Tenth Anniversary Grande Finale Performance: Over 1,300 Amazed

The Berkshire Children's Circus gave two stellar performances at the Patterson Field House at Berkshire Community College on Friday and Saturday, August 15th and 16th.

The audience was packed each night with families eager to be thrilled and amazed, and they were not disappointed.

Each performance began with the Double Black Diamond Act performed, featuring seven skilled aerialists on our new triple trapeze. Next came the Space Cadets, featuring all manner of difficult balancing acts, from walking on huge, rolling balls, to rolling along atop what looked like a giant spool of thread. In Balloons For Sale, the clownish pursuit of five dollars found one balloon salesman literally loosing his pants in a botched swindle. The audience got a laugh and 19 adorable clowns got the balloons.

Flying Free - Web & Aerial Hoop featured three aerialists tethered on the Spanish Web while a fourth hung in graceful counterpoint within the silver ringed aerial hoop. At one point, the suspended web artistis are spun, high above floor. Gym Class Disaster, featured a hysterical gym routine gone wild. Life's Delicate Balance gave performers the opportunity to show off their skills on three tight and slack wires. Devan Gardner, our erstwhile balloon salesman, returned to direct the audience towards the popcorn for intermission.

After intermission the crowd was entertained with an update to our camp song. Look Who's Landed brought us alien invaders on stilts, much to the surprise of some unsuspecting kids. Joe West balanced everything but the kitchen sink in a solo performance. (Were those plates Wedgewood?) One Wheel Wonders featured an assembly of unicyclists, including two giraffes (6 foot tall unicycles). They played basketball and then demonstrated individual skills. Blooming Roses found three exceptional aerialists performing with great aplomb upon the trapeze. For Jalapeno Poppers, ten muchachos, some in sombreros, danced the macarena on rola-bolas.

The final act featured the Camp's own Artistic Director, Sean Fagan, playing mom to an unruly, and athletic, bunch of clowns who just don't want to go to sleep. The Finale had everyone on the floor celebrating our tenth anniversary, with cake, and on the last day, pie. (What's a party without the old pie in face, anyway.) It was a grand ending to another excellent three weeks of Circus Camp, and from the sound of the applause, there will be many encores to come.

Click Here to Go to Performance Pictures.

____________________________________

Sam Schrager Awarded Special Award

Sam Schrager was awarded the Special Certificate, given annually by the Circus Fans of America.

This award is in recognition to an Intermediate Level Camper who has shown real improvement and outstanding achievement. It is sponsored by the CFA's local Tent, under the direction of its President, Dan McGinnis, a Dalton resident.

Sam's skills were exceptional, as were the skills of all our campers this year. In recognition of our talented group of youngsters, every camper was given a Certificate of Achievement at the conclusion of our Saturday performance.

____________________________________

Berkshire Circus Gets Rave Review Online

The Berkshire Circus Camp got a rave review on Circusnews.com. To read the article Click Here:

Should the above not load, click here.

Warren Bacon: Taking the Teaching of Aerial Safety to New Heights.

There was one concession to fun for a child growing up on a Beef and Dairy ranch in rural Alabama- a visit to the circus. For Warren Bacon, his love for the circus began in this respite from the routine of farm chores. Yet he never thought that he'd someday be involved in the circus as a career.

A serious student, Warren graduated from High School and attended Auburn University, where he became interested in gymnastics. Throughout his four years in pursuit of a BS in Zoology, Warren competed in college gymnastics. He continued his academic pursuits at Florida State University, studying molecular biophysics and genetics and cell physiology under the direction of Dr. Johanne Stein. While there he made friends with the Florida State gymnasts.

One day, as he was tumbling by the State Union building, a fellow walked up to him and announced, "you tumble really well, but if you want I'll teach you to fly." The man was the head of the Florida State University Circus, a unique program begun in 1947 and still in operation today. Warren took the fellow up on his offer.

