CIRCUS SCHOOL IN SESSION
Mila Ruecker practises various circus skills at the Saskatoon Public Schools Circus Arts Camp at North Park Wilson school on Thursday.
The big tent is coming to Saskatoon in a small way, as public school students prepare to showcase their circus talents.
Students between the ages of nine and 14 attended a week-long circus performance camp at North Park Wilson School this week. They perform there for the public today at 2:15 p.m.
This is the third year the school has hosted a circus camp, and the seventh consecutive year the school division has run the program.
“It’s physical activity and artistic expression combined into one. But it’s also not competitive, so students who might not do traditional drama or sports will be engaged in this as well, because it’s something really unique,” said Michael Bradford, vice-principal of College Park School.
Bradford integrated circus arts into the school division when he was vice-principal of Howard Coad School seven years ago.
So far, 3,076 students have participated — more than 1,100 in the last two years alone. At the North Park Wilson School camp over Easter break, 110 students from six schools took part.
“I’ve never done any gymnastics or anything before this,” said Rowan Dymund, one student who is new to circus performance. She performs on the aerial hoops at the showcase today, although her second choice was magic.
“We did escaping from chains in a canvas bag. We worked on the escaping from chains before we got in the canvas bag,” she joked.
Bob Palmer, who performs under the moniker Flyin’ Bob, brought several decades of performance and coaching experience to the camp.
Palmer has been coaching this camp for as long as the school division has been running it.
“I had so much fun learning these skills, so it’s really fun to transfer that — and I can see those kids have the same reaction, I can see that ‘Oh, I got it, I got it,’ and I remember that,” Palmer said.
He grew up in Saskatoon, and started his performance career in an act called Flying Debris with fellow coach James O’Shea. Palmer praised Bradford and the school division for the program.
“I can’t think of any place in Canada who is using this model. So it’s a very unique, a very special and a very valuable thing, and the numbers speak for themselves,” Palmer said.
Participation for all the kids involved was free of charge, thanks to sponsorship from Canadian Tire Jumpstart and support from the Saskatchewan Arts Board and Dakota Dunes Community Development Corporation.