Biggest Little Circus in the World" is one of several nonprofessional groups presently performing in the United States. The show includes all the regular circus acts with the exception of wild animals. Five small specially designed circus wagons are hauled on a flatbed trailer. One of the wagons opens out to make a raised covered bandstand, equipped with lights. Two contain the dressing/sleeping tents, backdrop canvas, clown props & costumes.  The other two are used to haul equipment, with each wagon containing all equipment for specific acts. The small circus wagons are loaded & unloaded by an electric winch. The Wenatchee Youth Circus has grown to the extent that it is considered to be one of the 4 top nonprofessional troupes in the Nation. Over the years has played to audiences totaling over 2 million people in the western states from California to Alaska & in Canada as well averaging 12,000 miles a year.
     

    My Nose Turns Red Theatre
    Covington, KY

    Each year, My Nose Turns Red teaches circus to more than 150 children.  The highlight of the Youth Circus Program is the annual presentation of The New Millennium Circus Holiday Extravaganza at the Aronoff Center for the Arts where 40 area children ages 6-18 perform amazing feats and comic routines.  In addition to the Youth Circus Program, My Nose Turns Red Theatre Company conducts a variety of educational drama programs in schools and libraries that focus on multi-cultural folktales and mime, as well as the Theatrical Clown.  Our programming reaches more than 20,000 individuals each year.
    www.mynoseturnsred.org

     

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    Get Member Discounts at the New AYCO Store
    If you are a member of AYCO, you can now get a 10% discount at our new online store. The online AYCO store offers quality circus equipment including: devil sticks, diabolos, juggling balls, spinning plates....with a snazzy new shopping cart with secure online payment options. See www.aycostore.com.
     
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    Member News

    Please send healing thoughts to our beloved AYCO board member, Peggy Ford (Circus Center San Francisco). She is recovering from major heart surgery.

    The Oddfellows Traveling Circus Company, now in its 4th season, will mount Seven Suitcases, a Trunk and an Egg, a new show of dazzling circus artistry appropriate for all ages. This hand-selected group of young circus performers represents the cream of nearly 20 years of youth circus history at Oddfellows, a team of Children’s Circus staff and Advanced Circus Program veterans that has performed over 50 shows over the past 3 seasons, including a trip to the American Youth Circus Festival in San Francisco in 2005. They also have a new website: http://www.oddfellows.org/
     
    Jessica Hentoff (Circus Day Foundation) has compiled a new book,
    Circus Teaches the Art of Life, with photos by Jeane Vogel Photography.
    It's a 20 page booklet of wonderful youth circus photos demonstrating the
    life skills learned through circus arts--- teamwork, focus, perseverance and
    more---accompanied by appropriate inspirational quotes. Purchase of this
    book supports the Circus Day Foundation’s youth circus programs.$6.95
    plus shipping For more information and to order, visit www.circusday.org 


    See Circus Fan's of America's new website for youth circus at http://www.circus4youth.org/pageview.php
     
    CircEsteem is holding a winter circus camp in Chicago. See http://www.circesteem.org/wintercamp.html
     
    Circus Juventas's summer show, Pazzanni, was a great success. So, they are bringing the show back for four shows during the 2006 St. Paul Winter Carnival. http://www.circusjuventas.org/performances.html
     
    Happy Birthday to Circus Smirkus -- 20 years this season!!  http://www.smirkus.org/
     
     
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