"To this day, these young people receive no tuition waivers, but just do it for the fun of it," said Warren in a recent interview. In addition to aerial acts, the circus featured clown acts, artistic bicycle, juggling and balancing acts. He and some friends formed a flying trapeze act, and though Warren had initially thought he'd never fly, he found himself frequently in mid-air, loving every minute of it.

"At this point I was in the process of finishing my graduate degree. I didn't want to be a research scientist, I wanted to teach, but my advisors were pushing me into the laboratory. To be honest, I didn't even understand my Masters Thesis". He was awarded his degree despite his announcing to the thesis review committee that he had "no earthly idea to what end his degree could contribute to". Not wanting to pursue a Doctorate, Warren, "ran away from graduate school and joined the circus."

In the ensuing decades as a performer, he grew more and more fascinated with the technical aspects of aerial performance. By the time he was in his forties, he came to the realization that he needed to make a decision. "If I continued performing I would do irreparable harm to my physical self. I thought, you had your fling, you've been a star, what you need to do is focus on the technical stuff. Rigging fascinated me because it allows me to use my background in the sciences and physics."

In 1991, after spending thirty years on the road, Warren obtained a position as Rigging Supervisor at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. Frustrated with the spectacular entertainment that employed no risk management, he began investigating ways to make rigging safer. "Risk management became my crusade," said Warren.

In 2001 Universal was purchased by a new owner, and as is typical in any company buyout where restructuring is employed, benefit packages were rolled out. "I was happy to take it. I was given a great package and I took the money and decided to start a little rigging company. I wanted to solve problems for people who do oddball stuff. I didn't want to be a rental company, but I genuinely wanted to help people make their systems work safely."

"I began to reestablish contacts with people in the circus industry and began building circus equipment. Jessica Hentoff, a former aerial partner, told me about her work with youth Circus." Warren saw what youth circus organizations were trying to accomplish, and was confronted by the real need to bring state of technology equipment to them. "Putting risk management techniques to work for these groups, and taking the message of making better, safer equipment available to not only professional circus but youth circus as well became my goal."

In the end, Warren's dream of someday teaching has been realized. "This is where it all started for me. I wanted to make a difference. I started my career in a youth circus and now I find myself, at the end of my career, imparting the dreams and skill I began with."

Warren wouldn't trade his life experiences for the world, and he has seen a lot of the globe. He lived in Japan for a year, has been to China, Europe, and Canada. Yet now, his world is helping the future of Youth Circuses everywhere. "Youth circus may never develop to the point of producing entertainers, but the value isn't in producing a new generation of performers. Circus education provides wholesome fun, physical activities in a safe, non-competitive environment that allows young people to explore themselves', says Warren. "Children learn to accept challenges gracefully, they learn to work in a team, they acquire mental and physical discipline. It's all about self exploration and confidence."

" There's a skill anyone can learn. For instance, everyone can learn to juggle". Warren knows, as he has taught many children to do just that. And what does Warren get out of it? "I go away from camps like this one, refreshed and rejuvenated and looking at where I came from. The young people I work with are a wonderful challenge." For Warren "can't" is a four letter word. To see the sheer joy of young people succeeding in their chosen circus skills is a tremendous thrill, not just for the audience, but for Warren too. It signifies that anything is possible, from juggling to flying. "The performance", says Warren, "is the final, wonderful, positive reinforcement of 'Yes, I can do it.'"

___________________________________________________________

CFA Just Days Away

The Berkshire Circus Camps Performance at the upcoming Circus Fans of America Convention is just two weeks away. This is a reminder that there will be a rehearsal Friday, September 5th at 7:00 at Berkshire Community College. Hope to see you there!

___________________________________________________________

E-mail Addresses Here

Here are the e-mail addresses of Circus Camp Personnel:

WANTED

UNICYCLE - Used, in good condition. Contact Rose Shaw at rshaw@berkshirecc.edu

Send Your Circus Wanted Postings to khubbard@berkshirecc.edu.