Courtesy of Circus Harmony
National Circus School of Puerto Rico
For some, circuses might evoke images of clowns and cotton candy. But many performers are, in fact, highly trained athletes who spend years honing their craft. In St. Louis, Circus Harmony uses that serious side of circus as a means to motivate social change.
Locally, the social circus organization delivers community workshops to at-risk youth and provides professional training for performers from around the St. Louis area. In 2007, Circus Harmony launched its Peace Through Pyramids program, which aims to unite children around the world through circus arts.
This summer, they plan to travel to Puerto Rico, where they will partner with the the National School of Circus of Puerto Rico (ENC) Social Circus program in Dorado to plan and stage shows in some of the communities most devastated by Hurricane Maria, which hit the island in 2017.
“The point is to do it as a cultural exchange,” says Jessica Hentoff, Circus Harmony’s artistic and executive director. “And then it’s to bring the joy and the hope and inspiration that a circus can bring. It’s just a joyful way to show what’s possible.”
The final plans for the July journey aren’t set in stone, but Hentoff hopes to take 10 students—the same St. Louis Arches group that’s part of Circus Flora’s current show—and a couple of Circus Harmony alumni who will help the young people from St. Louis and Puerto Rico collaborate on shows. It might not be easy considering only one of the Circus Harmony students is a fluent Spanish speaker. (He translated the video below about the trip.) But Hentoff’s organization is adept at building bridges over cultural divides.
“We’ve created shows with kids who don’t speak English,” she says. “Circus is an international language.”
Over the last decade, Circus Harmony partnered with Isreal’s Galilee Circus, taking several trips to Isreal. There, young people from the St. Louis area collaborated with Galilee Circus performers to master new skills and stage shows.
“Circus is family. And, now, all these kids are connected everywhere,” says Hentoff. She adds that Circus Harmony alumni traveling internationally have made a point to reconnect with young people they worked with years earlier.
The Galilee Circus folded recently, which prompted Hentoff to seek out another Peace Through Pyramids partnership. After Hurricane Maria, she personally contributed to the National School of Circus recovery efforts, so the collaboration was a logical leap.
During their trip, planned for July 3 to 17, Circus Harmony and ENC performers will hold workshops and create a show to perform in hard-hit communities including Dorado, Corozal, Naranjito, Comerío, and Morovis. Although the organization raised around $6,000 on Give STL Day toward the estimated $25,000 cost of the trip, they still need contributions to cover travel, lodging, and meals, as well as performance props and other supplies they hope to donate while in Puerto Rico. They are also open to performing sponsored shows in other hurricane-ravaged communities if funds and time allow.
“I think it will be a little stunning for them to see how people have been living there and how people have continued to live there,” Hentoff says of her students. “They will see people whose lives have been destroyed, who are trying to rebuild.”
Similarly, Circus Harmony took its Peace Through Pyramids program to Ferguson after the unrest that followed the police shooting of Michael Brown. And Hentoff has seen Circus Harmony’s impact reach far beyond workshops and performances. Since its founding in 2001, the social circus organization has trained young people from across the socioeconomic spectrum. While some have become professional circus performers, others have parlayed the discipline and experience they gained through Circus Harmony into success in many other fields.
“This is the taking off point for anywhere,” Hentoff says. “We don’t know until they land.”
You can also donate to Circus Harmony online.
