August 11, 2021
Tumbling into tomorrow
Around Town
COMMUNITY VOICES By Dr. Larry A. Brown. Pg. 2 St. Louis Area Diaper Bank to hold second annual Underpants Dance. Pg.3 The 21st Annual Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase announces awards. Pg.4
School Special Section - Back to School. Pg. 7
Features (FLIP)
Circus Harmony’s Architecture and Acrobats program finds historically significant architectural sites and performs a site-specific show.
Photo courtesy Jessica Hentoff
St. Louis circus program Circus Harmony receives PNC Arts Alive grant to help rebuild what was lost during the pandemic By Téa Perez The past year and a half has been a circus for most, but for St. Louis social circus school, Circus Harmony, it’s been quite literally the opposite. Founder and artistic/executive director Jessica Hentoff has been teaching circus to young people in the greater St. Louis area since 1989. She officially formed the nonprofit Circus Harmony in 2001, whose home base lies at City Museum. “We use the teaching and performing of circus arts to motivate social change, and we do it by building character and (...) building bridges between communities,” Hentoff said. With a multitude of programs including
Peace Through Pyramids, in which they bring kids together from different places, partnering with circus schools in places such as Israel and Puerto Rico, it was quite the transition moving to an online rehearsal format. “When the pandemic hit we instantly started doing what we called ‘quaran’-training and doing classes online,” Hentoff said. The pandemic caused a great imbalance in the way life is gone about, especially in the aspect of mental health. Circus Harmony saw that and decided to express this through their art. “(The beginning of the pandemic) was such an unbalanced time,” Hentoff said. “One kid said, ‘usually I can ask a grown-up what to do,
but nobody knows what to do.’ So we created a show called The Balancing Act, walking the pandemic tightrope.” Their show, The Balancing Act, focused on how people were keeping their balance. Kids would perform circus acts in their living rooms, yards, parks or wherever open space was available. It allowed kids and even some parents, teachers and alumni to give their own perspective of the pandemic through art. While the pandemic became a catalyst for so much creativity, it also halted the ability of those less fortunate to take part in this program. “(COVID-19) shut off opportunities for a See ‘TUMBLING’’ page 2
Serving North & Northwest St. Louis County | FREE Online at mycnews.com | Vol. 100 No. 32 | 636-379-1775
Recipe, Movie & Sudoku. Pg. F-1 CLASSIFIEDS AND HOME & GARDEN. Pg. F-2 /F-3 Moore On Life, Yeggs & Crossword Puzzle. Pg. F-4
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